Recovery advocates say commission member should recuse herself from alcohol surcharge vote
A Portland-based recovery group wants a member of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission board to recuse herself from voting on a proposed surcharge on alcohol. Nathan Morales, a lawyer representing Oregon Recovers, said in a letter sent Thursday that Commissioner Kiauna Floyd should recuse herself from a June 15…
Supporters of Oregon ‘right to rest’ bill vow to keep fighting
Supporters of a scuttled bill to allow homeless people to camp in any public spaces vowed to keep trying during a small rally outside the Oregon Capitol on Thursday. Rep. Farrah Chaichi, D-Beaverton, and her…
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide whether endangered Oregon beetle needs federal protection
In 2020, a nonprofit environmental group focused on biodiversity petitioned federal authorities to protect a bug-eyed beetle that used to thrive on West Coast beaches but now only exists in certain sites, mainly in Oregon.…
Public safety bills, budgets await action amid Republican Senate walkout
Oregon lawmakers have worked to advance bills that would help people fight opioid overdoses, provide more public defenders to impoverished criminal defendants who cannot afford an attorney and give more compensation and help to crime victims. Now those proposals –…
After more than a decade, state issues new recommendations for how reading should be taught
The Oregon Department of Education released new recommendations Tuesday for ensuring all kids can read by the end of third grade, after years of Oregon students demonstrating poor reading proficiency on state and national assessments. It’s the first time the…
Paychecks, perks continue for absent senators amid GOP-led walkout
Oregon taxpayers have spent tens of thousands of dollars paying senators who are participating in the GOP-led Senate walkout. And their salaries and per diem are just part of the cost of the stalled session. Since May 3, most Republican…
Funding for drought package less than half of what bipartisan authors proposed
Democratic leaders in the Legislature have announced they’d allocate $110 million to confront Oregon’s drought and water security issues for the next two years. It’s less than half of what the budget’s authors, Reps. Ken Helm, D-Beaverton, and Mark Owens,…
Efforts for ranked-choice voting, STAR voting gaining progress in Oregon
Efforts to change Oregon’s voting system are on the move in the state Legislature and among citizen groups trying to write laws at the ballot box. The House last week voted mostly along party lines to approve House Bill 2004,…
Biden, McCarthy say they have brokered a debt limit deal to avert U.S. default
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal in principle Saturday night that would stave off a first-ever default on the nation’s debt as long as it can clear both chambers of Congress before June 5. The agreement would…
Republicans file campaign finance complaints against PAC targeting GOP senators for walking out
At least two Republican political consultants have filed campaign finance complaints against a liberal political action committee running radio ads asking Oregonians to tell their Republican senators to return to work. A political action committee formed last fall by the…
After session ends, Oregon senators will face a new battle – in the courts
The GOP-led Senate walkout is the first round of a fight that likely will continue in court when the session concludes by June 25. The political futures of senators who have racked up 10 or more unexcused absences is on…
Kotek orders new council to investigate quality of reading instruction at Oregon teacher colleges
Gov. Tina Kotek will appoint a new council to investigate how well Oregon’s 15 teacher colleges prepare graduates to teach kids to read and write. It comes in response to more than a decade of low-reading and writing proficiency among…
Nearly 2 dozen Oregonians died in police use-of-force incidents in 2022
Oregon police officers killed 23 people in the line of duty in 2022, according to the state’s first use-of-force report. Lawmakers discussed a summary of the report, which is not yet released, on Wednesday in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The…
Biden student debt relief plan revoked in U.S. House vote
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday voted to overturn the Biden administration’s one-time student debt relief plan that is currently on hold awaiting a Supreme Court decision expected within weeks. Before the 218-203 vote on the resolution, the the White House…
Democratic lawmakers agree on historic school funding but bill stalled by Senate Republican walkout
Democratic leaders in the Legislature have agreed to spend a record amount on schools over the next two years after last week’s economic forecast showed lawmakers will have more money to spend. House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis and Senate President…
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