Politics
Proposal to pay farmworkers overtime overcomes first hurdle in Legislature
A controversial plan to require overtime pay that would affect the 86,000 farmworkers in Oregon advanced on Tuesday along partisan lines. All seven Democrats on the House Committee on Business and Labor voted for House Bill 4002, which would require owners to pay farmworkers time and a half for hours over a 40 hour workweek, […]
House plan would give mental health facilities nearly $200 million for staffing
Oregon lawmakers are proposing nearly $200 million to help treat more Oregonians struggling with mental health issues and addiction problems. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on outpatient and residential programs for treatment for addiction, severe depression and other disabling mental disorders but during the pandemic they’ve often had to wait months for help. House […]
Dutch Bros founder’s Grants Pass gambling plans violate Oregon Constitution, attorney general says
The Oregon Constitution won’t allow the billionaire co-founder of a drive-thru coffee chain to add a casino-like resort to a Grants Pass horse track he owns, the state Justice Department said in a legal opinion released Friday. The 9-page opinion by Renee Stineman, chief counsel in the department’s General Counsel Division, responded to an inquiry […]
Sharp divide emerges over proposal to increase spending on livestock killed by wolves
A proposal to add $1 million to a state fund that compensates farmers and ranchers who’ve lost livestock to wolves has drawn criticism from conservation and animal rights advocates, who’ve asked legislators to oppose it. House Bill 4127 would more than triple the amount of money in the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Wolf Depredation Compensation […]
Oregon rent assistance program, racing commission will be audited
A rental assistance program that left thousands of Oregonians facing eviction and the commission that oversees horse racing will face extra scrutiny from state auditors this year. Each year, the Audits Division of the Secretary of State’s office picks a handful of state agencies or programs to audit. The division’s 2022-23 plan, released Thursday, includes […]
Oregon’s long-overdue Private Forest Accord could set stage for climate change work
It’s been a long time since Oregonians first saw the words “private forest” and “accord” in the same document – more than 50 years in fact, since Oregon adopted its first-in-the nation Forest Practices Act in 1971. One year after that, with enactment of the federal Endangered Species Act, the terms of engagement on our […]
Oregon economic forecast: More money for lawmakers to spend, tax credits likely in two years
Higher wages for workers and more income for businesses is driving up state tax collections, creating the prospect for even more state government spending and then credits in two years for those paying income taxes, state economists announced Wednesday. The economists described a robust Oregon economy that they now project will put $1.5 billion more […]
Those trading in your personal information face regulation in Oregon – and it needs to be strong
Thousands of companies you do no business with and that you hardly ever heard of possess astonishing amounts of information about you, your residence, your family, your work, your religion, your credit score and more. They are called data brokers, and you have no way to find out from them what they have and do […]
Farmworkers plead for overtime pay as ag industry warns of harmful impacts
Emotional and passionate testimony stretched into the night Tuesday during a legislative hearing on a proposal to require overtime pay for Oregon’s farmworkers. Legislation put forward by two Democratic lawmakers would pay farmworkers time and a half after working 40 hours a week and would include tax credits for companies to help them adjust. Overtime […]
Oregon lawmakers looking to make child care more affordable, available
As Portland resident Jasmine Casanova-Dean spoke to legislators at a hearing about child care last week, her 67-year-old grandmother watched her 2-year-old daughter in another room. Casanova-Dean can only afford professional child care two days a week, so every other day she’s left to shift her work schedule, seek help from family or friends or […]
States target ballot drop boxes in fight over voting rights
WASHINGTON – Ballot drop boxes are so secure they’ve survived getting hit by an SUV and rolled by a school bus — yet much of the battle over voting rights has centered on the big metal boxes. In the November 2020 general election, nearly 40 states had ballot drop boxes available and more voters used drop […]
Push to pay overtime to Oregon’s farmworkers up against strong industry opposition
A fight is brewing in the Oregon Legislature over a proposal to give farmworkers overtime pay after 40 hours a week. Democratic supporters say the change is long overdue and that extending overtime pay to a group of essential workers who toil long hours, do difficult work and earn low wages is a matter of […]