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Newsweek
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Idaho Group Calls Federal Intervention 'Necessary' To Redraw State Border
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Leaders of a movement to redraw Oregon's state borders so more conservative residents can officially live in Idaho are calling federal intervention "necessary" following years of inaction on behalf of the Democratic-led state Legislature. Why It Matters The Greater Idaho Movement has been successful on ballot measures in 13 Oregon counties as of December 2024, with efforts beginning in 2020 to legally redraw state borders to allow current residents in Eastern Oregon to officially become part of Idaho. Leaders and supporters have been transparent about wanting to promote a "greater Idaho" by adding conservative representation from current Oregon residents. They have also criticized the border line that was established 163 years ago, referring to it as "outdated" and indicative of a current "cultural divide" when juxtaposed with western Oregon. Demonstrators hold signs in favor of the Greater Idaho Movement in Enterprise, Oregon, on May 12, 2023. Demonstrators hold signs in favor of the Greater Idaho Movement in Enterprise, Oregon, on May 12, 2023. ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images What To Know State lawmakers from eastern Oregon who sponsored bills this past session to spur a border redrawing "were completely ignored by the Democrat majority in Salem," the Greater Idaho Movement said in a statement on Monday. "This failure to listen to the people of Eastern Oregon or our elected representatives only reinforces why Eastern Oregon counties need the governance of Idaho, a state far more in line with our values and way of life," the statement says. "After five years of hearing from voters and advocating with legislators to respect voter wishes, it is clear to our organization that Oregon leadership is intent on holding Eastern Oregon counties captive as part of a state we no longer wish to be part of and that federal engagement is necessary to achieve self-determination for the people Eastern Oregon." Newsweek reached out to the group for comment. Even with the successful local ballot measures over the years, the longtime Democratic majorities in the Oregon House and Senate have made the group's ultimate intentions to redraw lines and live in Idaho difficult. Democrats have controlled the Oregon House, Senate and governor's office since 2007. Newsweek reached out to Democratic leadership for comment. "The failure of the Oregon Legislature to move either of the Greater Idaho bills in this session is an affront to the people of Eastern Oregon, as well as the democratic process in general," the statement adds. "For five years the people of Eastern Oregon have been making their wishes known at the ballot box. "Those wishes are to have elected leaders investigate letting our counties separate and join Idaho." In December 2024, following the election of President Donald Trump, Greater Idaho Movement President Mike McCarter, Vice President Sandie Gilson and Executive Director Matt McCaw sent the then-president-elect a letter requesting support from the incoming administration. In the letter, the group told Trump that "the people here overwhelmingly voted for you," adding: "We humbly ask you for your support in helping Eastern Oregonians achieve what the people have said they want, and that's to join Idaho." McCaw told Newsweek in 2023 that area voters have been receptive to solving the urban-rural divide, with elections in the eastern portion of Oregon heavily leaning Republican. "Eastern Oregon is far more similar to Idaho in almost every way than it is to western Oregon," McCaw said at the time. "It doesn't make any sense to be getting the state-level government from the state of Oregon, who feels very differently on almost every issue. It would make far more sense to get that government from Idaho." Neither the Trump administration nor the president has not commented on the efforts of the Greater Idaho Movement. What People Are Saying Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, told Newsweek in 2023 that Greater Idaho's efforts are a "dubious siren song" that is unrealistic and contains "multiple fatal flaws beyond its fundamental implausibility," including questions about Oregon landowners' water rights in addition to some Oregonians paying a sales tax in Idaho for the first time in their lives. Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, said during a town hall in 2023 that "there are a whole set of barriers that would make the process very difficult."
