Timber tax bills have public hearing meltdown

Taxpayer Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

The House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources struggled greatly to handle the challenges of COVID technology handicaps along with a massive 90 person testimony sign-up for the three timber tax bills.

The committee struggled with over an hour of public hearings before learning that the public had been given the wrong number to call. The committee then went into recess, but the challenges of the digital legislature didn’t end there.

Confusion was broadcasted out as members of the public finally connected to the public hearing but heard silence. Another Oregonian mistakenly started to testify during recess, only to be cut off by a legislator. The committee finally resumed, problems remaining, in an effort to hear testimony from those who had successfully made it on the call.

If you hope to watch the recording of this committee on the legislature’s website, you may be out of luck. At the time of this article, the recording cuts out while legislators are in recess, missing numerous testimonies after the legislators returned.

Respectfully, the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources is trying to get back on track and honor people’s wishes with plans to carry over all four bills to an additional public hearing for those who had signed up to testify but were unable.

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