Category Legislature
Oregon waits as game of political poker plays out at the Capitol
State Rep. Cheri Helt, a Republican from Bend, was the lone member of her party to show up for a floor session in the Oregon House on Tuesday, Feb. 25. The walkout by her colleagues echoed one the day before by Senate Republicans. (Sam Stites/Oregon…
Political climate change hits Capitol as House Republicans abandon daily session
SALEM — A day after their counterparts in the Senate vacated the Capitol, Republican representatives brought the House to a halt Tuesday, skipping a daily session in protest of a controversial climate bill. Their absence blocked the House from taking votes. If all Democrats are…
Finger pointing was prime product at Legislature Monday as Senate Republicans bolt
State Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, was the only one of 11 Republican senators to show up for Monday’s floor session of the Oregon Senate. The other 10 senators boycotted the session over fierce opposition to pending climate change legislation. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM —…
Oregon Senate Republicans walk out
Oregon State Capitol, Legislature (Salem Reporter/file) SALEM — Republicans in the Senate boycotted a floor session Monday morning, putting a stop to the Senate before it could consider a controversial greenhouse gas emissions legislation that has been a political lightning rod. The Senate requires 20…
Legislation introduced to advance deal between timber and environmental interests
Greg Miller (right), representative of the coalition of timber companies that signed the deal with conservation groups, presents HB 4168 to members of the House Rules Committee Thursday, Feb. 20. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau) The fate of the landmark deal signed between a coalition of…
The Legislature’s greenhouse gas reduction bill has been the session’s most complex and contentious legislation. Here’s what it means
Senate Bill 1530 has been the most argued about legislation of the 2020 legislative session. Sen. Michael Dembrow, the bill’s chief architect, speaks during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources while Sen. Alan Olsen, R-Canby, listens. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau).…
A bill seeking to crack down on masked rioters draws concerns over free speech and privacy
An anti-fascist counterprotester at a Patriot Prayer rally. (Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons) Legislation targeting mask-wearing rioters has drawn criticism from a coalition of civil rights and community organizations that say it’ll have a chilling effect on protests while setting the state back on its efforts to halt…
Improvements to helping Oregon’s mentally ill defendants advancing
Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon. Oregon’s judges would have more options to help criminal defendants found unfit to stand trial should legislation approved 26-4 by the Senate earlier this week be passed in the House. Senate Bill 1575 makes fixes to legislation passed last…
Brown asks legislature to fund $7.5 million in earthquake early warning system build out
Prof. Doug Toomey is one of the foremost seismologists on the west coast and oversees the University of Oregon’s ShakeAlert program (Courtesy/University of Oregon) Oregon would prepare 250,000 households to become self-sufficient following a catastrophic earthquake under legislation advancing in Salem. The legislation, Senate Bill…