Category State
Bill seeks to protect Oregon workers from employer retaliation
Oregon Legislature. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) Speaking before a legislative committee earlier this month, Juliana Valencia told lawmakers how the temperatures rose to 100 degrees while she and other farmworkers labored in hazelnut orchard in August last year. Valencia, speaking in Spanish through an interpreter, said…
Oregon legislative aides move forward with first-of-its kind union
Oregon State Capitol, rotunda (Salem Reporter/file) Anne Marie Bäckström said she takes pride in her work as a legislative aide, helping Oregonians on issues ranging from housing, unemployment claims, Covid worries and others. “Participating in policy and the democratic process is really impactful, and really…
State Rep. Mike Nearman faces charges from December attack on Oregon Capitol
Capitol surveillance footage shows state Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, allowing demonstrators into the building. (Screen grab.) State Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, has been charged with official misconduct and criminal trespass for allowing violent demonstrators into the Oregon State Capitol during a December protest. Marion County…
AROUND OREGON: Identity thieves using Oregon state employee names for fraudulent unemployment claims
Identity thieves have submitted dozens of fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits using the names of Oregon state employees, another front in thieves’ ongoing effort to capitalize on the surge of jobless claims that accompanied the pandemic. It’s not clear how the fraudsters obtained the state…
While Legislature takes up police accountability bills, Salem keeps reform efforts local
Protestors gathered at the Oregon State Capitol and marched to the site of the new Salem Police Department during the third night of demonstrations against police violence on Monday, June 1. (Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter) The Oregon Legislature is moving forward with a package of bills…
Oregon will get a massive infusion of federal cash. Here’s how local lawmakers want it spent
Oregon State Capitol, rotunda (Salem Reporter/file) Salem-area legislators are hoping a one-time influx of federal cash could pay for local water upgrades, veteran housing and a new domestic violence shelter. Last month, legislative leaders found themselves in an unusual position: they had millions in additional…
Salem ahead of legislation that would make it easier to site emergency shelters
Tents line the boulevard next to The ARCHES Project in downtown, where homeless residents have congregated in recent weeks. (Troy Brynelson/Salem Reporter) The Oregon House earlier this week passed a bill that’s intended to make it easier for cities to set up shelters for homeless…
Oregon Legislature considers bill creating right to repair electronics
Brant Walsh, the owner of Salem-based repair shop The Mac Guy, opens up an older MacBook Pro to replace its battery. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) Brant Walsh’s business, The Mac Guy, was typically booked a week and a half out for appointments. But with Salem…
Salem professionals support legislation to make telemedicine a more routine part of health care
The Oregon State Capitol. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) Annaliese Ellsworth, a Salem-based therapist, recalled how it used to be like “rolling the dice” whenever a patient requested a video appointment. She followed up these requests with phone calls to insurance companies to see if they’d cover…