brown isgovernor kate running for another term. last night, she debated republican challenger nude buhler and their final scheduled for late -- debate before election day. the answer questions on health care, abortion laws, i'm a change, and education. governor brown holds a narrow lead in the race. the debate lasts about an hour. ♪ >> >> oregonians face an important decision this fall. who do you want to lead the state of the next four years? oregonian bring you a debate between the top candidates in the race for governor. democrat kate brown and theblican knute buehler, candidates will answer video

question submitted by dozens of oregonians, plus take questions from the panel of political journalists. from kgw, the oregonian and decisione, this is 2018, the debate for oregon's governor. >> welcome to the final debate for oregon governor. the combined newsrooms of kgw and the oregonian are here to serve you. you will hear directly from the candidates, to help you make an informed choice when you vote. we're joined by the top candidates seeking the job, kate brown and knute buehler. quickly, here's what you can expect. the candidates will take questions from our panel of political journalists including

reporters from kgw and the oregonian. the professor is back with us to keep everyone on time. could not do it without you, kerry. we will play video questions from dozens around the state. thank you so much to everyone who sent them. #orcan tweet with the govdebate. we will kick things off. buckle up. state thatning, in a last elected a republican governor 36 years ago and in an age where republican candidates are matching lockstep -- marching lockstep with donald trump, how you persuade oregonians to vote red instead of seeing red? mr. buehler: thank you for having me.

thank you for the hard work on developing the questions and thanks to the kgw and the oregonian for your efforts. oregonians may not realize is i represent the most democratic district in the entire state held by republicans. tom used to make in the case why people can trust me to lead with an open mind, caring heart and a thoughtful voice. that means talking about issues big oregonians care about, unsolved problems like the difficulties with k-12 education systems, one of the worst homeless problems in the nation, on mobile foster kids -- vulnerable foster kids across the state who are not getting care under governor brown's administration. those are the things people care about no matter if you are democrat, republican or independent. those are the issues i intend to

solve as governor. gov. brown: thank you for having us. it is an incredible honor to serve as your governor. for reelection because i believe we can build a better oregon. i am the only candidate in this race with a track record of bringing republicans and democrats together across the state to tackle problems facing oregonians. have brought folks together to invest in the transportation system, to continue funding for the oregon health plan. i am also a candidate who has the guts to stand up against the trump administration when the administration stops on oregon and oregon values and i will continue to do that as the governor of the great state of oregon. i think it is critically important we have a strong leader that reflects oregon values and i and the leader oregon needs. >> governor, i am glad you brought up the health plan. yourver his blind spots,

predecessor was determined to tackle the state's most intractable problems, including health care. in the last four years, have you shown similar ambition and the kind of results that merit a second term? >> yes. when i ran for election in 2016 i said i would do three things. we have made great strides on one of them and be able to accomplish two of them. make sure we continue funding for the oregon health plan. we have 94% of adult oregonians with access to health care and with my leadership we now have 98% of children. i was able to get the bipartisan support to pass a bill called, cover all kids, ensuring 18,000 children regardless of where they came from have access to the oregon health plan. my opponent voted no on that measure. i was able to bring oregonians together, republicans and

democrats, to invest in the most comprehensive transportation package in oregon history, investing in our roads and bridges, seismic resilience, roads, and investments in public transit in communities across the state making sure our seniors and students can get to where they need to go safely. mr. buehler: can i rebut that? >> yes. mr. buehler: let me be clear, i voted against governor brown's plan to fund medicaid expansion not because i wanted people to have less health care. i wanted people to have better health and less expensive care. governor brown's plan failed on both counts. there is a severe lack of accountability. thatood news in oregon is 400,000 more people have health care, the bad news is that governor brown, administrating this important program, wasted

hundreds of millions of dollars, missed payments and signing people up for medicaid who should not have been on it. my plan had accountability and bipartisan support. and did brown did not not come up with a stable long-term funding to make sure medicaid families have security they need. mr. buehler: gov. brown: -- gov. brown: i would like a rebuttal. >> we will move on. >> good evening. now that brett kavanaugh has been sworn into the u.s. supreme court, many women and oregon are concerned what that means for the future of women's reproductive rights in this country. you said you are pro-choice. you voted against a 2017 oregon law that impart was aimed at making abortion and reproductive services more affordable. -- in part was aimed at. you might be open to restricting abortions if elected governor. how do you convince oregon women

