Editor Brian Harrod Provides Comprehensive up-to-date news coverage, with aggregated news from sources all over the world from the Roundup Newswires Network
A month after lawmakers adjourned, the halls of the Capitol are quiet. But for one of the Oregon Legislature's most powerful members, a crucial question remains unanswered: Will Senate President Peter Courtney retire? The answer will determine the tone of future legislative sessions, the power split between Oregon's liberal and moderate Democrats, the level of bipartisanship in the Capitol and whether lawmakers take action on issues ranging from climate change to corporate taxes.
A piece of legislation in Oregon would require insurance companies to provide free abortions to women, including illegal immigrants living in the state. According to The Hill , the bill is expected to reach Democratic Gov. Kate Brown's desk in days.
The amount of new corporate taxes that of Oregon House Democrats plan to raise appears to be dwindling by the day, with the latest proposal clocking in at roughly $200 million instead of the $900 million they'd hoped for two weeks ago. And with the days ticking down to the July 10 deadline to balance the state budget, House Democrats also appear ready to pass their new plan without any Republican support.
The American historical landscape is dotted with partisan political groups, often labeled rings, machines or cliques. From the first coteries surrounding Federalist John Adams and Democrat Thomas Jefferson, and throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, such political groups surged onto the American political scene.
In this Dec. 4, 2012, file photo, coal export opponents, from left, Wayne Spitzer, Ginger Hughes and April Beasley show their disapproval of a pro-coal speaker who was giving public testimony on a proposed Cherry Point coal export terminal near Bellingham, Wash., at the Spokane County Fair and Expo Center in Spokane, Wash. American Indian tribes and environmentalists in the Pacific Northwest have successfully fought a slew of fossil fuel export projects in recent years and pushed for local regulations to prevent new proposals.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, center, accompanied by White House press secretary Sean Spicer, left, smiles while speaking to the media about a new tariff on Canadian lumber during the daily press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, April 25, 2017, in Washington. Oregon timber executives said Tuesday they will consider adding jobs, instituting new shifts, and investing more in existing Northwest mills as a result of a new 20 percent duty on Canadian softwood lumber announced by the White House.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented assault on science and evidence-based policy which will have profound impacts in Oregon and beyond. The White House has proposed a massive 31 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency budget, which could reduce Oregonians' access to clean air and water.
People react as U.S. Rep. Greg Walden speaks at a town hall meeting in The Dalles, Oreg., Wednesday, April 12, 2017. In the auditorium of his old middle school just blocks from where he still lives, the congressman who is a lead author of the stalled House Republican health care bill was treated like the villain in a class play.
" In the auditorium of his old middle school just blocks from where he still lives, the congressman who is a lead author of the stalled House Republican health care bill was treated like the villain in a class play. It didn't matter that Rep. Greg Walden was on a first-name basis with many of the roughly 800 attendees.
Marriage has traditionally been defined by Oregon statute as a civil contract entered into by males at least 17 years of age, and females at least 17 years of age, who are otherwise capable and solemnized in accordance with legal requirements. Same-sex marriage has also been legally recognized in Oregon since May 19, 2014, when a court case ruled that the Equal Protection Clause of the Federal Constitution required the state to allow same-sex marriages.
The state's officially adopted target is 40 percent of its population having at least a four-year college degree, for another 40 percent having a two-year degree or a professional credential, and every Oregonian having at least a high school diploma. It's an ambitious goal, especially for a state with one of the lowest high school graduation rates in the country and which bumps along toward the bottom of higher education spending.
Reporters with BuzzFeed news discovered that the state, "founded as a white haven," now leads the nation in hate crimes documented in a new data-gathering project from the investigative non-profit journalism website ProPublica, along with a consortium of news organizations, civil rights groups and universities. Among all states, Oregon residents have sent in the highest rate of reports per capita to the Documenting Hate project, a database of tips about hate crimes and bias incidents set up by ProPublica and being shared with around two dozen other news organizations, including BuzzFeed News.
Deanna Perkins of Clackamas wears a pair of sunglasses to show her support at Portland's 17th annual Global Cannabis March, May 7, 2016 in downtown Portland. Pot insiders say they're hopeful, in part because the administration has signaled its support of states' rights and in part because state-authorized medical marijuana programs have legal protection.
Oregon conservatives have long railed against Democratic lawmakers' use of "emergency clauses" on legislation, which allow bills to go into effect immediately and prevent opponents from trying to refer them to voters. In recent years, the majority party in Salem, these critics claim, have used unnecessary "emergency clauses" to shield controversial legislation such as an expansion of background checks on people buying guns, a minimum wage increase, and the emissions-controlling "clean fuels" program from Oregon voters.
Oregon lawmakers have repudiated a White House statement suggesting the U.S. Justice Department will enforce the federal prohibition on recreational marijuana in states that have legalized it. When Oregonians legalized recreational pot in 2014, they knew there was a risk of a federal crackdown with future presidential administrations, said Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland.
Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, speaks at a press conference at the Oregon State Capitol in a file photo from January. This is no way to achieve bipartisanship.
Oregon presidential electors Shirley Cairns and Sam Sappington sign documents after casting ballots for President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the Oregon state Capitol in Salem on Dec. 17, 2012. Members of the Electoral College cast the final, official votes in the presidential election.
Oregon has plenty to lose when it comes to President-elect Donald Trump's vow to change the nation's health care system. His surprise victory threatens state officials' hope of plugging a looming budget hole with $1.25 billion in federal health care reform payments, and his vow to immediately repeal Obamacare creates uncertainty for more than 470,000 Oregonians who received coverage or subsidies under the law.
People march through downtown Portland, Ore., to protest the election of president-elect, Donald Trump, Friday, Nov. 11, 2016. Hundreds of protesters traveled through downtown Portland streets Friday night while others converged at an intersection, not budging as police told them the activity amounted to unlawful assembly.