SALEM, Oregon, May 9 [Category: Education] -- The Oregon School Boards Association posted the following news: * * * As bill herd thins, everything moves faster More bills will come to a timely end today, May 9, the "second chamber work session posting deadline." Bills in policy committees must be posted to a future agenda by the end of today, or they will not be moving forward. The rules, revenue and joint committees remain exempt from the deadline, though, giving a place for both hope and   more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska, issued the following news release: * * * Bacon, McClellan, Hyde-Smith, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Address Mental Health Treatment Shortages Bacon, McClellan, Hyde-Smith, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Address Mental Health Treatment Shortages Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) and Don Bacon (NE-02) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) introduced l  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Bonamici, McBath, Moore, Wilson Introduce Bill to End Corporal Punishment in Schools WASHINGTON, DC [05/9/25] - Today Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Lucy McBath (D-GA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) introduced legislation to protect students from corporal punishment in schools. The Protecting Our Students in Schools Act would prohibit the practice of corporal punishment   more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Rep. Mark Green, R-Tennessee, issued the following news release: * * * Chairman Green for the Daily Caller: "Why I Rejected the Dems' Taxpayer-Funded Trip to Visit an Alleged Gangbanger" WASHINGTON --Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) published an op-ed for the Daily Caller, explaining why he refused to allow House Homeland Democrats to use taxpayer dollars to visit Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a likely human trafficker and accu  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 (TNSFR) -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has finalized regulations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) to permit the incidental taking of marine mammals in connection with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Lower Columbia River Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) project in Oregon and Washington. These regulations, effective from November 1, 2027, through February 29, 2032, govern the unintentional   more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- West Wind Forest Products Inc., a lumber manufacturing operation in Jasper, Oregon, has voiced strong concerns over potential tariffs on imported timber and lumber in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce. In the letter, submitted on March 27, 2025, company owner Peter Noble stated that while they generally support initiatives to bolster U.S. lumber production, the proposed Section 232 tariffs could "negatively impact our business by undermining the availability of a s  more

SALEM, Oregon, May 9 [Category: Education] -- The Oregon School Boards Association posted the following news: * * * Legislature should pay for what it wants to get Trying to figure out how much a bill will cost schools can sometimes be like trying to count how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. For school leaders, though, this is no philosophical exercise. When the Legislature enacts laws that affect education requirements, there are real financial consequences, even if they are di  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Oregon, issued the following floor remarks on May 8, 2025 (In this document, the reference to Mr. Speaker refers to the presiding officer of the House at the time of the speech): * * * Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this ridiculous bill. Let's be honest: This bill, along with the executive order it reinforces, is absurd. It is unserious, ineffective, and beneath the dignity of this institution. Changing the name of the Gulf of Mex  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Maxine Dexter, D-Oregon, issued the following floor remarks on May 8, 2025 (In this document, the reference to Mr. Speaker refers to the presiding officer of the House at the time of the speech): * * * Mr. Speaker, House Republicans' all-out attack on Medicaid is morally indefensible. In my district alone, over 255,000 Oregonians, including 59 percent of our children, rely on Medicaid for lifesaving care. These aren't just numbers. They are the cancer patients fight  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, issued the following floor remarks on May 8, 2025 (In this document, the reference to Madam Speaker refers to the presiding officer of the House at the time of the speech): * * * Madam Speaker, I rise to sound the alarm about the Trump administration's reported plans to fire nearly 7,000 workers in the U.S. Forest Service. These illegal firings could have devastating consequences for Oregon. Wildfire season is just around the corner, and th  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, issued the following floor remarks on May 8, 2025 (In this document, the reference to Madam Speaker refers to the presiding officer of the House at the time of the speech): * * * Madam Speaker, I rise today to further discuss with our Members and this country the situation that we find ourselves in, the chaotic situation that has so many people confused. It is a chaotic situation that is causing trauma and harm to the people of this countr  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, issued the following news release: * * * Senators Murray, Merkley, WA & Oregon Fire Officials Lay Out How Trump is Putting Wildfire Preparedness & Response at Risk ***WATCH FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE ; DOWNLOAD HERE Washington, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Interior, Env  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. FD 36826) entitled "Portland and Western Railroad Inc. - Lease and Operation Exemption Including Interchange Commitment - Union Pacific Railroad Co.": * * * [REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1150.42(e)] Digest:/1 This decision waives a 60-day advance notice requirement and allows Portland & Western Railroad, Inc., to continue to lease and operate approximate  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following decision (Docket No. FD 36827) entitled "Willamette and Pacific Railroad Inc. - Lease and Operation Exemption Including Interchange Commitment - Union Pacific Railroad Co.": * * * [REQUEST FOR WAIVER OF 49 C.F.R. Sec. 1150.42(e)] Digest:/1 This decision waives a 60-day advance notice requirement and allows Willamette & Pacific Railroad, Inc., to enter into an amended lease agreement  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation's Surface Transportation Board issued the following notice (Docket No. AB 534) entitled "Lake State Railway Co. - Abandonment Exemption - in Saginaw County, Mich.": * * * Lake State Railway Company (LSRC) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon approximately 6,805 feet of rail line extending from Sta. 9+00 approximately 270 feet northeast of the intersection of Carrollt  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Welch, Wyden, Merkley, Schumer, Lead Colleagues in Fight to Protect Head Start, Meals on Wheels, Social Services from Republican Budget Cuts WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Democratic Leader Chuck Schum  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley Call on Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Eliminate Consumer Product Safety Commission Lawmakers: "Americans rightfully expect that the products they bring into their home are safe, and only the CPSC has the authority and expertise to ensure that expectation is met." Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) said today they have joined dozens of la  more

WASHINGTON, May 8 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley Call on Trump Administration to Reverse Plans to Eliminate Consumer Product Safety Commission Lawmakers: "Americans rightfully expect that the products they bring into their home are safe, and only the CPSC has the authority and expertise to ensure that expectation is met." Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-Ore.) said today they have joined dozens of lawma  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Bill to Expand Access to SNAP, Repeal Republicans' Punitive Eligibility Rules Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they are co-sponsoring legislation that would help more Americans have access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a crucial safety net that stands between thousands of Oregonians and hunger. "Oregonians  more

WASHINGTON, May 9 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, issued the following news release: * * * Wyden, Merkley Co-Sponsor Bill to Expand Access to SNAP, Repeal Republicans' Punitive Eligibility Rules Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced they are co-sponsoring legislation that would help more Americans have access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a crucial safety net that stands between thousands of Oregonians and hunger. "Oregonians sh  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on May 9, 2025: * * * Wyden, Senate Democrats Blast Trump Administration Effort to Restrict Health Coverage, Raise Costs for Working Americans "This Administration is rushing through policies to raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs, set red-tape and paperwork traps, and worsen the overall quality of coverage that millions of working people and their families rely  more

WASHINGTON, May 10 -- Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following news release on May 9, 2025: * * * Wyden, Welch, Merkley, Schumer, Lead Colleagues in Fight to Protect Head Start, Meals on Wheels, Social Services from Republican Budget Cuts Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Senator Peter Welch, D-Vt., a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committ  more