Latest news with #ChristineDrazan
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmakers tuck $1 billion into late-session ‘Christmas tree' spending bill
A pile of $100 bills. (Photo by Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector) Oregon lawmakers on Tuesday approved $1 billion in an end-of-session budget bill, adding some last-minute cash for employee raises, natural disasters, parks and more. House Bill 5006, known around the Capitol as the 'Christmas tree bill' because it's weighed down with spending like a fir with ornaments, is a chance for lawmakers, agencies and lobbyists to snag some extra money for projects that didn't get much attention earlier in the session. The budget-writing Joint Ways and Means Committee approved it without objection or discussion on Tuesday, and it now heads to the full House. The 95-page bill lists projects throughout the state, with money provided for a food bank in Salem, a public market in Portland and a historic abandoned U.S. Forest Service ranger station in Wallowa. Here are some highlights of the proposed funding: $375 million for wage increases, including $300 million for changes to state employee compensation plans and $75 million for raises tied to collective bargaining for contracted workers who aren't directly employed by the state. House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, objected to that money being included during an earlier Tuesday meeting of the Capital Construction subcommittee.'I always find it an interesting dynamic when we put into our budgets our anticipated amount that we're going to be negotiating for for public employee raises,' she said. 'It doesn't really feel like it's a negotiation at that point.' $45 million for the Willamette Falls Inter-Tribal Access Project, which aims to restore public access to Willamette Falls, a horseshoe-shaped waterfall that's the second-largest falls by volume in the United States. $10 million to create the James Beard Public Market in downtown Portland. $8 million to replace Gresham's Fire Station 74 and $3 million for a new fire station in the McMinnville Fire District. $6 million for the Marion-Polk Food Share in Salem to expand a food bank warehouse and add a kitchen for Meals on Wheels, a service that delivers meals to housebound seniors. $4.6 million for soil and water conservation districts in Crook, Deschutes, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake and Wheeler counties to remove invasive Western Juniper threatening water resources and ecological health in the high desert. $3 million for the Portland Business Alliance Charitable Institute for festivals in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park. $2 million for farmworker disaster relief. $1.5 million for the Museum at Warm Springs to update its sole permanent exhibit, which hasn't been updated since the museum opened in 1993. Lawmakers on the budget-writing committee visited Warm Springs this spring for their first-ever budget hearing on tribal lands. $400,000 for the Wallowa History Center to continue rehabilitating the Bear Sleds Ranger Station house as a museum charting the history of one of Oregon's most remote areas. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon House Republicans propose $730M in transportation cuts, ‘refocused' spending
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon House Republicans unveiled their transportation funding proposal on Wednesday, featuring $730 million in 'refocused spending,' and budget cuts for various programs from public transportation to safety initiatives for pedestrians and bicyclists. In a press release, the House Republican Caucus said the funding package prioritizes 'core functions' of the transportation department while avoiding spending on 'non-essential programs and divisive agendas.' The proposal includes a handful of budget cuts to the Oregon Department of Transportation's 2025-2027 biennial budget. Police arrest 9 after home 'taken over' by squatters while the sick owner was away This includes cutting $306 million from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund, which helps maintain and expand public transportation, along with $47 million in cuts to the Pedestrian and Bicycle Program, which aims to make safety improvements and reduce crashes involving those walking and biking. Instead, the caucus wants to focus these funds on ODOT's 'core mission of maintaining safe and reliable roads and bridges.' House Republicans are also pitching $38 million in passenger rail cuts, along with $24 million in cuts to ODOT's Social Equity and Civil Rights Division. Republicans argue these funds should be diverted towards road maintenance and other transportation needs. The lawmakers are also proposing leasing unused office space at ODOT's Salem headquarters, stating the office has over 100,000 square feet of unused space. According to House Republicans, leasing 70,000 square feet of the unused office space could save $55 million. 'There's no substitute': Alpenrose Dairy demolition signals end of an era Along with leasing the vacant space, Republicans are proposing to cut vacant ODOT jobs. House Republicans say ODOT has hundreds of positions that have been unfilled for at least six months. By reducing the unfilled job rate by 90%, the lawmakers claim this would save $68 million. The proposal also calls for the state to issue bonds to finish the Rose Quarter Improvement Project and eliminate $16 million in the State Highway Fund dedicated to litter, camp and abandoned property cleanup. Those funds should be redirected to other transportation needs, Republicans say. In a press release detailing their proposal, Republicans noted they are continuing to explore additional proposals and funding cuts. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now 'This plan protects Oregon families from more tax increases by requiring ODOT to cut wasteful spending that does not align with core functions,' said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby). 'For years, ODOT has funded ideas instead of infrastructure,' added Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis (R-Albany). 'When an agency is focusing on an agenda of one-party rule, pavement priorities get sidetracked. Oregonians see it and deserve better.' The Republicans' proposal follows a unveiled by Democrats in April, aiming to invest in Oregon's 'crumbling infrastructure.' After Democrats rolled out their transportation plans, TriMet issued a warning that the public transportation agency would see 'drastic' service cuts without a funding boost. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Why lawmakers are seeking to kill Oregon wildfire risk map for second time
