Category State

Gov. Brown signs nation’s first statewide rent control bill

Gov. Kate Brown signs the first statewide rent control bill in the country Thursday morning in her ceremonial office. (Paris Achen/Portland Tribune) SALEM – Oregon on Thursday enacted the nation’s farthest-reaching law limiting rent increases and restricting no-fault evictions, providing immediate protection to roughly 1…

Friends, colleagues praise Richardson’s integrity, drive

Dennis Richardson’s friends and colleagues from both political stripes remembered him Wednesday for his integrity, warmth, kindness and perseverance. Richardson died at about 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, at his Central Point home, surrounded by family and friends. He had fought cancer since his June…

Oregon passes sweeping rent control bill

Mark Meek speaking on the House floor about the rent control bill Tuesday. (Paris Achen/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM – House Speaker Tina Kotek on Tuesday finally accomplished her longstanding goal to protect tenants from abusive landlords with passage of sweeping rent control legislation. The House…

Vaccine bills prove controversial amid measles outbreak

Rep. Greenlick, D-Portland, introduced a bill Friday that would remove nonmedical exemptions for vaccines for public school children. (Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune) Introducing vaccine-related legislation is the political equivalent of swatting a hornets’ nest. Regardless of what the legislation does, it’s guaranteed to bring out emotional…

Lawmakers stripped of committees amid workplace culture change

Rep. Mitch Greenlick, D-Portland. (Jaime Valdez/Portland Tribune) SALEM – Growing political tensions at the Legislature boiled over Thursday as House Speaker Tina Kotek stripped a powerful Portland Democrat of two committee chairmanships because of his behavior. Kotek at the same time booted a Republican legislator…

Sen. Fagan pushes reform to lower voting age to 16

Christine Bynum, daughter of state Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Happy Valley, urged lawmakers to lower the voting age to 16 during a press conference Monday. (Photo courtesy of Bus Project) SALEM — Christine Bynum, 17, can be charged and sentenced as an adult, drive on interstates…