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Oregon Democratic state Rep. Hòa Nguyễn returns to House following cancer diagnosis
Rep. Hòa Nguyễn, D-Portland, speaks on the House floor on June 20, 2025, her first day back in the Capitol since leaving to undergo cancer treatment in February. (Screengrab from Oregon legislative broadcast) Rep. Hòa Nguyễn, D-Portland on Friday returned to the Oregon House in her first official public appearance since announcing she was undergoing treatment for advanced cancer in February. 'I felt like I have a second chance at life now, by some miracle, whatever, all the prayers and affirmations really help,' she said on the House floor on Friday, surrounded by many of her colleagues and staff wearing face masks. 'I think it's the community, it's all of you here and the support that really, really pushed me through.' The representative comes back to the Legislature at a critical moment for Oregon Democrats, who are working with slim margins in both legislative chambers to pass a transportation package in the face of staunch opposition from Republicans and some Democrats concerned about the tax increases and scope of the proposed measure. In its latest form, the proposal would raise an estimated $14.6 billion over the next 10 years. Any tax increases require 36 votes, and Democrats need Nguyễn if they're not able to sway any Republicans. Nguyễn's seat came under the spotlight in February after she revealed that she was beginning chemotherapy treatments for stage 4 cancer, an explanation for why she had already missed weeks of legislative business. A stage 4 diagnosis is the most intense stage of cancer, when the disease has spread to other parts of the body and is harder to treat. During her remarks, Nguyễn thanked her colleagues for the courtesies they had extended to her aunt, brother and sister when they were recognized on the House floor in May. She called herself 'a fighter' and said she is ready to get back to work at some point, but didn't say for how long she would return or the extent to which she had recovered. Nguyễn was excused for the House's afternoon session on Friday. 'She is taking the session day by day at this point, and we're focused on her health above anything,' said a spokesperson for the House Majority Office in a Friday statement. Nguyễn in a February statement said her staff would provide critical constituent services, vowing to continue her efforts to address chronic absenteeism and improve child care access. She previously served as vice chair of the House Early Childhood and Human Services Committee and a member of the House Education Committee and Ways and Means subcommittee on education, but Speaker Julie Fahey gradually removed her from those rules during her treatment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oregon House passes new tax on oral nicotine, taps rainy day fund for wildfire prevention
The Oregon House passed a bill June 23 that would tax oral nicotine products, tap the state's rainy day fund and increase the timber tax to pay for preventing and fighting wildfires. House Bill 3940 would raise more than $40 million — and possibly much more — to fund programs aimed mostly at mitigating wildfires with a smaller amount going to fire suppression. HB 3940 passed the House 37-8, garnering bipartisan support at a time when political tensions are high in Salem. It now heads to the Senate for consideration. 'Oregon is facing a new era of wildfire risk, and we need 21st-century solutions,' said Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland. 'This bill is about prioritizing wildfire mitigation, making our communities safer, and building a funding system that is more sustainable. We're investing in resilience and taking real steps to reduce the long-term human and economic toll of wildfire.' Marsh acknowledged it wasn't enough — lawmakers had sought to raise up to $300 million per year to prevent and fight wildfires. Revenue raised in this bill goes almost entirely toward wildfire prevention — hardening homes and reducing hazardous fuels. She said more was needed to pay for wildfire suppression, likely to be proposed in separate legislation. But she called it a 'crucial first step.' The bill includes a new tax on products such as Zyn — a nicotine pouch that are tobacco-free and designed to be placed between the gum and lip. The new tax is $0.65 per container for packages containing up to 20 units, with an additional tax of 3.25 cents for each unit beyond 20. Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, previously told the Statesman Journal the Zyn lobbyist was open to the tax 'because if we're taxing it, it would greatly reduce the chances we ban it in the future.' 'In Central Oregon, wildfire smoke is a leading cause of public health risk during the summer months,' said Sen. Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, co-chair of the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety. 'Oregon has a long history of taxing nicotine products to support public health initiatives, and it just makes sense to use revenue associated with these products to help keep Oregonians safe and healthy.' The bill also requires transfer of 20% of the interest earned by Oregon's rainy day fund, which amounts to a little under $30 million in the 2025-27 biennium but that is expected to grow. The bill would also increase the Forest Products Harvest Tax from 62.5 cents to $1 per thousand board feet. The new taxes would begin Jan. 1, 2026. Money from the nicotine tax and rainy day fund would be sent into funds aimed at preventing wildfires. For example, over the next two years — biennium 2025-27 — an estimated $29.2 million would go into a Community Risk Reduction Fund managed by the Oregon State Fire Marshal to addresses home hardening, defensible space and neighborhood work, Marsh said. Another $14.1 million would go into the Landscape Resiliency Fund aimed at reducing hazardous fuels in forest and rangeland near communities by the Oregon Department of Forestry. Money from the increased timber tax, around $1.7 million in 2025-27, would go into the Forestland Protection Fund, which is used for suppression. Marsh acknowledged the state needed far more wildfire suppression, but noted that money was expected to come in different legislation. In 2024, Oregon lawmakers held a special session to approve spending $218 million the state couldn't cover in costs associated with fighting one of the busiest wildfire seasons on record. 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 House passes new tax on oral nicotine to pay for wildfires
New York Post
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Drag queen performance celebrating Democratic resolution on Oregon House floor draws backlash: ‘Political theater'
A surprise drag performance sashayed into the Oregon House of Representatives Wednesday morning — with state lawmakers decrying the charade as pure 'political theater.' The bizarre act erupted on the chamber floor to celebrate Black Drag Queens, according to Rep. Dwayne Yunker, who blasted the stunt on social media. Drag queens performing at an Oregon House Oregon State Legislature 'I'm not sure the Founding Fathers envisioned taxpayer-funded legislative chambers being turned into platforms for political theater,' the Republican posted on X, with a video of the elaborate performance in which the drag queens appeared to lip-sync to Aretha Franklin's 'A Deeper Love.' 'The House floor is meant for serious debate, lawmaking, and serving all Oregonians not partisan spectacles designed to push cultural agendas. If this feels more like a performance than governance, you're not alone.' Drag queens performing at an Oregon House Oregon State Legislature The drag queens were on hand 'in honor of a Democratic House resolution recognizing Black drag queens in Oregon,' Yunker tweeted Tuesday. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- 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
