Category Government

(Caleb Wolf/Special to Salem Reporter) A Senate-approved Measure 11 reform bill passed out of a House committee Tuesday, signaling the stars have aligned to pass one of the most significant changes to Oregon’s criminal justice system in decades. Senate Bill 1008 would stop juveniles charged…

SALEM — Oregon has come into an unexpected windfall, and now it’s up to lawmakers to figure out what to do with it. Personal and corporate income tax collections during the 2019 tax filing season were dramatically higher than state economists expected, according to a…

Rep. Karin Power, D-Milwaukie, and Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, leaders of the cap and trade proposal, speak at a rally outside the Capitol. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) Oregon’s carbon cap and trade proposal passed out of its legislative committee on a party-line vote Friday, setting it…

Raisa Piatkoff of the Russian Old Believer community stands at a rally Wednesday in front of the Capitol to support the death of a mandatory vaccine bill. The community’s involvement is one example of the diversity in the opposition to the bill. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter)…

SALEM — Oregon’s pipes, roads, bridges and other structures for moving around the state and to get power and water need significant work, civil engineers said Wednesday. Much of Oregon’s infrastructure is deteriorating with age, and the state must do more to prepare for a…

SALEM — Oregonians are in line for a big personal income tax credit, in the form of Oregon’s unique “kicker” rebate, when they file their taxes in 2020. That’s because the state has collected far more money over the past two years than was expected,…

SALEM — Thousands of Oregon public workers could see smaller retirement pots if lawmakers pass a slate of changes to the state’s retirement plan. About 176,000 people now working for state and local government, ranging from teachers to firefighters to wildlife biologists, are part of…