BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The three Republican legislators representing Salem held a town hall Tuesday to discuss the recent legislative session.
The legislators, Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, and Rep. Kevin Cameron, R-Salem, opened the meeting by discussing their experiences during February’s month-long special session.
Sen. Winters highlighted the legislation she passed, including a bill [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Shortly after the gavel dropped Thursday on February’s special session, leaders for the state’s two legislative bodies spoke on the progress, or lack thereof, which was made in February.
Senate Minority Leader, Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, spoke about the partisan politics which he says played into the policies passed.
“The majority party has spent [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The legislature ended their 25 day special session Thursday, passing a controversial constitutional amendment calling for annual legislative sessions.
The bill, SJR 41, created heavy controversy in the past few days which were filled with clear divides not only among parties but also among the two legislative bodies. House leaders were arguing for [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The Senate narrowly passed a bill presented by Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, to study lowering
greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles under 10,000 pounds throughout the state’s metropolitan areas.
The legislation, SB 1059, directs the Department of Transportation and the Department of Land Conservation and Development to study and develop plans to reduce greenhouse [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- In a Tuesday morning vote, the Senate shot down a bill to ban the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups.
The bill, carried on the floor by Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, lacked just a single vote to pass in the legislature’s smaller body. Failing on a 15-15 margin, three Democrats [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- A bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles under 10,000 pounds moved from the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Thursday, following the release of a fiscal report finding the bill would cost between $2.1 and $2.3 million to implement.
The bill, introduced by Senate President Peter Courtney, would create a process [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- A constitutional amendment allowing law enforcement to establish sobriety checkpoints was given a public hearing Monday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
While the bill, proposed by Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, was given this public hearing, it has not been scheduled to receive a work session and thus is not likely to leave [...]

SALEM- The Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources held a public hearing Tuesday on a plastic bag pan proposed by Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton.
Multiple testimonies were given but the bill was not brought to a vote.
Developing…

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The first day of the Oregon Legislature’s special session turned out to be a long day with, as one lobbyist put it, “a whole lot of nothing” besides mingling in the halls of the capitol.
Between the lobbyists and the politicians, the only thing that remained clear for the session is that the [...]

BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- Monday will ring in Salem’s test case for annual sessions, bringing state legislators to the state capital for the body’s Special Session.
And what is on the agenda for the month-long meeting? Everything from a constitutional amendment declaring health care a right for all Oregonians, to the House Speaker’s repeal of a ban [...]