Oregon Watchdog: Speaker sets early session to investigate College Savings Plan & storm response

Office of the Speaker

PRESS RELEASE: December 31, 2008
CONTACT: Geoff Sugerman, 503-986-1210

Incoming Speaker Sets Early Session Hearings to Investigate College Savings Plan and
Judge Oregon’s Response to the Winter Storm

Oregon House Speaker-Designee Dave Hunt announced today that he asked committee chairs to hold a hearing in January about recent problems with Oregon’s College Savings Plan and two other hearings to investigate how Oregon responded to the frigid winter weather.

Hunt said Rep. Sara Gelser (D-Corvallis) will chair the House Education Committee that will review the operations of the College Savings Plan. That hearing is tentatively slated for the second week of session. Hunt said he also expected that the House Revenue Committee chaired by State Rep. Phil Barnhart (D-Central Lane and Linn counties) would be holding hearings on the college savings issue in late January.

Rep. Jean Cowan (D-Newport), chair of the House Veterans and Emergency Services Committee and Rep. Terry Beyer (D-Eugene), chair of the House Transportation Committee, will both hold hearings on how Oregon performed during the recent winter storms and how the state can further improve its emergency response during emergencies.

“These hearings will occur within days of the beginning of the 2009 Legislative Session. I have asked the chairs of these committees to not only look at how Oregon did, but more importantly, to focus on how we can help those who suffered and how we can do a better job in the future,” said Hunt. “As we make funding and policy decisions for the next budget, we want to always be conscious of what we can do to make government more efficient and accountable.”

Hunt said he was particularly concerned about the College Savings Plan and the impact it would have on young people ready to enter school.

“We know that our ability to rebound from this national recession largely rests with our ability to have a highly-trained workforce. Anything that prevents Oregonians from access to higher education must be dealt with surely and swiftly,” said Hunt.

Details of the hearings will be released soon, according to the Speaker’s Office.
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