Politics & Government

Oregon Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio is among those blasting President Trump, for tweeting a video that makes a Muslim Congresswoman appear dismissive of the 9-11 attacks.

The state of Oregon wants to make sure all of its residents are counted during next year’s census. Gov. Kate Brown kicked off the efforts Monday at the state capitol.

Voters in Corvallis approved the city’s first ever Urban Renewal District during a special election this month. The district includes a section of the city known as South Corvallis. 

Lane County voters will decide in May whether to fund a newcourthouse. The Elections office certified ballot title language formeasure 20-299 this week.

House Democrats  Friday introduced a resolution to block President Trump’s emergency declaration on border security. KLCC’s Rachael McDonald spoke with Springfield Democrat Peter DeFazio.

The Eugene City Council will consider a proposed payroll tax to fund expanded public safety. The tax would be paid by employers and employees and generate an estimated $22.8 million a year.

Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson says he is scaling back his work schedule even more as he continues cancer treatments.

The cap-and-trade bill introduced in Salem last week could be one of the more divisive bills this Legislative session. The bill would force Oregon’s top polluters to pay for the greenhouse gases they emit, and it would gradually decrease how many emissions are allowed. 

Democratic legislative leaders are pushing a measure that could make Oregon the first state in the nation to adopt statewide rent control. 

Lane County voters will likely be asked to help fund a new courthouse in the May special election. The county is considering a $158 million bond measure.

Leaders from more than 200 cities around Oregon, including Eugene, converged on the state capitol Thursday. They were there to tell their priorities to state lawmakers during the 2019 legislative session.

Oregon U.S. Senator Ron Wyden held several town halls this weekend where the government shutdown and border security were key topics of discussion. The Democrat says he’s hearing from Oregonians who have been affected by the shutdown, from those who are missing paychecks, to those who can’t get access to federal agencies for loan processing or IRS questions.

The Eugene City Council is considering a ban on single-use plastics. At their work session Wednesday they had an initial discussion and learned what other cities are doing. 

Oregon’s new Labor Commissioner says her first order of business will be a review of a newly released investigation into sexual harassment at the state capitol. 

Two new Lane County Commissioners were sworn in Monday at the State of the County event.