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 to protect wineries in the Willamette Valley and a memorial honoring a local doctor.

The two House members talked about how they signed their name onto several bills but did not present any themselves because they believe no major policy items should come out of the constitutionally titled “emergency session.”

The legislators fielded questions on the tax measures 66 and 67, PERS contract agreements, the state budget, kicker reform, and potential tax increases.

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SALEM- Rep. Vicki Berger, R-Salem, Rep. Kevin Cameron, R-Salem, and Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, answer a question about how measure 66 and 67 will affect Oregon’s tax base.

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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 the last 24 days using the legislature as their personal political cattle prod, hoping that Oregonians won’t notice the posturing and vengeful, partisan retribution against political enemies,” said Ferrioli.

Contrarily, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, made an effort to shed light on the body’s accomplishments during the short session.

“We showed that in Oregon when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. We didn’t sit on our hands. We accomplished what we came here to do,” he said. “We brought the state budget back into balance after a revenue forecast that was down and tackled important policy issues.”

Speaker of the House, Dave Hunt, D-Clackamas County, echoed that sentiment saying, “From extending unemployment benefits and funding day care for low income families to adding more dollars for college aid, we’ve helped families today when they need it most.”

Roseburg Republican Bruce Hanna, House Minority Leader, made clear his frustrations on the legislature’s attempts to improve job creation in the state.

“There was a lot of talk about creating jobs, but the only jobs that were created this session were 200 new government positions that’ll be difficult for us to sustain in the future,” stated Hanna.

“It’s unfortunate that rather than curbing spending, legislative leaders drained reserves, increased state debt and then called for a federal bailout for the next budget.”

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 longer sessions while Senate leaders were pushing for the original time frame of 45 and 135 day sessions.

“After a lot of different tries, we finally came to an agreement that continues to have the length of time that I believe is necessary to get the work done on the budget in the odd numbered years,” said Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay in his introduction of the legislation.

To address the perceived shorter length of 35 day sessions, Roblan stated, “We as a body are going to have to come together and make rules that limit the kinds of things that we work on and release.”

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, expressed his disappointment in not being able to move the Senate’s original bill.

“I will apologize to you today for where we’re at. Because I keep telling myself, how could I have done this better? What move could I have made to sustain what we experienced just a few days ago on this floor? I will always wonder about that.”

The final draft of the legislation came with a conference committee amendment proposing a 35 day session during even numbered years and a 160 day session during odd numbered years. This version passed both houses with slim margins costing Democrat and Republican votes on both sides of the issue.

“If we actually care about the institution, we should not run something out to the voters that all of us, with a straight face, cannot say is good,” said Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, who had been a co-sponsor of the original bill but voted against the final version.

Following the passage of the amendment by the legislature, it must also be voted on by the state’s citizens in order to be enacted. If passed by the voters, Oregon will join 45 other states in holding annual sessions.

BY SARAH ROSS

PORTLAND- Lewis and Clark Law Professor, Jim Huffman, has scheduled his announcement to run for Ron Wyden’s US Senate seat for Thursday, March 4th.

Huffman has been rumored for weeks to be the GOP’s choice candidate to run against Wyden in this coming November’s senatorial election. A facebook event created by the Huffman for US Senate campaign confirms that the professor will be challenging Oregon’s Senior Senator.

“The Jim Huffman campaign will be about the PEOPLE OF OREGON who are struggling while an out of touch political class uses the economic crisis to grab power and enrich their special interest patrons. The grass roots will be a huge part of this campaign, and so it is vital that we show up in force to support Jim in his kickoff,” said the campaign in its event notice.

Born and raised in Montana, Huffman earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Science from Montana State University after which he earned degrees from Tufts University and the University Of Chicago School Of Law. He joined Lewis and Clark Law School’s faculty in 1973 and has been a visiting professor at numerous universities in Oregon and abroad.

The polling firm, Rasmussen Reports released polling numbers last week comparing the support amongst voters for Wyden and Huffman. In the poll, Wyden lead over Huffman by 14% with 9% of voters undecided.

Wyden has represented Oregonians in the US Senate since 1996 and currently serves as the Chairman over two Senate Subcommittees.

SALEM- Oregonian’s Sports Columnist, John Canzano, discusses the Wednesday’s hearing on sports programming.

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OP Video Interviews

The Oregonian’s John Canzano

Comcast Sports Group’s Tim Fitzpatrick

Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville

Rep. Jefferson Smith, D-Portland

Full Length Testimonies and Q&A

Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian (Testimony)

Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian (Q&A part 1)

Comcast SportsNet’s David Manougian(Q&A part 2)

The Oregonian’s John Canzano (Testimony)

The Oregonian’s John Canzano (Q&A)

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 voted with the Senate Republicans to oppose the bill.

The legislation, SB 1032, was narrowed from its earliest form, which included banning the chemical in cans as well as in bottles. This early legislation was strongly opposed by industry representatives who feared the ban would bring an end to the canned food business in Oregon. Following these concerns, the bill was tapered to include just children’s sippy cups and baby bottles.

Similar bans have been enacted already in Minnesota and Connecticut; and proposals reducing BPA have been proceeding in Washington, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

Proponents of the bill believe the chemical is a danger to children, potentially causing early onset of puberty, liver abnormalities, diabetes, and some types of cancer. However, the bill’s opponents claim the chemical is not a real danger in small quantities, such as those amounts used to make bottles and cans.

VIDEO COMING SOON…

SALEM- Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, broke ranks with the House GOP’s series of speeches on job and business loss due to the tax measures last month by bringing up a topic that hasn’t taken center stage this session, climate change and the climatgate scandal.

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BY SARAH ROSS

SALEM- Hundreds of citizen activists met on the steps of the state’s legislature Monday afternoon, calling for smaller government and less government spending.

Between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, rallies hosted by the activist groups Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks drew a variety of participants and speakers, including many Republican Representatives, leaders of other organizations in the limited government arena, and business leaders from around the state.

The major topic of every speech at the event included the impact of the tax measures 66 and 67 (passed by referendum last month), the growing state debt, and a need for smaller government and new leadership.

Kristina Ribali, a business owner from Yamhill County, seemed to express the mood of the rallies’ participants best in her speech, saying, “Don’t you dare tell me that what you’re doing is for the betterment of my kids and then leave them with a national debt that cripples them. Don’t you dare take that freedom away from my kids.”

A number of state representatives were presented with a “Friends of the taxpayer award,” given by the Freedomworks organization. After receiving his award, Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, spoke to the crowd, saying, “Until we defeat the corrupt political machine that is running this state, they are not going to respect us.”

A smaller protest held by Stand for Children was occurring across the street from the Tea Party rally. These protestors, seen carrying blue umbrellas, were there to demand kicker reform and cost-effective education reform for the state’s schools.

SALEM- Continuing with the trend of Republican remonstrances on Oregon’s business climate, House Minority Leader, Rep. Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, describes a poll about the current mood of entrepreneurs in Oregon and the importance of small businesses to the state’s economy.

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