Category Archives: Oregon Legislature

Hermiston getting 1 of 3 new firefighter apprentice sites

A new firefighter apprenticeship is coming to Hermiston. The Oregon State Fire Fighter Joint Apprentice Training Committee on Thursday, May 9, announced Umatilla County Fire District No. 1 as one of the new sites. The other two are the Corvallis Fire Department and Coos Bay Fire Department. House Bill 2294 from the 2023 Legislature allocated […]
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Oregon insiders: Who’s who in and around state government

Scott Moore is on his way in and Jenn Baker is on her way out as chief of staff for new House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. Baker is still chief of staff on an interim basis during the transition. And Moore, who was Fahey’s chief of staff in the House Majority Office, also is handling […]
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Public defender shortage escalates in Deschutes County

Deschutes County’s public defender shortage, which has been on the edge of a crisis for years, recently escalated when a handful of people charged with crimes, both in and out of jail, were without representation. Defenders and the court in Deschutes County have historically been able to hold the problem at bay. But for the […]
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Bowman launches reboot of bill to curb corporate medicine

Two months after the unexpected death of a bill that would restrict corporate influence on medical practices, its sponsor has assembled a broad workgroup to get input in preparation of bringing it back in the 2025 legislative session. The workgroup, which held its first meeting remotely on Tuesday, included about 85 people representing insurers, health […]
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Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library free books for kids expands across Oregon

Oregon’s new Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program has been expanded and will now allow access to free monthly books for all children ages 0-5 in 36 counties statewide, officials announced this week. Gov. Tina Kotek unveiled the statewide expansion of the program on Wednesday, saying the state will work toward its goal to bring the […]
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Western Oregon University awarded funds to expand behavioral health workforce

Western Oregon University was awarded funds by the Oregon State Legislature to enhance the state’s capacity to address behavioral and mental health workforce needs along with Eastern Oregon University, Oregon Institute of Technology, Portland State University, and Southern Oregon University. With a rising number of individuals seeking support for various mental health concerns in the […]
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Oregon farmers, worker advocates reach impasse over improvements to labor camps. Will the governor help?

After more than five years, negotiations between Oregon growers and advocates have reached a deadlock over farmworker housing improvements – despite help from a state-funded facilitator – and advocates are now asking Gov. Tina Kotek for help. Both sides began meeting in November 2018 to hash out changes to the state’s outdated agricultural labor housing […]
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Oregon, Dolly Parton join to promote young readers

When Gov. Tina Kotek stopped at the Estacada library last year during her One Oregon listening tour of all 36 counties, a cutout of Dolly Parton was displayed at the entrance. “I had to get a photo,” Kotek recalled. “I love Dolly Parton. She is absolutely amazing. The impact of Dolly Parton’s commitment to the […]
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Hello, Dolly! Oregon and Dolly Parton pair up on effort to boost free books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers

In a deeply divided America, there are precious few things that nearly everyone can agree upon, except, perhaps, the one and only Dolly Parton, queen of country music and champion of seemingly every good cause under the sun, from environmental conservation to public health to childhood literacy. Request full-text (for State Agency patrons only) Source: […]
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State releases dates and cities for 2025 transportation package ‘Conversations Tour’

The upcoming session of the Oregon Legislature will have vast ramifications for transportation. Lawmakers are expected to hammer out a deal that will allocate billions to infrastructure programs and projects. The last time this process occurred, in 2017, the governor signed over $5.3 billion to the cause. Many capitol insiders and professional advocates have been […]
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