Kitzhaber calls for peace in the state House

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Gov. John Kitzhaber says he's asked legislative leaders to postpone action on a tax bill that threatens to break the peace between Republicans and Democrats in the Oregon House and endanger his ambitious education and health care agenda.

The November election left the House seats split 30-30 between the two parties, so they negotiated a power-sharing agreement. As a result, the opening of this year's legislative session was relatively harmonious.

But the parties fell to squabbling this week over a bill to allow businesses, families with college students and others to apply federal tax breaks to their state tax returns.

Republicans pressed for a version more favorable to business. Both sides announced they would make their cases in House debate.

Kitzhaber said in Portland on Friday he's asked the House's co-speakers, Republican Bruce Hanna and Democrat Arnie Roblan to "slow down the showdown" in hopes negotiations will resolve a dispute that could "unspool the session" and make it difficult for lawmakers to make hard decisions on bigger legislation.

Leaders and their aides didn't immediately return calls on Friday to comment.

Kitzhaber's comments came in an answer to a question after a speech to the City Club of Portland, a public affairs forum with many leaders in a city that gave him a decisive majority in his campaign last year.

The themes of his speech could have been lifted out of his campaign: Oregon has to rebuild its health care and education systems so that they are seamless, efficient and accountable for their results.

The Democratic governor's legislative agenda includes such measures as a board under his control that governs education of young people from their postpartum days through postgraduate work.

"Making these changes is probably going to be harder than putting people back to work because clinging to the familiar, clinging to the old ways of doing things, is human nature," Kitzhaber said.

He got two large rounds of applause, once for praising teachers and then for praising public employees: "This state will not go down the road that Wisconsin has chosen." Kitzhaber has sought concessions from state workers, but he said they'll be achieved through bargaining.

The crowd was less enthusiastic about his responses to questions about the proposal to rebuild the Interstate 5 bridge across the Columbia River, a structure at risk in an earthquake and blamed for traffic jams. The project has been years in the making, but an expert panel recently rejected the design.

There are concerns in Portland about its esthetics, environmental impact and cost. But Kitzhaber said he is determined to find a new design, get it approved and get the bridge under construction starting in 2013.

After a tepid response, Kitzhaber leaned forward to ad lib a journalistic description: "His words were met with a smattering of applause."

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.