Senate committee advances resolution to honor Deputy Paul Emerson Baker

The Senate Rules Committee moved House Concurrent Resolution 38 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation on June 12, advancing a measure to honor Deputy Paul Emerson Baker and support placement of a highway memorial sign in his memory.

House Concurrent Resolution 38 recognizes Paul Emerson Baker for his military and law-enforcement service and asks the state to memorialize him with a roadside sign so his story is preserved for the Yamhill County community.

Representative Lucetta Elmer, sponsor of the resolution, told the committee she “sits before you today in strong support of House Concurrent Resolution 38, which honors the life and service of Yamhill County Sheriff, Deputy Paul Emerson Baker, who lost his life while on duty in 1982.” Elmer said the measure is intended to help secure a memorial highway sign in the community Baker loved.

Erin Edlund Cutter, who said she was representing the Baker family, described Baker’s life and the family’s desire for a sign. Cutter told the committee that Baker served in the United States Merchant Marines, the U.S. Army during the Korean War, the Hawthorne (Calif.) Police Department, the California Highway Patrol and the Yamhill County Sheriff’s Office. Cutter said the family’s request is largely ceremonial and that funds for a sign can come from the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Trust Fund. “The board of directors is able to allocate funds with their budget in order to purchase these highway Memorial signs,” Cutter said.

Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott also spoke in support, stressing Baker’s legacy in the county and noting several family members who continued public service. “As the sheriff of Yamhill County, it's my obligation to recognize the excellent work that my staff do,” Elliott said, and he urged the committee to support the resolution as a long-overdue tribute.

Senator Manning asked about the procedure to get a roadside sign erected; Cutter and others explained that the memorial program is administered through the memorial trust and involves coordination with the Department of Motor Vehicles and local agencies so that costs to the family are eliminated.

After public testimony the committee opened a work session and the motion to move HCR 38 to the Senate floor with a do-pass recommendation was called and recorded. Members present were polled and the clerk recorded aye votes; the motion passed and the committee named Senator Bruce Starr as carrier of the measure to the floor.

The resolution requests a ceremonial memorial sign and does not create a new program or require a separate appropriation because the Oregon Law Enforcement Memorial Trust Fund can allocate funds for the signs. The committee record shows no fiscal note attached and no additional obligations assigned to state agencies in the hearing.

The next step is consideration on the Senate floor by the committee-designated carrier.