concerned about this that you would protect reproductive rights and health care? mr. buehler: sure. look. roe v. wade is the law of the land and it will remain while i am governor. i have been pro-choice most of my adult life and it stems from being a physician. i believe in the importance of personal nature of that relationship between a woman and her physician, where politics and government should not intervene. i believe in empowering women on ning, isue, mea wrote and passed the first bill in the nation to allow women to get birth control over the counter, the same access men have enjoyed for decades. you may ask why governor brown makes the claim that i am not pro-choice? the answer is simple. it is about politics.

governor brown knows when people in oregon understand that i am pro-choice, moderate and independent-minded republican, she is quite likely to lose this election. >> is there any bill restricting abortion rights you would be open to if you were governor? mr. buehler: i will not be changing any reproductive rights laws that currently exist in oregon. >> governor brown. mr. buehler: gov. brown: -- gov. brown: with what is happening at the national level, it is important women have a true pro-choice champion and i and that champion. i led the way to making sure every single woman in the state, regardless of income, immigration status, zip code have access to reproductive health care. this is one of those things. representative buehler tells

some voters one thing and others another. that will not work tonight because the entire state is watching. he voted no on the women's reproductive health act, that would have ensured that women have access to health care, he sought the right to life endorsement when he was running for the legislator. -- legislature. >> next to the economy. couldists are saying we be heading to a recession in 2020. how are you preparing for the next downturn when oregon could be facing huge budget cuts? gov. brown: i have talked to business leaders around the state and one of the ones i talked to says there needs to be three things. number one. invest in infrastructure. number two. make sure we are investing in workforce development. number three, tackling regulatory reform. the economy is doing well in oregon now under my

administration. we have the lowest unemployment rate in oregon history. that prosperity does not include our rural communities and low income communities. that is why i thought to invest in housing and roads and bridges and water infrastructure and broadband to meet rural communities needs, i've fought to quadruple funding for career and technical education so students can have access to hands-on learning and we also have a great regional solutions team, people on the ground in communities around the state, working to cut red tape and make sure businesses can expand and grow in communities around oregon. >> representative? mr. buehler: governor brown talks about programs and percentages. at a time of record revenue, the state government has never had more revenue coming into this treasury. despite that, governor brown has

signed into law, $1.3 billion in new taxes. new taxes in, that oregon has never seen. payroll tax. sales tax on automobiles. health insurance tax. think about what governor brown would do to your taxes in another four years in office. this is at a time of record revenue. we need to plan for the future. i propose putting increased access we have seen, fortunately produced by hard-working oregonians in a rainy day fund to prepare for the future and make sure we protect important state programs. ronirst video question from in the clean energy field. you will both have a full minute to respond to this question. representative, you will take the lead. there is the question. brown, solar and

wind are the most cost energytive sources of and costs are declining. california and hawaii have both enacted 100% renewable targets by 2045. what will you do to ensure oregon's leadership in a clean energy future? moderator: i will jump back in. solar and wind are now the most cost competitive sources of new isrgy and energy storage rapidly declining in cost and he went on to mention our neighbors to the south, california and and actede both energy targets by 2045. what will you do to ensure oregon's leadership in a clean energy future? rep. buehler: there he important question -- very important question. i believe in global climate change, i am trained as a

scientist and the data is overwhelming. that was, -- i was one of the few republicans to vote for transitioning the electrical generation capacity from coal to renewables, breaking with my party and business interests. that is why i have spoken out against the trump administration policies with regards to environmental issues, specifically united states withdrawing from the paris climate accord. that is the kind of leadership that oregonians want to see on these important issues. i think it is important we keep that balance, the balance improving the environment but also taking consideration hard-working oregonians are struggling to get by every day, to pay the bills at the end of the month. unfortunately under governor brown we have given up the cost of living in the state, the high cost of health care, housing,

