Category Legislature
Legislators consider sharpening access to government records
State Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie, is sponsoring reforms to Oregon’s public records law. (File/Pamplin Media) In 2017, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed reforms into law to promote government openness and transparency. Two years later, some state officials and advocacy groups say there is more work…
Jump a commuter train in Salem to head to work up north? Legislator lays groundwork
A WES commuter train pulls into the Beaverton station. A legislator dreams of pushing the service south to Salem. (File/Pamplin Media Group) SALEM — Ten years ago, the Westside Express Service began running between Beaverton and Wilsonville. State Rep. Mitch Greenlick hopes that in another…
Legislative budget-writers show how they’d spend state money, and it could mean cuts
Oregon’s K-12 schools won’t feel pinched under a proposal unveiled by legislative budget-writers Thursday, but other government services throughout the state are likely to see cuts. The co-chairs of the Joint Ways and Means Committee presented a $23.2 billion budget plan. That represents a 10…
Oregon cell phone users face tax for rural internet
SALEM — Oregonians could see their cell phone bills go up to raise money for expanding rural high-speed internet. Legislators are considering a surcharge on wireless calls to raise $10 million a year that utilities could use for internet projects in rural Oregon. The average…
Chance at having a home in Oregon could increase with legislative action
Paula Pena prepares to testify at the Capitol on Monday, Feb. 4, about the need to control rent increases in Oregon. (Portland Tribune/Paris Achen) Salem resident Paula Pena often slips cash into her father’s wallet when he’s not looking. The money is to help pay…
Oregon voters with no political party could finally get role in primary elections
SALEM — The growing bloc of Oregonians who don’t belong to any political party could have more say in elections under a new proposal from Secretary of State Dennis Richardson. Richardson got the idea from a former rival: Alan Zundel, the Pacific Green Party’s candidate…
No plans to drill offshore, but Oregon legislators move to extend ban
Oregon legislators this year want to permanently prohibit oil and gas drilling off the Oregon Coast although no one has shown an interest in poking a hole in the coastal floor. Despite a call from the Trump administration last year to open up the waters,…
Winters sheds leadership role to focus on justice reform in Senate
State Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, in her Capitol office on Jan. 3. (Portland Tribune/Jaime Valdez) When state Sen. Jackie Winters hears the word “felon,” she often thinks of her late husband, Marc “Ted” Winters. Her husband, who died in 2008, had a prestigious career in…
Opening day at Oregon Legislature is about ceremony, getting acquainted
State Rep. Cheri Helt is introduced by House page Ismael Diaz by Brian McKinley, the House sergeant-at-arms during the opening hours on Tuesday, Jan. 22, of the Oregon Legislature. (Portland Tribune/Paris Achen) As state Rep. Cheri Helt, a freshman Republican legislator from Bend, left the…