District 7

“Clean, healthy rivers are a vital part of Oregon’s heritage. I want to be there with my neighbors on Saturday to bring attention to the importance of preserving that heritage for our children and grandchildren,” said Sen. Walker. “I’m excited that many of my campaign volunteers will be joining me in showing their commitment to public service to our community.”

Senator Walker has been a consistent supporter and advocate of environmental issues in the Oregon State Legislature. This year, Governor Kulongoski (D) signed into law SB 290 B, the Senate version of Walker’s landmark HB 3602, making a pesticide use reporting system in the state permanent. The Senator has supported other pro-environmental legislation, including this session’s SB 962, defining certain brominated flame retardants as “hazardous substances.” These substances have been found in women’s breast milk in particularly high concentrations in Oregon. SB 962 was also signed into law during the 2005 session by the Governor.

“The Willamette was once celebrated as one of the healthiest, most beautiful rivers in America. It’s now been named the third most endangered,” Walker stated. “It’s going to take consistent hard work on my part in the state senate as well as every conservationist in the state to bring back our beloved river. I’m determined to do my part, and I know my supporters will, too.”

Senator Walker is currently running for re-election to the Oregon State Senate. To join her campaign team, please contact the campaign office at 762-1082, visit the Vicki Walker for State Senate campaign headquarters at 1020 Green Acres Road, #14, or visit us on the web at: www.vickiwalker.com.

Senator Vicki Walker and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury host a “Corporate and Government Accountability” Forum

Eugene—Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) will host a forum focused on corporate and government accountability on Wednesday, June 7th, at the Campbell Senior Center at 6:30 p.m.

Senator Walker has been a strong advocate in the Oregon State Legislature ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. She will be joined by Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, who will bring his experience and expertise enforcing corporate and government accountability.

Secretary of State Bradbury controls the Oregon Audits Division. This division audits public funds to ensure these monies are efficiently and effectively spent. He also controls the Corporation Division which promotes commerce by enabling the creation of businesses, filing UCC records of debt and commission of Notaries Public. Secretary Bradbury is working hard to streamline access to government services and regulatory requirements.

In the 2005 Legislative Session, Senator Walker worked tirelessly to hold government and corporations accountable to Oregon’s citizens. She was the chief sponsor of SB 408, closing a corporate loophole where private utility companies were charging Oregonians for taxes they did not pay. And she unanimously passed SB 324, putting an end to confidential settlement agreements with government agencies.

“With the passage of SB 408 we put an end to corporate Enron-like accounting in the state of Oregon, and with the passage of SB 324 we put an end to government secrets,” said Walker.

Senator Walker believes that government belongs to the people, and that elected officials should be committed to those values.

If you have any questions or need assistance getting to the event, please contact Jennifer Slemp at 541-762-1082.

Senator Vicki Walker Hosts Medicare Prescription Drug Forum

Eugene—Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) will host a forum focused on the Medicare Part D prescription drug program at Peterson Barn in Eugene on Wednesday, May 10, starting at 3:00 p.m.

“The new Medicare prescription drug program is incredibly confusing, but it can help countless seniors here in Lane County,” said Walker. “I encourage anyone who has questions about Medicare Part D to join us.”

The Medicare Part D prescription drug plan will be discussed by a representative from Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA). There will also be speakers to discuss other ways to save money such as the Oregon Prescription Drug Pool.

This is one of the few remaining opportunities to learn about the program before the May 15th penalty starts to apply.

Everyone is invited to attend and encouraged to participate. If you have any questions or need assistance getting to the event, please contact Jennifer Slemp at 541-762-1082.

State Senator Vicki Walker To Announce Political Plans

January 31, 2006

WHAT: Sen. Walker Announces Political Plans
WHEN: Noon, February 1, 2006
WHERE: State Capitol, HR 50
INTERVIEWS: Available after announcement

Senator Walker Calls on Legislature to Hold OHSU Accountable

November 3, 2005

Eugene - Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) is drafting legislation in response to news she learned late last week about the injustice being served on patients at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU).

Jordaan Michael Clarke, was born at OHSU on February 20, 1998, with a congenital defect of the heart. On May 21, 1998, surgeons successfully operated to repair the defect. While in recovery in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Jordaan suffered from prolonged oxygen deprivation leading to permanent and profound brain damage. A lawsuit was then filed. According to legal briefs filed in the case, “As a result of these injuries, Jordaan is blind, quadriplegic, uneducable and totally dependent on care givers for all aspects of his daily activities and care.”