energy, now we have to be careful we do not challenge people to much with regards to these issues. gov. brown: as oregonians we all all feeling -- we are all feeling the effects of climate change. the oregon shakespeare festival had to cancel 26 outdoor productions. we are feeling it. we need to tackle this with every tool in our toolbox because this is the biggest challenge we face. future generations will judge us, not on the fact of global climate change, but what we do to tackle it. i have led to reduce the carbon intensity of carbon fuel. number two. clean, thecoal to first in the nation to transition away from coal generated electricity and double our portfolio by 2040. lastly, invested in a

transportation package and public transit, ev. this is not enough. we need to move forward. i believe we can move forward and reduce carbon emissions and 5000e clean energy jobs by every move forward on the clean energy job ill. my opponent -- clean energy job bill. oregon'srs ago, sanctuary law passed with state's 90 87 of the legislators. you said you wanted to repeal it and argued that local law shouldment -- excuse me, -- clear this up for us and explain how you supported ballot measure 105, and how that reflects the values of the state? rep. buehler: our immigration

system is broken in this country. the main cause is a lack of progress at the federal level. that is the fault of both parties, democrats and republicans and it is made all the worse by the divisive political rhetoric of president trump. i do not agree with his approach to dreamers, with regards to separating families or sending national guard troops to the border. this is what we need to do. we need to add clarity to where there is confusion and if it -- if measure 105 passes, i will make sure there is clarity. no racial profiling, absolutely will not be tolerated in oregon. no matter if you are a citizen or here undocumented, you need to feel safe and secure approaching law enforcement, especially if you are a victim or witness. if you are a criminal and have

been convicted or charged with a there will be communication and collaboration with local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. that will keep everyone safe, citizen or undocumented. >> do you want to repeal the sanctuary law? rep. buehler: i am a yes on measure 105. weardless if it is passed, need clarification where there is confusion. value our: oregonians immigrant and refugee communities. on my watch we have remained a welcoming and inclusive state for all who call oregon home. i opposed measure 105. the reason why it was passed in 1987 was because law enforcement was targeting the latino population, people with brown skins. i am concerned if it passes again, racial profiling will continue and our communities will be less safe. that is why i oppose it. supportedosed, --

other legislation that encourages our immigrant communities, equity for our dreamers, covering all kids and that children have access to -- i amare, supporting not willing to collaborate with an administration that is ripping children away from parents and putting these children in cages. >> thank you, governor. every election we hear candidates a education is the top priority and they promise to improve graduation rates. in the 18 years i have lived in oregon, it has not significantly improved. under your watch, the graduation rate is still third from the bottom. what will be different if you are reelected. can you give us a number? what is achievable by the end of your term? gov. brown: this is an issue that oregon has struggled with for decades. it is unacceptable. i know what it feels like to

have a child in my home not graduate from high school. we were fortunate, we had the tools and resources they needed to make sure they got their ged, but not every family has that. on my watch, we certainly made progress but it is not enough. we saw the highest improvement in high school graduation rates since we started keeping track in 2017. our communities of color saw a 7% increase in high school graduation rates as a result of significant investment we made in those communities. moving forward, we need to make sure every high school student has access to career and technical education and that we fully fund ballot measure 98. i know firsthand from the students i have seen, the importance of having hands-on learning. that means they get engaged in the classroom. they want to stay in school. it connects the classroom to career and they want to graduate

and it develops skills and a qualified workforce. >> can you give us a number? a graduation rate ranking? gov. brown: 85%, 2022. >> representative. rep. buehler: the hesitancy to give you a number, shows a lack of leadership from the governor with regards to this issue. two weeks ago she said she has no control over this issue, even though she is superintendent and head of public schools and controls 70% of the budget that goes to our schools. it is the single biggest failure of governor brown, her indifference to fix our schools. i will do it, i will lead where she has not, and importantly the biggest problem we need to face is our classroom funding crisis. enough dollars are getting two kids and classroom learning to improve graduation rates because it is going to a broken pension system -- not

enough dollars are getting tickets. -- are getting to kids. rank if will the rate you are elected? rep. buehler: i will lead oregon schools from the bottom five in the nation. even though governor brown has said there has been progress, i will lead them through the top five in five years. gov. brown: opportunity for rebuttal? moderator: we will keep moving. i apologize. we have so many things to get through. it is time for another video question. governor brown, you will answer first. concerned,her, i am students do not get enough recess and pe.

