February 2015 Government & Community Relations Update
City Council approves transfer of city building to UO for RAIN
On February 16, the Eugene City Council voted to transfer ownership of a downtown building to the University of Oregon for use in a joint venture—the Regional Accelerator and Innovation Network (RAIN). The building, on Olive Street between Broadway and West 10th Avenue, will be transferred to the University for the nominal sum of $1.
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NDD coalition urges Congress to end sequestration
On February 18, under the banner of NDD United, an alliance of more than 2,100 organizations, including the University of Oregon, sent a letter to all members of Congress urging them to replace sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction and to ensu
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UO, OIMB ask Congress to prioritize geosciences
On February 20, the University of Oregon and the UO’s Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB) signed on to a letter asking Congress to prioritize geosciences as it considers reauthorization of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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State economist’s forecast raises possibility of ‘kicker” tax rebate
On February 19, the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis released its quarterly economic and revenue forecast. The forecast was optimistic about the national and state economies, with the labor market “reaching near-boom levels of job growth.”
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Students, Faculty, and Staff to Hold Rally for Higher Education Funding
The University of Oregon is joining Oregon’s other public universities and community colleges on February 12 in holding a rally to encourage the Oregon Legislature to reinvest in higher education. The rally will begin at 11:45 a.m. on the steps of the Oregon State Capitol. The Oregon Students Association, the main organizers of the event, expect around 1,000 students to participate.
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Earthquake Early Warning included in President Obama’s budget
President Barack Obama’s FY16 budget included an additional $3.5 million in base funding to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program for “Earthquake Early Warning and Rapid Event Characterization.” This increase would bring that base to approximately $5 million per year (but would be $1.5 million less than FY15 federal funding).
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President Obama plans increased education funding in FY16 budget proposal
President Barack Obama released his administration’s FY16 budget proposal on February 2, 2015. The proposed budget would eliminate sequestration, raise budget caps, and increase funding to many federal programs.
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