Editor's note: Oregon Abigail Adams Voter Education Project equips voters with information on how candidates stand on issues through a questionnaire process featured in comparison guides.

Incumbent Elizabeth Steiner Hayward was appointed to the Senate District 17 in 2011 to replace Suzanne Bonamici after she won a special election to represent Congressional District 1. Senate District 17 covers the heart of Portland and parts of Washington County.

Steiner Hayward is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. In 2013, Steiner Hayward publicly revealed she suffers from major depressive disorder and multiple sclerosis. She disclosed her condition to advance SB 823, mental health services, and the funding that was needed to implement it.

Steiner Hayward has set her sights on making Oregon the healthiest state in the nation. In her accomplishments, she includes establishing Oregon's CCO system which streamlines and integrates health systems to deliver healthcare more efficiently and increasing Oregon's vaccination rates. She worked to improve health outcomes through upstream interventions such as raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21, establishing the nation's first state-wide universally-offered nurse home visiting program for families with newborns, and improving access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. She voted for HB 2447, which proposed single payer government run health care, HB 2005 establishing paid family medical leave and HB 3057 mandating the COVID-19 vaccine to attend school, work or travel.

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John Verbeek isn’t new to the campaign race. He ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, and five other races prior to that including Oregon’s Congressional District twice. He has 34 years in financial services and an MBA from the University of Georgia.

Verbeek agrees everyone has the right to good health, but supports private healthcare insurance. He says, “Minimizing poor medical outcomes requires more than a doctor visit or bipartisanship. We must look not only at the contribution of government but also at the participation of private individuals.” He further believes a child’s health care is under a parent’s authorization. Medical oversight (OMB and OBNM) should be limited to protection of patient-physician relationship with witnesses and informed consent. Verbeek believes this will protect a system from being turned into a government-sanctioned cult.

Verbeek has three children and sees quality teaching as a priority. “The purpose of public education is not to cultivate university professors and lawlessness, but to cultivate young people learning to read, to write, to do arithmetic and to obtain other useful skills for leading productive lives; Including the purpose of sports as part of sound education… to cultivate self-reliance and distinguishing attributes (character), expect legislative support for funding those educational programs, for teachers who can be trusted with someone else’s child, and for principal school officials be held to the greatest standard.” He also believes justice involving minors should be parental authority and responsibility first in a rightful chain of command.

Steiner Hayward voted for SB 554 requiring gun owners securely store weapons and bans guns in the capitol and PDX, allows public schools to ban guns, and makes gun owners liable for crimes committed after the gun is stolen. She also voted to prohibit law enforcement and courts from inquiring about immigration status in HB 3265.

Verbeek says he would have voted no on SB 554 and believes everyone should be diligent with anything potentially lethal. He also disagrees with HB 3265. He further says, “early releases by officials does not serve justice, unless it serves justice over an unjust verdict. He believes the penance leads to reconciliation with what is good for a clear conscience and a changed life that honors the law from a clean heart and spirit.”

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Steiner Hayward is in full support of the green energy agenda. She voted yes on HB 3055 funding infrastructure $5.3 billion over 10-years increases gas taxes 40 cents, voted to permit tolling, voted for electric vehicle rebates and charging stations with public funds, voted for the CAT tax that bankrupted small business during the pandemic, and voted for HB 2021 requiring 100% reduction in emissions below baseline emissions by 2040 with no structure to insure adequate power.

Unlike Steiner Hayward, Verbeek believes in a free enterprise for raising living standards, and not government. He says, “reduction in emissions below baseline would be harmful to families with less income, especially their personal mobility.” He also doesn’t agree with the electric vehicle agenda and questions the expense and battery recycling. He would vote no on the $5.3 billion infrastructure bill and tolling and objects to controlling our movements.

Verbeek says, “when government maintains order with justice, and promotes opportunity and freedom for all, Americans can be unified and happy.” Compare votes of Steiner Hayward with Verbeek’s responses: https://bit.ly/OAA2022-SD17Guide


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2022-10-09 06:18:14

Last Update: 2022-10-05 11:50:20