currently, public school students only get 15 minutes of recess and they take 30 minute lunch and cut it in half and give students another 15 minutes of recess. what would you do to make sure there is more time spent enjoying the great outdoors? gov. brown: a couple of things. in 2015 we passed legislation to ensure all students have access to physical education. we did that because we know how important it is for students to run and play and how good it is for their brains and bodies. we need to fully implement that legislation. we also need to fund it. the second these is to work on connecting young people to the outdoors. oregon's outdoors are beautiful. we are blessed with incredible bounty. we are working to make sure all students, particularly in underserved communities, have

access to outdoor experiences by removing financial and physical barriers for students. finally, under my leadership we have invested in our education system, 22% increase. i believe there is more work to be done but i do not think we can cut our way to a better education system. i do not think we can cut our teacher retirement and expect to build a world-class education system. if we are going to build a better system, we need to invest . >> representative. rep. buehler: another example where we are cutting back on our kids'education because of a classroom funding crisis that governor brown will not address. too many dollars -- even though we have record budget k-12 schools -- too many dollars are not getting into key programs, getting to teachers, to students. what you will see despite record budgets across the state of

oregon, school district after district are giving teachers pink slips and cutting key programs like p.e. governor brown has increased the budget. those dollars are not getting to kids. does go weekssaid ago that governor trying to balance the budget on the backs of kids. this problem has to be fixed. governor brown has not shown the leadership needed to take on powerful entrenched interests, to make sure this problem does not put the state at risk any longer. representative, i wanted to dive more into the state pension crisis you touched on. oregon has a $22 billion public pension shortfall now. the government is still covering 100% of the pensions, payments into the pension fund. should public employees be

required to contribute to the pension fund? rep. buehler: this issue with regard to our troubled tension plan, is an issue of vital concern. it should be an issue of vital concern to hard-working, public employees. they should want me to be oregon's next governor to address this problem. my concern for them, if we do not fix it, the pension they are expecting could be worth pennies on the dollar. it is an issue of vital concern to the kids i saw in rural school districts. 30 two fourth-graders per teacher, what i will do is elevate this issue to the top of the agenda by not signing a single new spending bill until i have a reform bill on my desk. some of the tenants i would like to see is -- public employees contributing to their own pension plan. i would also stop the monthly

payouts, the $50,000 a month payouts people have got. i would limit that to $100,000 a year for average salary calculation. everyone isd, transitioned away from the troubled land into a typical 401(k) plan. >> thank you, representative. -- the troubled plan into a typical 401(k). -- i believe public employees need to have skin in the game and i will continue to work toward that. made03, the legislature changes. they stop payments for tier 3. the average state public employee makes roughly $2300 a month on retirement, less than $30,000 a year. it is easy for a millionaire to say he is going to cut the

retirements of hard-working oregonians. i am not willing to do that. we have firefighters who put their lives on the line this summer -- they saved over 7000 homes from burning. i am not willing to cut retirements. >> can i --? >> governor, can you answer, you referred to the 401(k) style plan that public employees are contributing to and they got raises as part of that. should they start contributing to the actual pension fund? gov. brown: certainly i think public employees should have skin in the game. 98% ofy administration, state public employees are picking up the 6%. we can do more. here is the reality. these folks, nurses, teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, they put their lives on the line, they dedicate the best years of their lives to serving

our children. i believe they deserve a safe, secure and affordable retirement. >> representative, more time. rep. buehler: i am disappointed that governor brown had to resort to a personal attack on this issue. this is about policy. this is an issue of concern to the state. we all want loyal public employees to have a secure and safe retirement fund. we also have a problem in the state, a problem where we have a classroom funding crisis because despite record state, school budgets, those dollars are not getting into the classroom. governor brown's supposed measures to improve the situation is political theater. as you mentioned, she takes away the 6% pickup and gives a 7% raise to some of her biggest financial contributors. that is not leadership. that is pandering.

