Taxes, health care, pot Maurer town hall topics
From our weekly issue dated March 25, 2009
The topics of taxes, health care and medical marijuana dominated discussion when Rep. Ron Maurer (R-Grants Pass) held a town hall meeting Monday, March 23 in the Marie Hill Conference Room of the Josephine County Washington Annex Bldg. in Grants Pass.
An audience member questioned Maurer about House Bill 3274, which he sponsored. If passed, HB 3274 would reform the state’s medical marijuana law.
Maurer said that the voters of the state made a “very conscious decision” to legalize medical marijuana 10 years ago.
“I do think the program is broken,” he said. “I would like to see private grow sites go away.”
The proposal includes a $98 per ounce tax on marijuana, which would be grown and sold through the state government.
Maurer said he does not support legalizing marijuana, and acknowledged that HB 3274 is “very unlikely” to pass. However, he said, that is not why he had the bill drafted.
“I intentionally did this to start a conversation,” he said.
Approximately 20 people were present for Maurer’s legislative update, which began with questions about efforts to raise the state’s corporate minimum tax. That tax is currently $10 per year, and has remained unchanged since the 1930s.
Maurer said that he has signed off on a bill to raise the corporate minimum to $300, but he characterized the tax as a “registration fee.”
“Corporations tend to pass the taxes on,” he said. “It gets back to the consumers.”
Questions also were raised about the state’s initiative process. Maurer said that there are a number of proposals aimed at altering it, but added that he is against making any major changes.
One current proposal would require a financial analysis of possible ballot measures, and Maurer said he supports that concept.
Maurer also addressed the state’s rainy day fund, which was established during the 2007 Legislature by suspending the “kicker” issued to companies in the state if revenue exceeds expectations.
“I don’t have any desire to change the personal kicker,” he said.
The 2007 rainy day fund was around 1 percent of the state’s budget. Maurer said that he would like to see it up to 15 percent, but that the Legislature would have been unable to build up a big enough reserve for the state’s existing budgetary shortfall.
Maurer said that there is a “significant number of revenue increasing proposals” being considered in Salem right now, but that he would be unable to support many of them. He said the more than 70 tax bills that have been introduced include several fee increases.
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The issue of HB 2009 also was raised. That bill, which seeks to reform health-care delivery in Oregon, is still being worked on in the House Health Care Committee. Maurer sits on that committee, and said that the 600-page piece of legislation contains two provisions: a policy of reform and a provider tax. Those provisions may eventually be considered separately, Maurer said.
Earlier versions of HB 2009 contained a 4 percent provider tax on hospitals’ net revenues, Maurer said. However, he added that representatives from Gov. Kulongoski’s office have since assured him that the definition of net revenues will be changed to avoid taxing money never received by the hospitals.
The provider tax would raise $700 million in new revenue for the state, which would then be used to draw $1 billion in federal funds, Maurer said.
Maurer also fielded an inquiry on HB 2522, a bill he sponsored to repeal the state law prohibiting local municipalities from enacting ordinances against public drinking. That bill was the result of Cave Junction’s problems dealing with vagrancy.
“It is unlikely that bill would pass in its current form,” Maurer said. “It’s going to have to be worked.”
HB 2522 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Maurer said that committee Chairman Jeff Barker (D-Aloha) is “sympathetic” to the problems addressed in the bill. He added that Sen. Jason Atkinson (R-Central Point) and Rep. Dennis Richardson (R-Central Point) have joined him in sending a letter to Barker requesting a hearing, which he said is “very likely.”
“The people that represent you are supportive,” Maurer said.
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