The bills to be debated during the 35-day Oregon Special Session have been introduced this week. House Bill 4079, sponsored by State Representative Brad Witt would create a sales tax in order to give debit cards to lower income people loaded with $750 monthly payments. The sales tax would hit electronic goods, computers, cell-phones, certain vehicles and certain clothing of…
SALEM, Ore. — 2022 brings a fresh start for us all, and it also means a lot of bills passed in Oregon during the 2021 session go into effect. On police reform, Senate Bill 621 gives Portland the go-ahead to create its new citizen-led police oversight board. Previously, state labor law was unclear on if the city and police union…
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland’s reputation has taken a bit of a beating recently, and as a result organizations and companies that thought about holding big conventions here, bringing tourists and money with them, are now looking elsewhere. That’s according to a recent tourism report by Travel Portland. The agency presented its finding to Portland city commissioners earlier this week. “Here’s…
Highlights, excerpts from Sen. Boquist newsletter The establishment legislature is racing to pass higher budgets along with end run bills against citizens then flee the closed Oregon State Capitol. Follow bills on OLIS, and in Joint Ways and Means – a 5000 series bill is a budge bill. This past week, I voted against most of the state budget bills, some containing…
Oregon communities, counties, now must re-write their laws by July 1, 2023 to accommodate homeless camping on public lands. (HB 3115) As reported by multiple sources, Oregon governments now must allow individuals to sit, lie, sleep, keep warm and dry on public lands. The bill requires local and county governments to modify their laws and ordinances to be in line…
This is one of those tax mania weeks in the Oregon Legislature. Income Tax Increase (HB 3328): Yesterday, hearings were held on HB 3328 which creates an income tax increase to fund wildlife programs. This follows the Portland-area model of creating a flood of micro-income tax increases to pay for government bloat: • Portland $50 Art Program Income Tax •…
Hundreds of emergency shelter beds for people experiencing homelessness could pop up across Oregon in the next year if the State Legislature approves a bill to remove cumbersome zoning rules and demand that cities approve new facility proposals. House Bill 2006 would remove a tangle of land-use approvals and paperwork typically needed to open a shelter, which advocates say currently…
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