that is avoiding one of the they just problems facing oregon for the next decade. >> governor brown, given that we are talking, we are now into the morbid section of the program. an death penalty remains emotional issue in this country. as governor, will you commute the death sentences of any or all of the 35 killers on oregon death row? gov. brown: at this point in time i continued the moratorium that a previous governor had in place. there are no pending executions. we have continued the moratorium and under my watch, no one will be executed. >> i am curious about this point in time. anything, change, if or are you committing that nothing will change if you have a second term? gov. brown: i plan to continue the moratorium. >> representative. rep. buehler: i will follow the

desires of the people of oregon who voted on this issue and enforce the death penalty. as governor, i will look at case-by-case and if i think there is injustice, i would commute a sentence. i will follow the wishes of the people of oregon. they have been clear on this issue. >> we have another video question. we have been talking about teaching. this comes from a teacher. a high school teacher. representative, you will answer first. >> my name is lindsay, i am a high school math teacher in beaverton. i work long hours to serve my students and am wondering if you are elected governor, how will your policies affect salaries and benefits of educators? the most important questions facing all of us now are our underperforming k-12 education system. unfortunately, underperforming.

underperforming in graduation rates, we have one of the shortest school years and despite record budgets, record k-12 budgets, what you will find going across the state including the beaverton school district, that they were facing cutting 300 teachers. you may ask, why? why are we cutting teachers and key programs at a time of record revenue? i will tell you why. those dollars are not getting into the classroom because of a classroom funding crisis that governor brown will not address. we have to make hard decisions. we have to get those dollars back into classrooms and increase k-12 budgets. i am proposing increasing 15% in the next two budget cycles. that will allow oregon to improve the situation, not have one of the worst graduation rates in the nation and reestablish career and technical programs, which governor brown is not supported adequately. gov. brown: thank you for your

question and thank you to all to yoursays in oregon dedication to our students. my opponents proposal would cut teacher retirement by 40%. you cannot cut your way to a better education system. if we want a world class system we need to invest in teachers. that is what i am doing with my educator advance for counsel to make sure teachers have the tools for professional development, mentoring and coaching needed to be successful in the classroom. also that we diversify the educator pipeline so it reflects the diversity of our communities. in terms of retirement, it is critically important you have a retirement that you can live on that it is safe -- that is safe and secure. that is why i am working with republicans and democrats to put money aside in the budget to pay down our debt, on liability and

we are doing that on a bipartisan basis because we know and i know that the best thing we can do is to have funds set aside to drive more dollars into our classrooms. >> the metro planning agency has put more than $650 million, housing bonds on the november ballot to help pay for much-needed affordable housing in the tricounty area. you have come out against that bond. how would you tackle the affordable housing problem and if not with housing bond money, how would you pay? housinghler: affordable has reached a crisis situation, not only in the portland metro but across the state of oregon. i am against the metro funded bond. i do not think we need to expand the role of metro in this and i do not think we should build a lot more public housing. we need to address the situation right away.

a better solution is to provide rental assistance, keep people in place where they are and i proposed to fund $50 million. that alone will not be enough. we need to create 20,000 affordable and workforce housing units every year. we need to treat this like the emergency it is and importantly, why we are doing both things, we need to work diligently to decrease the cost of building houses in oregon? under governor brown's administration we have driven up the cost of housing with increasing regulation, zoning requirements. that is not smart management. we need to decrease cost of housing so everyone can afford to live comfortably in oregon. >> governor. of. brown: my experiences family law, i know how critically important it is for every person to have a safe, dry and warm place to call home.

i rolled up my sleeves when i became governor and we worked on building more affordable units because the best thing we can do is build places for people to live. in my first year we built 3500, second year, 4000, this year i am proud to say we had 7800 underdevelopment. that is not all. we gave local communities more tools, making sure we can build granny flats. there was an important bill that required developers to include affordable units in their developments. my opponent voted against it. he voted against legislation that would -- >> thank you, governor. rep. buehler: can i rebut? those are outlandish claims. >> go ahead. rep. buehler: the governor talks about programs and percentages. let's look at the results. the results show homelessness has grown much worse under governor brown.

