Latest news with #DebPatterson
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon bill would make landlords give back rent deposit or pay fee if home found defective
Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem, at the Oregon Legislature on Feb. 12, 2024. (Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon rental applicants who haven't yet signed a lease could soon get their security deposits back if they find the home they've applied to is defective. House Bill 3521, now headed to Gov. Tina Kotek's desk, would let Oregon renters get their security deposits back if the home they've applied to has mold, unsafe electrical wiring or other defects making it uninhabitable. The bill already passed the Oregon House in a 33-18 vote in April, and on Thursday it passed the Oregon Senate in a 20-8 vote. Under the bill, landlords would have five days to return deposits or face a fee equivalent to the deposit they charged. Landlords would not face penalties if natural disasters or emergencies keep them from complying, and they could still choose to return deposits at their place of business rather than through mail. Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, spearheaded the bill after hearing from renters across Oregon who lost hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars to hold deposits for homes they couldn't move into because of mold, broken plumbing or pest infestations. Renters in Oregon represent 51% of all low-income households, according to Oregon Housing and Community Services. And nearly 37% of Oregonians rent their homes, according to the U.S. Census. That's higher than the national average, and renters are in the majority in cities including Eugene, Corvallis, Monmouth, Beaverton and Seaside. 'Landlords can still enter into whole deposit agreements, collect deposits and keep them when applicants back out without a good reason,' Senate sponsor Deb Patterson, D-Salem, said on the floor. 'That doesn't change. What does change is that applicants will have the right to walk away if the unit is substantially uninhabitable.' No senator debated against the bill on Thursday. If enacted, the bill would apply to deposits received on or after Jan. 1, 2026. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Researchers make disturbing discovery after studying everyday task: 'I'm hearing from growing numbers of people who are concerned'
New research shows that people aren't too keen on paying for filters on their washers that could help with microplastic pollution, but government subsidies could sway their opinions. Researchers at Portland State University in Oregon surveyed a sample of registered voters and environmental interest groups in the state, gauging their general knowledge and concerns about microplastics. They summarized their findings on Among the questions was whether people would be willing to pay full price for a high-efficiency external filter, which is a potential solution for preventing microplastics from entering waterways. While less than a quarter of the 664 respondents said they'd be willing to make such an investment, up to 20% more would support getting a filter for their washing machine if a government subsidy covered part of the cost. The researchers also said that their study highlighted the need for filters to be included in point-of-sale purchases rather than after the fact. The new research comes as Oregon lawmakers consider a bill that would require new clothes washers sold in the state to have a microfiber filtration system by 2030. "I'm hearing from growing numbers of people who are concerned about microplastics in our food and in our water," state Sen. Deb Patterson, a chief sponsor of the bill, told KPIC 4. "They don't want plastics in their body. They don't want plastics in their kid's body. They don't want plastic in their salmon that they eat or any other part of our food and water supply system." Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can enter the environment when larger plastics break down or when they break off from plastic-derived fabrics such as polyester. They can be found in our water, food, air, and soil, and, as a result, they have made their way into our bodies. While researchers are still investigating the health impacts of microplastics, they have been tied to cancer, dementia, and impaired blood flow in the brain, among other issues. Washer filters are one of several solutions that experts suggest to help with the microplastics plague. For instance, one team of scientists discovered a way to remove them from our water using egg whites. Reducing our dependence on plastics won't erase the microplastics that are already out there, but it can help reduce future exposure. To that end, some governments are trying to reduce plastic consumption by enacting laws banning certain single-use items. England and France have outlawed plastic cutlery for most fast food and takeout. You can help by reducing your personal use of plastics. While not a solution on its own, the Oregon study's authors hope their research can help aid in policymaking. "Washing machines are a major source of microfibers and microplastics entering our wastewater systems and ultimately our waterways," co-author Elise Granek said. "Mandating washing machine filters at the point of sale has been identified as a tool to significantly reduce this source of microplastics entering aquatic environments." Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon bill, headed to governor, sets homeownership goals by 2030
