WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued the following program update: * * * APHIS Seeks Public Comment on the Draft Rangeland Grasshopper and Mormon Cricket Suppression Program Environmental Assessment in Oregon The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is making available to the public one draft environmental assessment (EA) addressing Federal involvement in portions of Oregon f  more

WASHINGTON, March 25 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Cassidy, Merkley Introduce Bill to Stop Overpayments in the Medicare Advantage Program WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced the No Unreasonable Payments, Coding, or Diagnoses for the Elderly (No UPCODE) Act to improve the way Medicare Advantage plans assess patients' health risks and reduce overpayments for care. The No UPCODE Act will save taxpayers  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released the following public communication dated March 17, 2025, from the American Academy of Physician Associates, Alexandria, Virginia: * * * To: Laura E. Reynolds NIOSH B Reader Program Respiratory Health Division 1095 Willowdale Road, MS RE: Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Request for Information: The B Reader Progra  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has officially revoked the registration of Dr. Willard J. Davis, a Texas-based osteopathic physician, citing his lack of state authorization to handle controlled substances. The decision, published in the Federal Register on March 27, 2025, follows a legal battle in which Davis attempted to contest the revocation of his DEA Certificate of Registration No. BD9134254 but ultimately failed to prov  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service has released the following public communication dated March 12, 2025, from Sierra Pacific Industries, Redding, California: * * * Attn: FWS-R8-ES-2023-0157 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service MS: PRB/3W 5275 Leesburg Pike Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 * * * Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) appreciates the opportunity to provide the following comments on the U.S. Fish and Wil  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the following public communication on March 6, 2025, from Multnomah County, Oregon: * * * HIPAA Security Rule To Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected Health Information RIN Number 0945-AA22 Multnomah County Comments * * * OCR questions and requests in standard text; our comments are in bold. OCR questions without responses have been omitted. A. Section 160.103--Definitions 4. Request for  more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Merkley and Colleagues to EPA Administrator Zeldin: Agency Must Reverse Unlawful Termination of Grants for Clean Air and Water New documents reveal 400 grantees are being illegally targeted for termination and expose EPA's willful violation of congressional appropriations law, contractual agreements, and multiple court orders Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley--a senior member of  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release on March 26, 2025: * * * Merkley Condemns Confirmation of Dan Bishop to OMB WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, on a party line vote, Senate Republicans confirmed Dan Bishop to be the Deputy Director at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below statement following the con  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following news release on March 26, 2025: * * * Merkley Statement on Republican Push to Use a Budget Gimmick that Adds $37 Trillion to the National Debt Republican Leadership's Obsession with Using "Current Policy Baseline" Will Explode the National Debt WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the below stat  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced the availability of its final evaluation findings for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, as well as six state and territorial coastal management programs in American Samoa, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, and Oregon. These evaluations, conducted under sections 312 and 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act, assess whether these pro  more

SALEM, Oregon, March 27 -- Gov. Tina Kotek, D-Oregon, issued the following news release on March 26, 2025: * * * Governor Kotek's Bill to Safeguard Affordable Housing and Homeless Shelters Heard by Lawmakers Oregon to protect essential housing providers in light of insurance premium increases Today, members of the Senate Committee on Housing and Development heard testimony for Senate Bill 829. Introduced by Governor Tina Kotek, the bill would provide financial relief for affordable housing a  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 (TNSFR) -- The Oregon Historical Society in Portland has announced its intent to repatriate the remains of a Native American individual in accordance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The remains, which were removed during an excavation in Salem, Oregon, have been determined to be culturally affiliated with the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community, and the Confederated Tribes of th  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Washington, ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following news release on March 26, 2025: * * * Ranking Members Larsen, Norton Statements from Hearing on American Trucking Washington, D.C.--The following are opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, from Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Highways and  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following statement, which was published in the Congressional Record on March 25, 2025: * * * Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn in the strongest terms possible President Trump's executive order that threatens millions of students and local public schools through the dismantling of the Department of Education. This is an illegal and unconstitutional abuse of power straight out of the Project 2025 playbook. Congress created   more

WASHINGTON, March 26 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Salinas, Balint, Smith Demand RFK Jr. Rescind Harmful Comments on Mental Illness, Anti-Depression Medications Washington, DC - On March 20, 2025, U.S. Representatives Andrea Salinas (OR-06) and Becca Balint (VT-AL), along with U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), led 23 of their colleagues in a bicameral letter (link is external) demanding that U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretar  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement on March 26, 2025, on the nomination of Michael Faulkender to serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary: * * * As Prepared for Delivery The Senate will soon take a vote on the nomination of Michael Faulkender to serve as Deputy Treasury Secretary. I urge my colleagues to oppose this nomination, and I want to explain why he got zero support from Democrats in the Finance Com  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 -- The U.S. Department of Justice Marshals Service issued the following news release on March 26, 2025: * * * U.S. Marshals, Partner Agencies Launch Manhunt for 2 Murder Suspects Wanted in Moses Lake, Wash., Drive-By Shooting Spokane, WA - The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force (PNVOTF), are working closely with the Moses Lake Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Washington State Department of Corrections, U.  more

WASHINGTON, March 27 (TNSFR) -- The University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Eugene has announced its intent to repatriate a sacred Native American basket, following federal guidelines outlined in the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA). The basket, cataloged as 2-18785, has been identified as both a sacred object and an object of cultural patrimony with a cultural affiliation to the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, formerly known as the San Man  more