one state inumber the nation for the number of homeless youth. we can talk about programs, dollars that governor brown has devoted to this problem but the results speak for themselves. i have a vision that will turn this around and and homelessness -- end homelessness in the next five years. >> governor brown, homelessness is having a big impact on communities, such as kids struggling in school because they have to worry about where they are staying. at the height of the economic recovery at this point and on your watch, the problem is only getting worse. what is oregon getting wrong? gov. brown: we need to build more affordable units. my heart goes out to all the family struggling. we have over 23,000 children housing insecure in the public school system.

it is critically important we use the tools in our toolbox. in addition to the earlier tools i mentioned, my plan is to build, spend $370 million on affordable units and get all of our children off the streets. all of our children and their families. it is critically important everyone supports the metro bond measure. that will build, that ballot measure 102 passes, a technical constitutional text, that will build an additional 12,000 units in the portland metropolitan area. this is a challenge the entire west coast faces. it is a challenge i have been working on since i became governor. the only tool we cannot just fix it on the affordable side, we have to fix it on the market rate side and that is what i am doing. i passed legislation to encourage folks in construction industries to move back to rural oregon, if they're are dedicating a portion of their work to building housing. rep. buehler: the results speak

for themselves. under governor brown's administration, homelessness in oregon has become a humanitarian crisis, public health crisis, increasingly a public safety crisis. now not just in the portland metro area but all across the state of oregon. i have rolled up my sleeves the last six months and looked at successful programs and facilities across the state that are handling this well. you will find a commonality. the commonality is those places that solve this problem, those cities offer compassion and tough love. meaning they offer compassion, expect responsibility and develop independence. as governor, i will concentrate resources and funds on those programs that make a difference. rep. buehler: opportunity to rebut -- gov. brown: opportunity to rebut. my opponent is proposing a drop in the bucket. since i became governor we

invested $300 million. i'm proposing we invest $370 million more. not just to get children off the streets, but our chronically homeless, including wraparound services like drug treatment, employment services and access to comprehensive mental health. my opponent opposes the measures that support low income families. the $300 million i invested went to rental assistance and it went to homelessness prevention. justools to eliminate cause it action prevent people from being kicked out of their homes for no reason at all -- just cause eviction. >> governor brown, you will answer this first. >> my name is nicole. parents have a

right to make medical decisions for their children, including how and when they decide to vaccinate children? gov. brown: do you have a certain age? moderator: we do not. talking about vaccinations, they start early. gov. brown: in terms of vaccination, one of the challenges we have, and we have a fairly -- a law that protects parents right to vaccinate their children in this state, the challenge we are seeing is that we have a number of communicable diseases impacting communities around the united states because parents have not been vaccinating. i would say, we probably give some parents too much leeway. if we want to make sure we are protecting public health, we want to make sure children have the vaccinations they need. >> representative. ip. buehler: as a physician,

believe in the benefits of vaccination. i also think that parents should have the right to opt out for personal beliefs, religious beliefs or even if they have strong alternative medical beliefs. that is beneficial and it gives people options and choice and that is the policy i would pursue as oregon's governor. moderator: i will shift gears. >> transportation. representative, after years of planning and $200 million spent by oregon, the columbia river crossing was scrapped five years ago. in the last month, there has been renewed interest from several politicians to revive that i-5 bridge project. do you think the state should billions in invest new money in a bridge between vancouver and portland? rep. buehler: certainly there

has been under investment in oregon's transportation infrastructure for decades. our bridges, roads, ports. unfortunately the columbia river crossing project spent nearly $300 million and not a single single up to her wa - shovel of dirt was turned. governor brown did not look into that situation. it was her duty. i voted against the transportation package at the last legislative session because i did not think it had enough investment for these types of important projects, especially for portland metro. i knew also that governor brown's policy was to bake into that legislation tolling. not to build new bridges, like i think we should build a new bridge across the columbia, but tolling to change people's behavior.

