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Majority in Legislature push for plan to ensure that 55,000 Oregonians have health care coverage
Democratic lawmakers, union leaders, some health care advocates and the Oregon Health Authority are pushing a proposal to keep tens of thousands of Oregonians who risk losing free Medicaid coverage on a health care plan. Without the plan, authorities worry that more people will be without insurance and in turn delay or avoid medical care. […]
Oregon, California, Washington will lift most mask mandates on March 12
UPDATED: Monday, Feb. 28 at 11:49 a.m. In a surprise move, Gov. Kate Brown said Monday that Oregon, Washington and California will jointly lift their indoor mask mandate on March 12. Masks will no longer be required in schools but state officials will recommend they still be used, according to a news release. The joint […]
State Legislature moves towards approval of a mattress recycling program
Getting rid of an old mattress in Oregon can be a challenge but legislators are about to help. Senate Bill 1576 would add a fee to mattress sales to fund a new recycling program. A privately organized recycling entity would be set up to collect and recycle mattresses and box springs. The entity, overseen by […]
STATUS CHECK: Where key legislative bills are on week 4
The five-week session of the Oregon Legislature kicked off with lawmakers filing more than 200 bills. Those have been whittled down by House and Senate committees. Bills that didn’t pass out of committee by the end of the day on Feb. 14 died. Those that require the use of state funds must be considered by […]
Farmworker overtime bill advances in state Legislature
Tens of thousands of farmworkers in Oregon have moved one step closer to getting overtime pay. A legislative committee voted along party lines late Thursday to pass House Bill 4002, one of the most divisive proposals in the 2022 Legislature, with Republicans indicating that they could walk out over it. The bill would guarantee that […]
Mask mandates ending March 19, with state of emergency over April 1
The last of the pandemic limits Oregonians have endured for nearly two years are ending, with state authorities lifting mask requirements by Friday, March 19, and the state of emergency ending April 1, state officials announced Thursday. That means that this spring, life in Oregon will officially be back to normal though the virus is […]
Lawmakers poised to spend $400 million on housing projects
Hundreds, and perhaps thousands of people, could be helped to get off the streets under plans being worked on by the state Legislature. Democratic lawmakers, who have made homelessness a priority, are poised to approve hundreds of millions of dollars for housing and programs to fight homelessness. They plan to fund a range of programs, […]
Proposal to pay farmworkers overtime goes to joint bipartisan committee to resolve
A divisive proposal in the Oregon Legislature that would require employers to pay farmworkers overtime was shuttled on Tuesday to a joint bipartisan committee to work out a solution. House Bill 4002 would require that an estimated 86,000 farmworkers in Oregon are paid time and a half after a 40-hour workweek. That requirement would be […]
Legislative plans could repair roads in rural Oregon, promote energy efficiency, help the homeless
With two weeks left in the legislative session in Oregon, lawmakers are finalizing their plans for spending hundreds of millions of dollars in unexpected revenue. The Democratic leadership has identified seven priorities, including spending money on rural communities, behavioral health, public safety, homelessness, workforce development, energy efficiency, education and help for low-income Oregonians. If their […]
Legislative leaders agree on 7 spending plans on energy efficiency, rural areas and more
Democrats and Republicans lawmakers have been working behind the scenes to devise spending packages for rural communities, energy efficiency programs, homeless services and education. House SpeakerDan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, said $100 million will be devoted to rural infrastructure. That package came out of meetings last week among Republican and Democratic lawmakers. “Rural Oregon was an area […]
State meteorologist predicts wet March, April but Oregon is still in a drought
The current dry spell is likely to end soon but Oregon will need a lot of rain to help it recover after two years of drought. Pete Parson, lead meteorologist with the Oregon Department of Forestry, said in his latest three-month forecast that rain is likely to return in March and continue in April. His […]
Proposal to require insurance coverage of assisted reproduction advances in Legislature
Insurers would be required to cover infertility services under a proposal being advanced by Oregon legislators, which has moved ahead after a similar bill failed last session. The plan aims to make assisted reproduction affordable for thousands of Oregonians. Assisted reproduction is expensive, costing about $15,000 per attempt and usually three attempts are needed. An […]