For the second time in two years, Oregon lawmakers want to kill a map meant to identify areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfires but that has become a lightning rod for anger from rural residents who say it places an unfair burden on them. Oregon Republicans held a press conference Monday laying out plans to repeal the risk map, which was released earlier this year, and the stricter building codes and requirements it places on about 100,000 properties in the name of wildfire prevention. Republicans touted different pieces of legislation — such as Senate Bill 678 — that would eliminate the map. If they're successful, it would mark the second time the wildfire risk map has been killed. The original version of the map, released in summer 2022, was also recalled after outcry. 'This map is riddled with inaccuracies and fails to reflect real world conditions,' said House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby. 'Property owners are understandably scared and confused. They're worried about their lives, their worried about their futures. This map is destroying property values that they have worked to maintain. They fear fines if they can't comply with the regulations tied to these maps. They fear this map is being weaponized to push them out of rural Oregon.' It's not just Republicans taking aim at the map. Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday announced a pause on some of the requirements of the map until the legislative session concludes. Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, also supported repealing the wildfire map 'that has so many people scared and confused.' After the historically destructive 2020 Labor Day wildfires, the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 762 to 'help Oregon modernize and improve wildfire preparedness.' Some of the bill remains broadly supported, such as funding a program to place remote cameras on mountaintops to spot and extinguish wildfires early. But another big part of the bill, creation of a wildfire risk map, has been extremely controversial. Under the map, residents that lived in areas of high wildfire risk — and within the wildland-urban interface — would become subject to rules that require creating defensible space or using fire-resistant building materials. The new rules were set to impact about 6% of all of Oregon's tax lots — or 106,000 properties. As the owners of those tax lots have been informed of the new rules, it's led to a major pushback. Residents have reported their home prices declining and insurance costs skyrocketing. While there is a law against insurance companies using the map to set rates, whether coincidence or not, many have said their costs have doubled or tripled, or that they can't purchase any insurance at all. Oregon Republicans said the rules meant the burden of wildfire mitigation was falling on families with fixed incomes unable to make the required changes and struggling to fill out forms that would allow an exemption. Further, because the map was created by Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry in a 'landscape style way,' it led to flooded farm fields, for example, being labeled as high risk. 'To all those scared they cannot afford wildfire hardening, scared they cannot afford (this policy) or that the civil liability could make them go bankrupt, we hear you. We stand collectively to be your voice. Please help us as we repeal the fire maps,' said Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction. Robinson introduced a bill (SB 678) that would fully repeal SB 762, but he and others left the door open to only repealing the hazard map. Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, said he would be 'convening a group of legislators to craft a wildfire package of both budget and policy recommendations that keeps the health and safety of Oregonians front and center,' he said in a statement. But Republicans said they wanted to repeal the map far sooner, and not have it tied to a complex legislation. 'We don't need delay, we need repeal,' Drazen said, ideally by early March. The map's hazard ratings are based on weather, climate, topography and vegetation on a broad environmental scale. 'The wildfire hazard map is informed by decades of research on the nature of wildfire, where it begins, why it exists, and what the challenges are,' Oregon State University College of Forestry wildfire scientist Andy McEvoy said previously. 'The wildfire hazard map is intended to provide property owners and policymakers with an objective foundation for making decisions.' The map can't zero down to the details of an individual property. However, 'if a property owner has implemented appropriate defensible space already, there is likely nothing that a designation of high hazard and being within the wildland-urban interface will require of them when future code requirements are adopted,' a news release announcing the wildfire maps said. The map designates every part of Oregon as low, moderate or high risk of wildfires. The highest concentration of high risk wildfire zones are located in Oregon's southwest, central and eastern areas, according to the map. The size and number of wildfires burning across Oregon each summer has grown steadily, particularly since around 2012 and especially since 2017. Last year, Oregon set a record for acres burned at just under 2 million acres, mostly in the grasslands of eastern Oregon. The 2020 Labor Day Fires blowup was the most destructive in state history in terms of property damage. But even the average years are now striking, as the state has burned 640,000 acres per season for the past 10 years, compared to an average of 198,000 acres per year from 1992 to 2001, according to the Northwest Coordination Center. "This state has to reckon with its new reality," Kyle Williams, ODF deputy director of fire operations, told lawmakers earlier this year. Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@ or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon wildfires: Lawmakers seek to kill risk map for second time
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon House Republicans slam status quo, share few specific fixes
