By Oregonians for Food and Shelter, March 19th marked the first deadline for the Oregon legislature. In order to “remain alive” this legislative session, a bill must have been scheduled for a possible work session (aka possible vote in committee) by midnight last Friday. Note that not all bills that […]

Oregon Congressman Cliff Bentz Press Release, Congressman Cliff Bentz (R-Ore.) voted in favor of H.R. 1603 – the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support 247-174. The bill goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Bentz was joined by 29 House Republicans […]

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter Last week was hectic as House and Senate policy committees held hearings on a number of controversial bills. Bills are advancing quickly because policy committees are racing to meet two upcoming deadlines. By next Friday, March 19th, bills must be posted for a possible […]

American Farm Bureau Federation, The American Farm Bureau Federation is calling on Congress to remove barriers to farm ownership. Bills aimed at eliminating the estate tax were introduced in the Senate and House Tuesday. Both are supported by the American Farm Bureau Federation. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and 25 cosponsors […]

By Oregon Family Farm Association, Environmentalists and animal welfare groups formed a coalition to ban permitting of large, industrial-sized dairies in Oregon, and they’re making headway in the Oregon Legislature. A bill to halt permitting of mega-dairies—those 2,500 cows or more—has been introduced in the Oregon Legislature. It would prevent […]

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon, When the pandemic began, cannabis sales soared, but sales drops in the second half of 2020 prompted Oregon state economists for the first time in three years to reduce how much they think cannabis sales taxes will generate. The economic forecast predicts the 17 percent […]

By Oregonians for Food and Shelter Our partners in the forestry sector had another busy week in the legislature, with continued timber tax hearings and the OFRI bill hearing in the House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. And again this week, not everyone who signed up to testify on […]

National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) introduced the Cattle Market Transparency Act in the U.S. Senate. If enacted, this legislation would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Office of the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish regional mandatory minimums for negotiated trade […]

By Jeff Reynolds, An Oregon judge has released an alleged domestic ecoterrorist charged in the 1997 arson of a Redmond meatpacking plant after he tested positive for coronavirus. Joseph Mahmoud Dibee, who was allegedly a member of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front, was free for decades […]

Western Democrats are urging the Biden administration to reinstate federal protections for the northern spotted owl after Trump officials revised the Endangered Species Act protections Jan. 15 to free up 3.4 million acres in Oregon, Washington, and California. Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, have asked the […]