to get them out of their vehicles and not to add capacity. i am against tolling for that purpose. before we move forward on the columbia river crossing i want to see washington meeting criteria, that they are serious about fixing the bridge and investing in that bridge. that it includes public transit, particularly light rail. it is critically important remake make the seismic retrofitting needed on our bridges because i saw what happened in minneapolis when the 35w bridge went down. people were killed. none of my family was injured, fortunately. as governor it is my responsibility to make sure oregonians are safe. my opponent voted against this transportation package, a bipartisan package to invest in seismic resilience in our roads

and bridges. i do not know what he would use to fix the crossing since he is taking a no new taxes pledge. scotch tape? rep. buehler: can i rebut? moderator: we will keep going. a state audit of the foster care system found that managers bullied and intimidated employees, discouraging them from speaking honestly with auditors. critics say problems were brought to your attention. in 2015. what have you done to change the culture and protect 8000 children in oregon's foster care system, other than hiring a new director? gov. brown: i am a lawyer and i used to represent children in foster care systems when i was practicing law. this is an issue that keeps me up every night. make surerked hard to our children are safe in the foster care system, that we are safely reducing caseloads and

working to recruit and retain qualified foster parents and making sure they have support and services they need. as governor, i am focused on making sure we tackle the root causes of the children in our foster care system. we have 1.5 times the national average of children in our system. that means tackling substance and alcohol abuse. to of children are in due one or more parents use. housing issues. we have built 14,000 affordable units in the pipeline across the state and are working to tackle the mystic violence. all of these -- domestic violence. all of these will ensure an improved foster care system. this is a tough nut to crack. oregon has struggled with this issue for many years. rep. buehler: i would ask governor brown, how long is long enough to fix the problem?

she has been in salem for over 25 years. in leadership positions for more than half that time. it has been way too long. we have to save foster kids from the chaos and competence and mismanagement, quite frankly of the brown administration. i cannot say it any nicer. one headlinest grabbing story after another every month. 8000 kids who have no one else to turn to, that deserve better. i propose fixing this problem in the last legislative session creating a team to deal with the devastating audit. what governor brown said is the status quo is fine. we do not need to do anything more. only under the pressure of her colleagues did she buckle and try to address the problem. foster kids have waited too long. >> special question from the

alzheimer's association. representative will answer first. >> i am a show in portland and a volunteer. is america's most expensive disease and every 65 seconds, someone develops the disease. how do you plan to make this disease a priority? certainly as a physician, i understand the importance of these chronic diseases. that is something we need to bring attention to. certainly a lot of this funding comes from the federal level. the important role you can play as governor is to use that bully pulpit, your soapbox, to talk about these kinds of devastating go out ando encourage research and development and increase awareness about how devastating it can be not only for the people who have something like alzheimer's but also for the family that has to care for the

person who has been unfortunately afflicted. tot is the role as governor, be caring and thoughtful and draw attention to big issues causing families to struggle. moderator: governor. granny lost her life to this chronic disease. many families in oregon have been impacted by it. it is critically important we invest in research and have the best tools and medications available. i also think it is important we elderly and senior care assisted living systems to ensure our seniors struggling with alzheimer's or other diseases can stay in their homes or apartments as long as possible and when they cannot, making sure they can get wraparound services they need. it is key for family struggling with members that have this disease to have important

partnerships with nonprofit communities and making sure families have access to supportive programs. i know it has been healing for my family members and i know it is healing for others. you have madeive, leadership and issue on the campaign and i am searching for someone climate change. you are anti- coal but pro-fracking. you dismissed a carbon tax as an attempt to generate a $1.4 billion slush fund for green energy profiteers. when the threat of climate change has never been more urgent, why the milquetoast argument that oregon has done or paid enough to address the problem? rejectehler: steve, i the premise of your question, as you can imagine. i certainly believe in climate change. i was one of the few republicans to vote to transition oregon away from coal-based electricity