OHSU admitted negligence in the case when the lawsuit was filed. Jordaan’s medical expenses are already in excess of $200,000, and the cost of his lifetime care is estimated to be more than $11 million. An expectation exists that OHSU’s medical malpractice insurance would cover the claim to a significant degree. Not so. OHSU claims sovereign immunity as a state agency and skates under a little known law called the Oregon Tort Claims Act (OTCA) that limits recovery to no more than $200,000. Given that Jordaan’s medical expenses exceed the recovery limit, the costs of his care now fall onto the taxpayers of the state of Washington where he currently resides.

“While Jordaan’s case is an outrageous affront to the sensibilities of any Oregonian, it is not unusual,” said Sen. Walker. OHSU has paid out millions in claims under the OTCA over the last decade; there are currently 5-10 cases pending at the trial court level, and at least two on appellate review challenging either the dollar limits of the OTCA, or the constitutional argument that OHSU is not a state agency. The Department of Justice was unable to confirm how many actual cases exist, because litigants are not required to notify the Department of challenges to the OTCA at the trial court level.

“OHSU exists in the same fantasyland as SAIF Corporation,” said Walker. “They are public corporations created by statute, operating as private businesses, but claim state agency status when it suits them,” she added. OHSU became a public corporation in 1995 when the Oregon Legislature cut it loose from the state system of higher education. Currently, OHSU receives 3.6% of its total operating revenue from the Legislature to help meet its public mission, and yet is among the bottom tier of hospitals who provide uncompensated care (36 out of 55 other Oregon hospitals have higher rates of uncompensated care).

“It is alarming to me that patients walking into OHSU’s hospital and clinics are unknowingly walking into an uninsured facility,” said Walker. “While OHSU continues to suck public funds for a tram that has tripled in cost before it's even built, people like Jordaan Clarke and his family will live in abject poverty at the mercy of state care givers because OHSU escapes accountability under state law,” Walker added.

In response to this case and others, Senator Walker has requested Legislative Counsel to draft three bills for introduction next session: one will eliminate OHSU’s ability to claim sovereign immunity; the other requires all statutes regarding public bodies to apply to OHSU (currently they are excepted if not specifically mentioned); and, in the event sovereign immunity is not lifted, implement a notice provision that OHSU must notify all patients that OHSU is subject to the OTCA and thus recovery is limited by statute.

In the 2005 Legislative Session, Sen. Walker introduced SB 989 that removed sovereign immunity from state agencies in contempt actions. That bill did not receive a hearing. Sen. Walker inserted the provisions of SB 989 into SB 310, the SAIF reform bill, but when the governor threatened to veto the bill on that basis, Walker had the bill sent back to committee.

“The governor has sent a clear message that we will have an uphill battle to remove sovereign immunity from state agencies, including OHSU. If I am elected governor, I would not only push to bring justice to Oregon families and taxpayers, I would demand it,” said Walker.

The Jordaan Michael Clarke case was argued before the Oregon Court of Appeals last Wednesday, October 26, 2005. For more information about OHSU’s escape from justice, see Willamette Week, “Storming up the Hill,” Maureen O’Hagan, 1999.

Senator Vicki Walker Calls For Governor to
Hold Oil Companies Accountable

Eugene - State Senator Vicki Walker (D-Eugene) today urged Governor Ted Kulongoski to call the Legislature back into Special Session to enact legislation to stop oil companies from gouging Oregon consumers.

“The good ol’ boys at the oil companies who are profiting at the expense of average Oregonians need someone in the Governor’s office who will stand up to them and hold them accountable,” Walker said. “Merely writing a letter to the President of the United States won’t get the job done,” she added.

“Anyone who doesn’t think three dollars for a gallon of gas isn’t a crisis to commuters, consumers, and the economy of our state isn’t in touch with the day-to-day lives of Oregonians.”

Senator Walker noted that 21 other states have enacted anti-gouging measures. She took the lead on this issue in the past three Legislative Sessions by sponsoring HB 3965 in 2001, SB 825 in 2003, and voting in favor of the Attorney General’s bill, SB 209, in the recently concluded Session.

“Leadership is about taking action to benefit the people you represent. If Ted Kulongoski isn’t willing to take on oil companies who are using the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to line their pockets while average Oregonians pay the price, how can we count on him to lead with any urgency on any of the other issues that are facing our state?” she asked.

“We need action now. With Hurricane Rita barreling down on the Gulf Coast, Oregonians can’t wait another 15 months until the Legislature reconvenes to get some relief from the high cost of gasoline or other consumer price increases,” Walker concluded.