Dear Senate President:

In his remarks to the OUS Board on Feb 18, 2000, IFS President Gary Tiedeman outlined actions being formulated by IFS as a Legislative Agenda. One of these actions is the formation of a Scholars Network composed of higher education faculty members with expertise in areas of potential use to legislators. This network would be offered as a resource to candidates and legislators as they construct their campaign and legislative platforms. We expect to make some focused requests of legislators in the next session and we feel that a good way to open the dialogue would be to offer them help with timely, concise, and balanced background on individual issues.

We seek your assistance in identifying individual members of your faculty with knowledge in areas such as taxation and public finance, natural resources, health care, social services, corrections, education policy and financing, or the issues underlying the attached list of May 16 ballot measures. Any faculty that you approach about being included in the Scholars Network probably should be advised to anticipate that candidates and legislators may need assistance either on an immediate, “same day” basis or on the construction of detailed, in depth position papers that include documentation for their content.

It is our expectation that the Faculty Senate, its Executive Committee, or some other appropriate body on each OUS campus will send me a slate of at least 5 to 10, but no more than 30, candidates for the Scholars Network with the following contact information: Name, Institution, Department, Area(s) of Expertise, Phone, Fax, and Email address. The urgency of your response, which we ask to receive by March 31 if possible, or by April 5 at the latest, is evident from the May 16 date of the primary election and its ballot measures, some of which threaten destructive effects upon higher education.

We appreciate any advice that your institution may choose to include with your roster of faculty. Thank you for your rapid response.

Sincerely,

Robert S. Turner, Jr., Interinstitutional Faculty Senate Associate Professor of Biology, Western Oregon University

1. #SJR 1 Measure 77 Allows adjustment in local taxing districts Amends Constitution: Increases certain local taxing Districts' permanent property tax rate limits
2. #SJR 3 Measure 78 Extends deadline for I&R signature verification Amends Constitution: Lengthens period for verifying signatures on initiative and referendum petitions
3. #HJR 21 Measure 79 Modifies signature requirements on state initiative & referendum Amends Constitution: Increases signatures required to place initiative constitutional amendment on ballot
4. #SJR 11 Measure 80 Allows motor vehicle fees and fuel taxes to be used for policing highways Amends Constitution: Authorizes using fuel tax, vehicle fees for increasing highway policing
5. #HJR 2 Measure 81 Allows legislature to limit damages in civil actions Amends Constitution: Allows legislature to limit recovery of damages in civil actions
6. #HB 2082 Measure 82 Repeals Truck Weight-MileTax Repeals truck weight-mile tax; establishes and increases fuel taxes

Bob Turner Associate Professor of Biology Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR 97330 Phone:(503) 838-8224 fax: (503) 838-8072 e-mail: turnerr@wou.edu