Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, said legislators should closely monitor how the new overtime requirement unfolds. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon is headed towards becoming the eighth state to mandate overtime pay for farmworkers. The pay bill passed its final legislative hurdle on Thursday and heads to Gov. Kate Brown,[Read More…]
Tag: AROUND OREGON
STATUS CHECK: Where key legislative bills are on week 4
Legislators are pushing what bills remain as they head into the last week of the 2022 regular session. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) SALEM – The five-week session of the Oregon Legislature kicked off with lawmakers filing more than 200 bills. Those have been whittled down by House and Senate committees.[Read More…]
Farmworker overtime bill advances in state Legislature
Farmworkers in Malheur County would for the first time be legally entitled to overtime pay under legislation advancing at the Legislature. (The Enterprise/FILE) SALEM – Tens of thousands of farmworkers in Oregon have moved one step closer to getting overtime pay. A legislative committee voted along party lines late Thursday[Read More…]
Legislative plans could repair roads in rural Oregon, promote energy efficiency, help the homeless
State Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, leader of the Senate Republicans, speaks during a recent session. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) With two weeks left in the legislative session in Oregon, lawmakers are finalizing their plans for spending hundreds of millions of dollars in unexpected revenue. The Democratic leadership has identified seven[Read More…]
Proposal to pay farmworkers overtime clears first hurdle in Legislature
A change in Oregon law to require overtime pay for farmworkers passed out of a legislative committee on Tuesday, Feb. 14. (The Enterprise/file) A controversial plan to require overtime pay that would affect the 86,000 farmworkers in Oregon advanced on Tuesday along partisan lines. All seven Democrats on the House[Read More…]
Corrections Department adjusts hiring process to draw more applicants
Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario is hiring. (The Enterprise/File) In the town of Umatilla, Two Rivers Correctional Institution needs to hire a food service coordinator. Pay: up to $61,000 a year. In Ontario, Snake River Correctional Institution is recruiting for a nurse practitioner for the state’s largest prison. Pay:[Read More…]
Oregon economic forecast: More money for lawmakers to spend, tax credits likely in two years
The Oregon Capitol rotunda in January 2022 (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Higher wages for workers and more income for businesses is driving up state tax collections, creating the prospect for even more state government spending and then credits in two years for those paying income taxes, state economists announced Wednesday.[Read More…]
Push to pay overtime to Oregon’s farmworkers up against strong industry opposition
The Oregon Farm Bureau and other agricultural interests are fighting a legislative proposal to require overtime pay for farm workers. (The Enterprise/Rachel Parsons) A fight is brewing in the Oregon Legislature over a proposal to give farmworkers overtime pay after 40 hours a week. Democratic supporters say the change is[Read More…]
Anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore seeks GOP nod for Oregon governor
Anti-tax activist Bill Sizemore entered the race for Oregon governor on Monday, marking his third attempt at Oregon’s top job. Sizemore, 70, was the Republican Party nominee for governor in 1998 and announced a campaign in 2009 before he was indicted on tax evasion charges. He told the Oregon Capital[Read More…]
Luxury sales tax proposed for Oregon to help low-income parents, former foster youth
A luxury sales tax being proposed by Rep. Brad Witt, D-Clatskanie, could fund a new program offering monthly stipends for low-income pregnant women and youth leaving the foster care system. House Bill 4079 would create a 3% sales tax on snowmobiles, handbags, jewelry and firearms, among other items, over a[Read More…]