Couldn’t make it to our Legislative Leadership Forum Series in Salem? Watch the video recaps here!
Columbia River Crossing Legislative Leadership Forum
Cascade President and CEO John A. Charles, Jr. was joined by the founding Publisher and Editor of Willamette Week, Ron Buel, for a discussion of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement project and its proposed funding mechanism, HB 2800.
Ron Buel wrote a book on transportation published by Prentice-Hall and wrote extensively on transportation as a staff reporter and bureau chief for The Wall Street Journal. Ron was the founding Editor and Publisher of Willamette Week and spent 13 years at Nike, where he was Director of Business and Strategic Planning.
Reclaiming the Moral High Ground: Ending the Legislative Addiction to Booze, Drugs, and Gambling Legislative Leadership Forum
John Charles led a discussion on how much money the Oregon legislature brings in from sin taxes and the lottery, where it goes, the moral hazard problem, and how to fix it.
Oregon’s 3% Public Purpose Charge on Ratepayers: The Tax that Refuses to Die Legislative Leadership Forum
John Charles will lead a conversation on Oregon’s 3% public purpose surcharge. In 1999 the legislature authorized a 10-year tax of 3% on the ratepayers of Oregon’s investor-owned electric utilities, to begin in 2002. It should have expired last year. Yet, it has been extended to 2026, and the 3% has increased to 6% for some customers. This presentation included how this happened, where the money goes, and what the legislature should do about it.