to renewables. i have spoken out frequently against the trump administration policies, specifically as regards to withdrawing the united states from the climate accords. i am against governor brown's cap and trade plan or a better description of it is the $1.4 billion sales tax on energy. i against that because it will hit hard-working oregonians, oregonians who are struggling to pay the bills right now with a sales tax they cannot afford. importantly, those dollars will not go to schools or health care. they will go to a complex tax credit scheme for green energy companies. we have already had problems with that in the past. something called the business energy tax credit scheme, where hundreds of millions of dollars were misallocated to the extent that people have gone to jail for correction. i do not want to repeat that. >> governor brown. gov. brown: the league of oregon

conservation voters agrees with you. my opponent has a lifetime ranking of f based on his three years voting record in the oregon legislature. i've continued to make steady progress on tackling global climate change from reducing the carbon intensity of our fuels, transitioning off coal, investing in ev rebates and public transit. we worked hard last session to reduce carbon emissions. we were able to complete the legislation but we are working collaboratively with utilities, toiness communities, make sure we reduce carbon emissions in such a way that it does not exacerbate already existing economic disparities in our low income communities and our rural communities. >> this question from mike marsh. representative, you will answer

first. >> are you concerned with the leadership of the president and if you are, what will you do to lead differently in oregon? certainly,r: president trump does not provide a model of leadership for me. the political device of speech, and tweets, i do not find appealing. i think leaders bring people together, they unite people around a common goal and importantly, they build bridges, not walls. that is why i have spoken out against president trump's not only politically divisive speech but many of his policies with regards to immigration, climate change, cutting of medicaid. awill lead with open minded, caring heart and thoughtful voice. be an independent governor who will lead for all oregonians no matter who you are, where you live, who you

love or no matter if you are registered to vote democrat, independent or republican. true leadership takes on these issues that governor brown has avoided, ignored and quite frankly made worse in her time in office. moderator: governor. gov. brown: that is important the governor speak out whenever this president stomps on oregonians or oregon values. immigration, health care, the environment. whenrms of health care, this administration tried to repeal the affordable care act, stripping out health care from 430,000 oregonians, we fought back with every tool in the toolbox. weshowed them as a result, have many oregonians with health care but also it created over 23,000 jobs. now they are trying to take away health care from americans with chronic heart conditions, pre-existing conditions.

i find this unacceptable. i talked to a young man named jacob. he is so talented. he has a chronic heart disease. this administration would rip health care away from them. oregon will not let that happen but the rest of the country well. i will continue to fight this administration until every oregonian has access to the health care they need to lead healthy, productive lives. moderator: that our went quickly. thank you to every -- that hour went quickly. thank you to every person at home who watched. ballots will arrive in the mailbox probably beginning next week. fill them out and vote. have a good night and thank you for being with us. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] than a election day less month away and control of congress in question, see the

competition for yourself on c-span. watch the debates from key house and senate races. make c-span your primary source for campaign 2018. sign twoent trump will bills into law this afternoon dealing with prescription drug price notifications. one lets pharmacists tell people, another would let him providers provide price information to enrollees of group health plans. c-span will have live coverage of that bill signing, starting at 1:30 p.m. eastern. with 27 days before midterms, campaign 2018 coverage continues with debates today and north carolina's ninth congressional district. that gets underway at 7 p.m. eastern. one hour later, a debate in new jersey, the 11th congressional , live debate coverage

on c-span with 27 days until the election. c-span is your primary source for campaign 2018. c-span student camera video competition is in full swing. what does it mean to be american? students and teachers from around the country have taken to social media, posting about entries. ap government teacher tweeted "celebrating dual federalism with a layered cake as we work on our, what does it mean to be american c-span documentary." " special thanks to the middle school, showcasing their student project." civic students kicking off their final project,

answering the question, what does it mean to be an american?" "took my students on an outing. the students got pictures for their c-span documentary." we're asking middle and high school students to provide a six minute documentary. we're awarding $100,000 in total cash prizes, including a grand prize of $5,000. the deadline is january 20. go to our website, studentcam.or g for more information. >> candidates in michigan's eighth congressional districts, mike bishop and the democratic challenger took part in a joint interview on flashpoint in detroit. the candidates answered several questions including about the vitriol in politics, the impact of tarrif