Tribes gain financial voice in Oregon

SALEM -- Two bills approved by the 2013 Legislature will improve the standing of Oregon Tribes regarding financial matters, said State Treasurer Ted Wheeler.

Senate Bill 18, which was introduced by Wheeler, will provide voters with a more complete picture of the financial consequences of measures on their ballots each election.

Voter pamphlets provide statements on the financial effects of each measure and Senate Bill 18 will now allow those analyses to mention the potential financial effects of proposed measures on Oregon's nine Tribal governments.

Wheeler sits on the state's Financial Estimate Committee, which researches and drafts the financial estimates.

"Oregonians deserve to have the full picture before voting on any ballot measure and recent initiatives have shown that the potential impact to Tribes and the public can be significant," Wheeler said.

For instance, ballot measures 82 and 83 on the November 2012 ballot would have allowed privately run casinos in Oregon and would have specifically OK'd a privately run casino in Wood Village. However, the voter pamphlet financial estimate was not allowed to mention the disastrous financial effects that passage of the measures would have had on Oregon Tribes.

Grand Ronde Tribal Council Chairman Reyn Leno said Senate Bill 18 is the correct policy for Tribes and Oregon.

"Oregon's nine federally recognized Tribes contribute a great deal to the Oregon economy, especially in rural areas," Leno said. "These contributions coupled with the expenditures on governmental programs, including health care, public safety, education and social services provided by Tribes, lessens the burden on federal, state and local programs. This is why we feel it is appropriate and necessary for Oregon's citizens to get the full picture from the Financial Estimate Committee by including impacts upon Tribes in their estimates."

Wheeler also helped draft and analyze Senate Bill 351, which allows Tribal governments to join other Oregon governmental entities in utilizing the Oregon Short Term Fund for deposits. The fund is administered by the Oregon State Treasury and is an option for more than 1,000 governmental entities, including cities, counties and school districts.

The fund stood at $11.5 billion as of June 30 and gives local governments and the state a place to keep funds in between when revenue is collected and when bills come due. Many governments are property tax-based and collect the majority of their revenue at one time of the year.