Kim Thatcher To Receive Taxpayer Award

Representative Thatcher is currently the Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Legislative Audits and Information Management and Technology, in addition to serving on the Ways and Means Committee.

Kim Thatcher

(SALEM) - “I’m very honored to be receiving this recognition from the Taxpayer Association of Oregon,” said State Representative Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer, Newberg, St. Paul) after learning that the group is giving her their Thomas Jefferson Award for 2012 at an annual event in Clackamas County this weekend.

Thatcher is one of two outstanding lawmakers being awarded this year; the other is State Representative Dennis Richardson for his budget leadership as Co-Chair of the legislature’s Ways and Means Committee. The 11^th annual awards ceremony will be held on Sunday July 29^th at the Lazy Fair at Barton Park, 19009 SE Barton Park Road near Carver.

“Kim Thatcher has distinguished herself in the Oregon Legislature as a singular advocate for transparency in government. She has taken major steps to help taxpayers see how their hard earned dollars are spent, often wastefully, by state government,” said Don McIntire, President of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
“Aware of the spending excesses of the state, Thatcher is an advocate of repeal of Measures 66 and 67 as well as Oregon’s onerous death tax.  Finally, The Oregon Taxpayer Association appreciates Kim’s tireless efforts in support of our 2nd Amendment rights and the privacy rights of those who hold concealed carry permits.”

During recent legislative sessions Thatcher was credited for creation of the Oregon Transparency Website (www.oregon.gov/transparency) and adding features to show the public economic development tax breaks and public meeting notices. She was also able to pass legislation to expand the state’s ability to conduct performance audits on school funding and sponsored measures to require prioritizing state spending on core functions of government. <

Representative Thatcher is currently the Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Legislative Audits and Information Management and Technology, in addition to serving on the Ways and Means Committee. She won the Thomas Jefferson Award in 2006 for her efforts to enact new laws to help small businesses and improve integrity of Oregon’s elections process. Both of those issues remain high on Thatcher’s to-do list at the State Capitol. In 2009 Americans for Tax Reform named Thatcher the Chair of the Taxpayer Protection Caucus in the Oregon House of Representatives.

To learn more about Representative Thatcher go to her website: www.kimthatcher.com  or check her out on Facebook