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, flanked by members of the Republican caucus, laid out their priorities in a press conference on Thursday. (Photo by Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon House Republicans painted a dire picture of Oregon's high cost of living, homelessness and faltering schools on Thursday, while offering few specific proposals to fix those problems. During a 25-minute press conference, House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said she hears every day from Oregonians who are dissatisfied or frustrated with their government. Drazan, R-Canby, acknowledged that Republicans don't have much power to pass their own bills or stop bills or tax hikes. Democrats hold 36 seats in the House and 18 in the Senate, the threshold needed to create new taxes or increase existing ones, and Gov. Tina Kotek is a Democrat. 'What we can do is be a voice for those Oregonians, and that's what we're doing today,' Drazan said. 'We are letting Oregonians know that we hear them and we see them, and we stand with them, and we will not be voting for bills that raise the cost of living.' House Republicans didn't share details of most proposals, and their caucus communications director didn't respond to a follow-up email asking for a list of relevant bills. Some, including a bill from Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville, to allow cities to more easily expand their boundaries, haven't yet been introduced. Deputy Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, said Republicans will address Oregon's high cost of living with bills to abolish taxes on tips and overtime, repeal the corporate activity tax on some essential goods and oppose highway tolls or gas tax increases. 'Oregonians are facing rising costs, and I'm sure all of us are very aware of that,' Elmer said. 'From our gas to groceries and even our rent, these factors are forcing families to make tough decisions about whether they can even remain in their home state.' Several Republicans introduced House Bill 2033 and House Bill 2176 to repeal the corporate activity tax, paid by businesses with more than $1 million of commercial activity to fund schools. Rep. Anna Scharf's House Bill 2199 would exempt prescription drugs sold by pharmacies from the tax. Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, introduced House Bill 2234 to let workers subtract overtime pay from their income taxes, but the only tipping-related bills introduced so far are in the Senate. Senate Bill 560 would subtract tips from income on taxes. Rep. Darcey Edwards, R-Banks, said Republicans are committed to ending homelessness. It's a personal issue for Edwards: Her son is one of the nearly 23,000 Oregonians living on the streets. 'In a rare moment of clarity, my son chose to get help he so desperately needed and our family so badly wanted for him,' Edwards said. 'He faced a three-week period to get into treatment, and ultimately fell back into the cycle of addiction due to the enabling practices of so-called low barrier shelters that allow predators to keep Oregonians addicted.' Low-barrier shelters, a common form of emergency shelter, don't require people to stay sober, pass background checks or work to receive shelter. Supporters of the model say it helps connect people with resources by removing obstacles, while critics say they don't guarantee safety for residents or the surrounding community. Edwards said House Republicans want to offer 'targeted' recovery services to people with addiction and audit existing homelessness programs. They're also supporting measures to repeal a 2021 state law that limits cities' ability to ban sleeping outside. House Bills 2432 and 2445 would both repeal sections of that law. 'A tent is not a home,' Edwards said. 'Oregonians are frustrated and deserve to live in safe, drug free neighborhoods. Allowing our neighbors to live on the streets is a literal death sentence.' Homelessness is also a priority for Democrats, with Gov. Tina Kotek proposing another $2 billion for housing and sheltering unhoused Oregonians. Both parties are focused on education as well, but have divergent approaches. Rep. Boomer Wright, a Coos Bay Republican and retired school principal who serves on the House Education Committee, said Oregon's public schools have simply lost their way. He said House Republicans want to listen to and support parents and students. Some of their ideas, like fully funding summer learning programs, have wide bipartisan support. But Republicans are also focused on 'school choice' — a buzzword for letting students use public funding for non-public schools. That's a non-starter for the Democrats who control the Oregon Legislature. 'We also extend a hand to our Democrat colleagues to sign on to our proposals and work with us to expand school choice and deliver education to our students that they deserve,' Wright said. 'We have great teachers, talented and bright students and supportive families and resilient communities. It is time to roll up our sleeves and work together to ensure all Oregon students achieve their dreams of excellence and success.' Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point and the vice chair of the House Education Committee, introduced House Bill 3217 to create the Empowerment Scholarship Program, similar to school vouchers in other states that let students take money that would go to their neighborhood public school and use it for private school tuition or other educational costs. Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, has a similar proposal in Senate Bill 630 and Senate Joint Resolution 24, which would amend the state constitution to establish a right to school choice. Drazan, Boshart Davis and Bonham also sent multiple press releases on Wednesday about an issue that didn't make their list of priorities: Blocking transgender girls from playing girls' sports. President Donald Trump signed an executive order to that effect on Wednesday and Bonham was there for the signing. Oregon Republicans in the House and Senate have already introduced at least three bills to require school sports be based on biological sex, not gender, and Drazan plans to file another bill on the topic. 'Issues like boys participating in girls' sports is certainly an issue that is important to us as House Republicans,' Drazan said. 'We believe in girls' sports, and we believe that the voices of those female athletes should have the opportunity to be heard. And we certainly have members of this caucus that have been working on this issue a long time and care very deeply about the future of girls' sports in the state of Oregon.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
