Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC delegration enjoys successful trip to the Capitol

Photos and Story by Dana Haynes

OK, that was a success!

About a dozen PCC folks went down to the Capitol yesterday to meet lawmakers and to talk about our priorities for the Legislature. We had members of the PCC Board of Directors, campus presidents, some of us communication staffers, the Foundation director and four students.

Participating students were Amber Hastings of Sylvania, Nancy White of Rock Creek and Brittany Smyton of the Southeast Center. They were rock stars.

We met with (deep breath), Sens. Ginny Burdick, Margaret Carter Richard Devlin, Jackie Dingfelder and Diane Rosenbaum, and Reps. Jeff Barker, Michael Dembrow, David Edwards, Larry Galizio, Mitch Greenlick, Chris Harker, Tina Kotek, Mary Nolan, Chuck Riley and Jefferson Smith. A few of the lawmakers got tied up at the last minute and we met with their staffs instead (a big thank-you to Kristie Perry, policy adviser for Sen. Rosenbaum, who let us chew up about 20 minutes of her insanely busy day).

We talked about the community colleges’ request for some deferred maintenance as part of an economic stimulus package to get some people employed, quickly, doing much-needed but long-delayed repairs. That passed the Senate yesterday in what The Oregonian’s Janie Har called, “the first significant floor vote of the legislative session, now in its third week.”

Janie, a veteran Capitol reporter, is right. This deferred maintenance package is on one of the fastest fast-tracks I remember seeing in my years at the Capitol. In fact, the whole feeling in that building is go-go-go right now. Judy Hall, longtime secretary of the Senate and all-around good egg, told me this feel like May or June; like the frenetic end of a session, not the beginning of one.

We also talked about the general funds for community colleges, the dire economy, the importance of the Oregon Opportunity Grant and our request for funding for a Center for Careers in Education on the Cascade Campus. We’re asking for matching funds to help build such a facility. I’ll let you know how those negotiations go.

I’ve said this before but it bears repeating: If you ever find yourself in Salem, make an appointment and go see your lawmaker. If he or she is busy, see the legislative aides. These people really do want to hear from the voters. They listen, and they take action. It’s a cliché, but it’s true.

dana