Thursday - May 2, 2024
U.S. Congressional Tipoffs Involving Oregon Newsletter for Sunday February 25, 2024 ( 16 items )  

Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus Endorses Chavez-DeRemer, Carbajal Bill to Cut Child Care Costs, Boost Availability of Care
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: The bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of 64 members evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, has endorsed the Child Care Investment Act led by Reps. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) and Salud Carbajal (CA-24). The legislation would improve three existing child care tax incentives to ensure the federal tax code adequately addresses the current realities of child care costs and availability.  more

Chavez-DeRemer Introduces Bill to Reverse Dishonorable Discharges Carried Out Due to 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) has introduced the Recover Pride in Service Act, which seeks to help veterans who were dishonorably discharged under the now-repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) policy. The proposal would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to proactively upgrade all discharges that were discriminatorily based on sexual orientation from dishonorable to honorable. Additionally, the  more

Chavez-DeRemer, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Combat Human Trafficking
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Oregon, issued the following news release: Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) recently joined Reps. Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) and Chris Deluzio (PA-17) to introduce the Empowering Law Enforcement to Fight Sex Trafficking Demand Act. The proposal would expand the definition of a federal grant program to include human trafficking - opening up additional funding opportunities for local law enforcement to carry out anti-human trafficking efforts.  "T  more

Congresswoman Val Hoyle and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su Tour Workforce Training Centers
SPRINGFIELD, Oregon, Feb. 24 -- Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2024: Today, U.S. Representative Val Hoyle (OR-04) and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su toured the UA 290 Training Facility and the Spark at Booth Kelly youth program (run by Connected Lane County), which offer apprenticeships and hands-on training. Programs like these are key to the Biden Administration's push for infrastructure, job creation, and workforce training across the country  more

EPA announces $74M for Oregon drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure upgrades
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced over $74,444,000 from President Biden's Investing in America agenda for Oregon drinking water and clean water infrastructure upgrades. The funding is part of the over $50 billion investment in water infrastructure upgrades from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - the largest such investment in American history. Today's announcement will supp  more

Merkley, Klobuchar, Padilla, Van Hollen: Modernize Vote.gov, Increase Voter Access to Resources and Information
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led a group of 13 Senators in a letter to U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan regarding GSA's implementation of President Biden's 2021 Executive Order. The letter requests updates as the agency implements the Executive Order by modernizing Vote.gov to   more

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $38 Million Coming to Oregon to Combat Growing Wildfire Crisis
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Oregon is receiving over $38 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for wildfire resilience efforts under the U.S. Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy. This significant federal investment, provided as part of the Biden administration's National Climate Resilience Framework, will be used to minimize wildfire threats to Or  more

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $38 Million Coming to Oregon to Combat Growing Wildfire Crisis
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that Oregon is receiving over $38 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for wildfire resilience efforts under the U.S. Forest Service's Wildfire Crisis Strategy. This significant federal investment, provided as part of the Biden administration's National Climate Resilience Framework, will be used to minimize wildfire threats to  more

Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $4 Million Coming to Oregon for Ecosystem Restoration
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced a total of $4.4 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be coming to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon Office to support eight ecosystem restoration projects around the state over the next several years. These projects build on proven programs and partnerships to protect wildlife and natural resources, while creating good-paying   more

Rep. McMorris Rodgers, Sen. Cantwell Applaud Approval of Disaster Declaration for Spokane County Following Devastating Wildfires
WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 -- Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Washington, issued the following news release on Feb. 20, 2024: Today, President Joe Biden declared that a major disaster exists in Spokane County and ordered federal assistance to supplement recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Gray Fire and the Oregon Road Fire in August 2023. After the announcement, Eastern Washington Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) issued the following statements:   more

Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Sets Feb. 27 Hearing on Understanding Presence of Microplastics in Water
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee issued the following information for a hearing entitled "Understanding the Presence of Microplastics in Water" at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2024, at 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building: Panel 1 * Susanne M. Brander, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Oregon State University, College of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences * Sherri A. "sam" Mason, Ph.D., Director of Sustainability, Penn   more

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Wyden Exposes Private Placement Life Insurance as Tax Shelter for Ultra-Wealthy Holding at Least $40B
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 21, 2024: Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today released the results of an 18-month investigation into the use of private placement life insurance (PPLI) as a "buy, borrow, die" tax shelter for the ultra-wealthy. The investigation, the first of its kind into PPLI, found that the domestic PPLI industry is now a tax shelter made up of at least $  more

Senator Murray Applauds Major Disaster Declaration for Gray and Oregon Road Fires, Among Most Destructive in WA History
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, issued the following news release: Senator Murray strongly supported request for a Major Disaster Declaration; Spoke on the Senate Floor in September and led letter in support of Governor Inslee's request for a Major Disaster Declaration ***VIDEO HERE of Senator Murray speaking on Senate floor about Gray and Oregon Road fires*** U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the following stateme  more

Three Democratic Science Committee Members Tapped for Bipartisan AI Taskforce
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Democratic and Republican Leadership of the House of Representatives announced a bipartisan artificial intelligence taskforce. The bipartisan taskforce will work to address the legitimate risks of AI while fostering innovation and ensuring the U.S. can remain a leader in this technology.  The Science Committee is consistently at the forefront of the technologies of the future. Of the twelve Democratic M  more

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden Addresses National Park Service's Intent to Terminate Crater Lake Concessionaire Contract
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: In December, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden urged federal officials to act immediately to prevent concessionaire mismanagement from posing safety risks to Crater Lake National Park, its visitors, and the employees who live and work at this world-renowned natural treasure in southern Oregon. Today, Senator Wyden followed up with a letter to National Park Service Director Charles "Chuck" Sams III after NPS announced its i  more

Wyden, Merkley Announce $27 Million to Support Pacific Salmon Recovery in Oregon
WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: Oregon's U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced an investment of $27 million from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to help support recovery efforts for Pacific salmon populations. The federal funds are available due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. This investment builds on several projects Senator Wyden has supported, including a $2.5 million grant in   more