• Legislature looking to update state's "bottle bill"
• Health care spending predicted to double in 10 years
• Lots of events coming up
• Comments varied on expansion of Bend Area Transit
• This week's survey question

     Lawmakers this year are floating a bill to update Oregon’s groundbreaking “bottle bill,” which requires a 5-cent deposit on most soda and beer containers. The original bill was passed in 1971, and much has changed since then. For example, no one could have predicted that bottled water would become so popular. Senate Bill 481 would expand the types of containers covered by the law to include any sealed glass, metal or plastic, can or jar that holds more than seven fluid ounces and less than a gallon. In addition, the bill would raise the deposit on each container to a dime. According to the state Department of Environmental Quality, the recycling rate for beer and soft drink containers covered by the current bottle bill was 83 percent in 2005, while the rate was just 36 percent for other types of drink cans and bottles.

     Some gloomy news for businesses and consumers alike: A new study by the National Health Statistics Group predicts that U.S. spending on prescription drugs, hospital care and other health services is expected to double to $4.1 trillion over the next decade, up from $2.1 trillion in 2006. The group said that by 2016, 20 cents of each dollar spent will go toward health care. Increased spending for prescription medications is expected to drive much of the increase. A major factor in the predicted increase in spending is “an aging population as the leading edge of the baby boom generation becomes eligible for Medicare.”

     Many events in Bend are pending in Central Oregon that are of interest to the business community. The Rotary Club of Bend is planning a special membership drive on March 8. If you’re interested, contact Adam Apalategui at 390-6661 or adam.bend@gmail.com. … Deschutes County is seeking a citizen to serve on its Budget Committee for a three-year term. Applications are being taken until February 28. Information: the county Personnel Department, 1300 NW Wall St., second floor; phone 617-4722, or visit the county’s Web site, www.deschutes.org. … Central Oregon Community College’s main fund-raisers, the “Taste of the Town” and “Meal of the Year,” will be held on March 2 and 3 at the college. Tickets for the first event are $30 in advance at Boomtown Records or Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, or $40 at the door. Meal of the Year tickets are $110. Information: 383-8268. … The Education Foundation for the Bend-La Pine School District is holding its annual “Trivia Bee” this Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Tower Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Tower Theatre box office or at the door. … The Central Oregon Job Expo ’07, sponsored by The Bulletin and in cooperation with the Bend Chamber and other agencies, will be held from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 7 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center. Exhibit space still is available, with a discounted rate of $250 before March 1. Information: Stacie Oberson at The Bulletin, 383-0389.

     Last week’s survey question was, “Should the Bend Area Transit system be expanded, to where and how should an expansion be paid for?” Some comments:
     “Yes, the BAT services should be expanded. The services should extend as far south as Deschutes River Woods and north to Redmond. The east-west areas seem to be well-covered. Regions or fee boundaries could be set with riders who travel further or across boundaries paying more, much like the MAX system in Portland.”
     “Bend’s transit system needs to think about things like a gas tax and employee tax to fund expansion. A property tax will meet enough resistance to keep it from every happening. It is only fair that non-profits such as St. Charles, the region’s largest employer, the school district and the city and county governments help pay for the buses. A gas tax and/or an employee tax would do that and might not have the organized opposition that a property tax would have.”
     “The BAT system should be expanded to include a route serving residents on the west side, specially, there is no service to the area of Century Drive and Mount Washington Drive, which includes Mountain Laurel Lodge, a low-income apartment complex, Bend Memorial Clinic-West, Touchmark (a 55-and-over condominium and single-family home complex ) and The Athletic Club of Bend.”

This week’s survey question