Two condos for sale in North Portland. (Lynne Terry/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Saying homeownership is crucial to building wealth and stability, Oregon lawmakers want more than 30,000 more Oregonians to own homes by 2025. The Oregon Senate on Tuesday in a 23-6 vote passed House Bill 2698, which would create a state goal to increase homeownership rates to 65% by 2030 – followed by an additional 1.65% for the next five, 10 and 15 years. It also mandates the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department create a dashboard tracking progress on homeownership rates across the state that include race and ethnicity data. That's to ensure Oregon is working toward closing homeownership gaps between different racial and ethnicity groups, bill sponsor Sen. Deb Patterson, D-Salem, said on the Senate floor. Census data analyzed by the Oregon Employment Department shows that while 67% of white Oregonians and 62% of Asian Oregonians own their homes, only 30% of Black Oregonians, 47% of Hispanic Oregonians and 51% of Native American Oregonians are homeowners. Latest available data shows 63.4% of Oregonians own their homes, and the state ranks 39th in the nation for homeownership, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Neighboring Washington, California and Nevada have lower rates, while Idaho is higher. Decades of declining housing construction, a rising population and stagnant wages — particularly in the mid-2000s — contributed to Oregon's current housing crisis. Oregon has 242,000 low-income households, yet only 113,000 housing units are affordable and available to them, according to data from the housing and community services department. 'Home ownership is a priority for the majority of Oregonians,' Patterson said. 'It's a time-tested means of building generational wealth and promoting long term economic stability for Oregonians and the communities we share.' While the bill doesn't address all issues related to housing, she said setting goals is an important step to guide policy. The bill already passed the House in a 42-8 vote. Now that it's passed both chambers, it is headed to Gov. Tina Kotek's desk where she can sign it into law, let it become law without her signature or veto it. It would take effect immediately. While most senators supported the bill, some legislators raised concerns that the state of Oregon needs to prioritize policies to increase the state's housing supply. A report in January showed Oregon needs to build about 29,500 more homes each year, mostly in the Portland and Willamette Valley region, to meet the state's housing demand. 'We can set goals, we can have dashboards… but until this state makes policy decisions to allow more supply, which means compromise with folks that don't want to increase supply, then we are going to see this systemic problem continue,' said Sen. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte. Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction, said he supports homeownership and wants to make progress toward increasing it. However, he said he doubts dashboard and setting goals are the right way to do so. 'I think we're just going to spend a bunch of money publishing a tracker of where we're hoping to go, and what we really need to do is change state laws and make it easy,' he said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmakers pass law to protect older workers from age-based job discrimination
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon lawmakers want to make it illegal to ask questions that could reveal an applicant's age in a new effort to limit discrimination for older workers. It is already illegal to turn down a job applicant for their age, but House Bill 3187 would prohibit employees from asking for details like a job seeker's birthday or graduation year until they make a job offer. The NBA's Portland Trail Blazers are going up for sale 'Adults of all ages have valuable skills and knowledge for Oregon's workplaces, and older workers often bring years of invaluable experience,' Sen. Deb Patterson (D-Salem) said. 'They deserve a fair shot to compete for jobs without prejudice, and this legislation will safeguard that opportunity.' The Oregon bill has passed in the House and Senate. It now heads to Gov. Tina Kotek's desk for her signature. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon lawmakers advance bill banning medical debt from credit reports
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The Oregon Senate passed a bill on Wednesday that would prevent Oregon medical debt from appearing on credit reports. Under Senate Bill 605, consumer reporting agencies would be banned from including any medical debt in credit reports and medical service providers — such as hospitals and clinics — would be banned from notifying consumer reporting agencies of owed money for care. The bill comes as consumer reporting agencies collect information on credit history, such as how bills are paid and if an individual files for bankruptcy. From there, businesses use that information to decide whether to offer people loans, credit, insurance, or the opportunity to rent a home, lawmakers note. Police seize enough fentanyl 'to kill everyone in Portland twice,' arrest 46 in multi-agency trafficking crackdown 'One big hospital bill can wreck your finances, even if you're chipping away at the debt over time,' said the bill's chief sponsor Senator Wlnsvey Campos (D – Beaverton & Aloha). 'It should not stop you from qualifying for a car loan or getting a good interest rate on a mortgage.' Officials added that credit cards used for health care can still be included in credit reports unless the card was specifically used to pay for medical services, noting that any violations to the new law could be subject to lawsuits as unlawful trade practices. 'Bouncing back from a serious illness is hard enough,' added Sen. Deb Patterson (D – Salem), chair of the Senate Health Care Committee. 'We're stopping that experience from dimming the financial future of responsible borrowers.' 'Game of whack-a-mole': Audit finds Portland faces $1B infrastructure crisis In a late January , Seth Frotman — general counsel for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — noted the agency finalized a regulation earlier in the month called the Prohibition on Creditors and Consumer Reporting Agencies Concerning Medical Information. That regulation used by lenders and banned lenders from using medical information from influencing lending decisions. However, the regulation faces challenges in court, including two lawsuits from Texas. A U.S. District Court in Texas has temporarily paused the CFPB rule from taking effect until June 15. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now While the CFPB regulation faces legal challenges, Frotman noted 'SB 605 would cement important protections against medical bill credit reporting into Oregon law,' as similar legislation has been passed in other states including New York and Colorado. Legislation surrounding medical debt comes as $88 billion in outstanding medical bills are in collections — impacting one in five Americans, according to the CFPB. Two Senate Republicans joined Democrats in passing the Oregon bill in an 18-10 vote. The bill now heads to the House for consideration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
