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"The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way."
-Dale Carnegie | |
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| HD 17 Events |
Annual Santiam Canyon Scramble Saturday, March 19th 9 a.m. 5 mile run at Shellburg Falls Recreation Area, Lyons, Oregon
Annual Benefit for Habitat for Humanity Friday, March 11th 5:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Lebanon Mennonite Church, 2100 S. Second Street, Lebanon. 13th Annual Benefit Chili cook-off
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| Contact Info |
rep.sherriesprenger
@state.or.us
503.986.1417
900 Court St. NE H473
Salem, OR 97301 |
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Join Rep. Sprenger for Coffee
Bring your questions about the legislative session for a casual conversation.
Saturday March 26th from 8:00am-9:00am
at the Covered Bridge Coffee House
38765 North Main Street in Scio
Rep. Sprenger will continue to host
monthly coffees in her district. We will keep you updated on times and locations.
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 What's Happening in Your Capitol Building The Reconnect Bill - Senate Bill 301 reconnects portions of Oregon's tax code to federal code, so that Oregon mirrors certain federal tax policies. It has passed the House and Senate this week. The bill allows businesses to deduct the expense of investing in new equipment up front instead of spreading the deduction out over the life of the equipment. Other portions of the bill would allow families to deduct up to $4,000 from their college tuition and for parents to keep children on their health plans until they reach the age of 26. Plastic Bag Ban (SB 536) Update - Rep. Sprenger has received more correspondence on this bill than any other this session. It is currently still awaiting action in the Senate Environment and Water committee. They will vote on it once the committee has information about the fiscal impact. "I remain opposed to this concept as I believe we have much more pressing issues the legislature must address and I have heard substantial opposition from the people I have the privilege of representing," commented Rep. Sprenger. Rebalance - The state legislature has passed a rebalance plan for Oregon's 2009-2011 Biennial Budget. Contained in four bills, the rebalance plan appropriates an additional $77 million to the 2009-2011 Budget. This additional allotment is intended to compensate for shortfalls in Oregon State Revenues, which have decreased more than $1 billion since the 2009-2011 budget was passed in 2009. The rebalance plan directs the largest share of funding towards the State School Fund ($35 million) and the Department of Corrections ($22 million). The rebalance is the final effort in the legislative initiative begun in 2010 by Governor Kulongoski to secure funding for state services amidst shortfalls in projected states revenues. Rep. Sprenger's Education Bills Scheduled for Hearing - On Friday at 3pm, Rep. Sprenger will testify in the House Education committee regarding two bills she has introduced. House Bill 2514 would modify the method by which the length of probationary teachers are calculated and HB 2512 would create a task force to establish a standardized method for determining classroom spending. |
Rep. Sprenger's Cougar Management Plan Bill Receives Hearing
House Bill 3428, which would establish a pilot cougar management plan similar to a successful plan implemented in Washington State, received a public hearing Monday. It was among three bills that would permit the hunting of cougars with dogs to the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. Rep. Sherrie Sprenger (R-Scio) said that her legislation would allow counties to implement this plan and leaves the opportunity for other counties to petition to become part of it. "My school administrators have contacted me with sightings around school bus stops and facilities. This, in addition to listening to many constituent's concerns caused me to take action and draft a common sense and prudent solution," said Rep. Sprenger.
"Measure 18 was approved seventeen years ago," said Rep. Sprenger. "The overwhelming majority of my district has communicated with me that it is time to revisit this policy to give rural Oregon options to address what are now common conflicts." Rep. Sprenger hosted a town hall to discuss Oregon's cougar policy last August. Over 150 were in attendance.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife presented data from their Cougar Management plan before public testimony was given. They reported that over $300,000 has been spent in the last three years on funding the cougar harvest. With fewer cougars being killed by hunters, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife must kill the remaining animals for which they have issued tags in order to keep the population from getting out of control. "We are spending state resources when we have citizens willing and able to address the conflicts that come with over-population to ensure healthy deer and elk populations along with the safety of our citizens," said Rep. Sprenger. The ODFW also reported that, although difficult to calculate, the cougar population has tripled since the passage of Measure 18 which banned the use of dogs when hunting cougar in 1994.
During public testimony, organizations including the Oregon Cattlemen's Association and Oregon Farm Bureau voiced their support for the legislation. House Bill 3428 awaits further action by the committee. |
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Dear Friends,
I wanted to highlight The Oregon Transparency Website. With the data technology improving, the government has incorporated it into a website that includes agency revenues, expenditures, public employee salaries, contracts and information about our state's budgeting process. This empowering tool was established from a bill that passed in 2009. I encourage you to use it to get a clearer picture of what your tax dollars are spent on and where we can improve. I always am listening to your ideas on the budget and welcome your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Sherrie Sprenger State Representative |
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