SENATE COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES, AGRICULTURE, SALMON AND WATER

January 17, 2001 Hearing Room B

8:00 AM Tapes 7 - 8

MEMBERS PRESENT: Sen. Ken Messerle, Chair

Sen. Frank Shields, Vice-Chair

Sen. Bill Sen. Fisher

Sen. Ginny Burdick

Sen. Jason Atkinson

Sen. Roger Beyer

Sen. Ryan Sen. Deckert

VISITING MEMBER PRESENT:

Sen. Joan Dukes

STAFF PRESENT: Judith Callens, Committee Administrator

Patricia Nielsen, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: SB 49 Public Hearing

SB 50 Public Hearing

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
TAPE 7, A
004	Chair Messerle	Convenes the meeting at 8:05 a.m. Opens public hearing on SB 49.
SB 49 - PUBLIC HEARING
008	Judith Callens	Describes bill and impacts.
020	Roy Elicker	Assistant Director, Fish Division, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). Presents written statement (EXHIBIT A). Testifies in opposition.
040	Al Elkins	Porter Public Relations. Representing the Oregon Hunters Association. Testifies in opposition.
048	Sen. Fisher	Comments that the appointment of the director is a political process.
055	Elkins	Responds.
060	Chair Messerle	Asks how many members Elkins represents.
062	Elkins	Responds there are 9000 members.
065	Chair Messerle	Asks for alternative suggestions.
068	Elkins	Answers none at this time; he will be polling association members.

073	Phil Donovan	Representing the Oregon Sportfishing Industry Association, the Oregon Guides and Packers Association, and the Association of Northwest Steelheaders. Testifies in opposition. Submits written testimony (EXHIBIT B).
099	Sen. Deckert	Asks about the difference between this agency and others where the governor directly appoints the executive director.
101	Donovan	Describes different types of agency director appointments.
121	Chair Messerle	Asks how many clients Donovan represents, and whether he has any suggested alternatives.
124	Donovan	Describes membership of his clients. Responds with suggested alternatives to the bill.
140	Chair Messerle	Asks whether anything prevents the Commission from hiring a consultant.
145	Donovan	Responds in the negative.
150	Chair Messerle	Observes that the commissioners do not serve at the pleasure of the governor, but they can be removed by just cause, which is a stricter standard.
160	Rod Harder	Representing Oregon Sportsmen’s Defense Fund. Testifies in opposition.
201	Chair Messerle	Closes public hearing on SB 49. Opens public hearing on SB 50.
SB 50 - PUBLIC HEARING
215	Callens	Describes the bill and impacts.
220	Chair Messerle	Observes that the issue was raised with the interim committee. The estimated cost was questioned by that committee, which brought the bill before the current committee. Describes the current building.
240	Harder	Representing Oregon Sportsmen’s Defense Fund. Testifies in favor, depending on cost.
255	Chair Messerle	Asks about difficulty of access to department, and advantage of proximity to Portland airport.
260	Harder	Responds.
265	Elkins	Representing the Oregon Hunters Association. Testifies in support of the concept of the bill, but expresses concerns about the cost of the study.
282	Sen. Fisher	Asks witness whether his client would be in favor of spending the amount dedicated to the study on moving the agency instead.
285	Elkins	Responds with concern about cost to the agency.
290	Sen. Fisher	Wonders about the cost of travel from Portland to Salem during the session, and whether time and cost would be saved if the agency were moved.
300	Elkins	Discusses travel of agency staff and access to Portland airport.
315	Sen. Deckert	Comments about concerns of his constituents who want to retain state resources within the Portland metropolitan area.
330	Elkins	Discusses the cost of renovating the current building, compared to cost of moving the agency.
354	Vice-chair Shields	Explains the concern he had, as a member of the interim committee, about the value of the building. Suggests that members of the committee go and look at the building.
370	Chair Messerle	Agrees the committee would welcome more information about the building.
375	Sen. Fisher	Suggests the building be sold as is, and allow a buyer to renovate.
390	Chair Messerle	Urges the committee to focus on how the agency functions and whether it would be more effective located in Salem, in addition to the costs of the move. Asks witness whether there is an advantage to having the department closer to other agencies, the legislature and the governor’s office.
410	Elkins	Describes prior experiences.
TAPE 8, A
020	Chair Messerle	Asks about the agency’s perception of how it functions in its present location.
025	Elkins	Explains the perception of a gap because of the distance.
040	Sen. R. Beyer	Expresses general preference for moving state workers away from Salem. Asks why the field staff are in downtown Portland, where there is little wildlife.
050	Elkins	Agrees that the emphasis needs to be in the field.
070	Sen. R. Beyer	Comments that Salem has an airport, and asks whether using that airport would be just as easy.
073	Elkins	Expresses support.
076	Sen. Dukes	Asks how many field staff are in Portland, when many staff are located around the state.
080	Sen. Fisher	Observes he has had trouble using airline system in Oregon to serve a business purpose, either to save time or money.
090	Chair Messerle	Points out that all state agencies have access to the state airport, using state-owned planes stationed in Salem.
100	Sen. Burdick	Asks why there must be a study. Recommends evaluating worth of building if sold as is, and cost of moving the agency to Salem.
110	Chair Messerle	Describes other costs involved. Explains the interim committee felt all costs should be evaluated before deciding whether to move the agency, and how to fund a move. Agrees the amount of detail in the study must be addressed.
120	Sen. R. Beyer	Asks whether the bill would go to the Ways and Means Committee to decide how much would be spent on the study. Recommends against an open-ended study.
130	Chair Messerle	Agrees it probably should go to Ways and Means.

135	Callens	Points out the committee received the bill without a subsequent referral to Ways and Means, probably because the cost of the study would be under the threshold. Explains that the committee may request a referral.
140	Sen. Burdick	Asks for fiscal impact information.
145	Callens	Advises that committee staff is awaiting fiscal information.
160	Chair Messerle	Closes the public hearing on SB 50.
165	Chair Messerle	Adjourns the meeting at 8:45 a.m.

Submitted By, Reviewed By,

Patricia Nielsen, Judith Callens,

Committee Assistant Committee Administrator

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – Statement on SB 49, ODFW, Roy Elicker, 1 p

B – Statement on SB 49, Phil Donovan, 2 pp