Category Government
Tough choices, closed door deals result in Senate returning to business
SALEM — Four Oregon senators leading the charge to inject new lifeblood into the state’s troubled education system said in their combined 88 years in the Legislature, the passage of the Student Success Act was the pinnacle of their career. But passing the bill took…
Done deal – Oregon schools to get millions in new money
SALEM — A massive proposal to inject more money into Oregon’s struggling public school system is headed to the governor’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law. The Oregon Senate approved House Bill 3427 on an 18-11 vote Monday, May 13, delivering…
Senate Democrats kill vaccine and gun bills to get Republicans back to work
SALEM — Senate Republicans appear to have won significant concessions as Democrats have agreed to abandon their central gun control proposal and drop a controversial bill modifying vaccination exemptions for school children, according to multiple sources. In a deal intended to bring Republicans back to…
Public records rule change slipping ‘through the cracks’
SALEM — A legislative proposal to enforce Oregon’s public records law passed unanimously in the House in late April. But this week, the bill’s sponsor and supporters had to scramble to keep it alive before the Senate takes it up. House Bill 2353 would give…
For Oregon Senate, it’s time out as Republicans stay in hiding
Republican desks remain empty as the caucus has mounted a walkout to protest the Democrats’ agenda. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) Tensions are mounting and so is a backlog of legislation as the Oregon Senate stands idle while its Republican members remain in hiding. The coordinated…
Bill allowing driver’s licenses for Oregonians without proof of legal residency slow to move in House
(Caleb Wolf – Special to Salem Reporter) SALEM — Undocumented immigrants and others who can’t prove they are in the country legally could get a driver’s license under a proposal in the state House. With less than two months before the Legislature adjourns, though, there…
Seeking Latino representation, Oregon farmworker union throws muscle into Salem-Keizer school board races
Miguel Barrientos, a paid field organizer for Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, walks door-to-door in southeast Salem, canvassing for school board candidates Raul Marquez and David Salinas. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Miguel Barrientos wore a button-down shirt and sneakers as he walked along Townsend Way…
Wanted: Republican senators. Notify Oregon Senate if found
Usually 30 senators fill the chamber floor, but on Tuesday only 18 did. The 12 Republicans were absent in protest. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) There aren’t many Republicans in the Oregon Senate, but on Tuesday, there weren’t any at all. The minority caucus was spread…
Contentious vaccine bill passes House, heads to Senate
More than 100 people gathered in the Capitol rotunda Monday morning before a House floor hearing to vote on a bill that would get rid of exemptions to vaccinations. The group, as it had in the past, sang patriotic songs. (Aubrey Wieber/Salem Reporter) Oregon would…