For Immediate Release                                                                     Contact:

Tuesday, October 16, 2007                                                                 Eva Rippeteau

                                                                                                            503-901-1431

Military, Cancer, Education Communities Urge Smith to Support Funding Bill

-- Labor-HHS bill, which includes services for Oregon veterans, medical research and Head Start, headed for U.S. Senate action this week --

-- President Bush threatening to veto bill, even as he spends countless billions in Iraq; unclear where Sen. Smith stands --

(Portland, OR) – A panel of experts from the military, cancer and education communities urged Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) to support a bill pending in the U.S. Senate that will provide funding for veterans, biomedical research and Head Start in Oregon.  The 2008 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bill (S.1710) – or Labor-HHS for short – includes $151 billion for these and other services provided by the federal departments in the bill’s name.

The panel included Brigadier General Mike Caldwell, Commander of the Oregon State Defense Force, Michael Eichman, Director of Yamhill County Head Start and Ed Jayne, Assistant Director of Legislation for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).  Brad Vehafric, Vice President of the Associated Students of Portland University, moderated the panel.

The Labor-HHS bill will be considered in the U.S. Senate this week.  President Bush is threatening to veto the bill because of its price tag, even as he spends countless billions in Iraq.  It is unclear where Senator Smith stands on the bill, though the panel urged him to support it and actively oppose President Bush’s threatened veto.

“No matter what one thinks of the Iraq War, surely we can agree that if we can find countless billions to pay for it, we can invest a fraction of that here at home to support veterans, cancer research and Head Start,” said Brigadier General Mike Caldwell, Commander of the Oregon State Defense Force.  “Oregonians need to know that Senator Gordon Smith will invest in the services we need.  We urge him to support the Labor-HHS bill and oppose the President’s reckless veto threat.”

The services “we need here in Oregon”

Because Oregon receives nearly 22% of its revenue from federal tax dollars, state services would benefit from passage of the Labor-HHS bill, which provides funding for vital services through the U.S. Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education.  Specifically, the bill provides:

• $3.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which provides mental health and suicide prevention services.  Experts believe that conditions such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may put veterans at risk of suicide.  (While most veteran-related programs are funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the Labor-HHS bill provides funding for critical services to help veterans, especially the two-thirds of returning veterans who have not enrolled in the federal veterans’ health care program.)
  
   
• $228 million for the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training program to help returning veterans returning find good paying jobs, enforce their rights as veterans seeking employment and $23.6 million for the Homeless Veterans Program.
  
   
• $29.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), a vital resource in the fight to find cures for cancer and other diseases.  In 2006, the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) alone received $168 million in research grants from this budget.
  
   
• $XX for Head Start, the childhood education program that helps low income children get a leg up as they enter kindergarten.

• $400,000 for Portland State University to equip the Science, Research and Teaching Center and $250,000 for nursing programs at Western Oregon University and Oregon Coast Community College, grants that Senator Smith helped secure.

“These are the kinds of services we need here in Oregon.  It’s not a matter of dollars and cents – for too many Oregonians, these programs are a matter of survival,” said Michael Eichman, Director of Yamhill County Head Start.  “We need Senator Smith to stand with Oregonians and vote for the Labor-HHS bill and oppose President Bush’s veto.”

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Last modified: 10/17/07