Oregon Governor Tina Kotek lists five priorities for the 2025 legislative session focusing on staying the course on addressing homelessness and housing supply, mental health and addiction care, and improving outcomes for Oregon K-12 students.

Governor Kotek supports investments aligned with her recommended budget and will work with legislators on additional topics such as a comprehensive transportation package, stable funding for the Oregon Health Plan, child welfare outcomes, addressing the public defense crisis, and wildfire suppression and community resilience funding.

Governor Kotek said. “This legislative session carries a clear charge for all of us: to tackle problems with purpose and embrace opportunities for change together. We can’t forget why we are here: Oregonians who don’t know where they’ll sleep tonight. The person in our lives who wants mental health care and can’t get it. Children who are brimming with promise and who rely on us to get their education right. Hard working Oregonians who are wondering how they’re going to make ends meet. We’re here because we have the opportunity to make their lives better, now and in the future.”

1. Building on Progress to Address Homelessness and Housing Supply

Governor Kotek’s housing and homelessness agenda this session will build on her priority to getting people off the streets and increasing housing production. Her priorities include legislation that supports increased production of “middle housing” housing options, stronger pathways to home ownership, and the establishment of a Tribal housing grant program. She will also support setting up statewide shelter program standards and establishing a program that funds water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation infrastructure needed for new housing production. The Democrat leaders are more interested in finding root causes that are driving the cost-of-living than the Governor seems to be. They want constraints to reduce the cost of childcare, utilities, broadband, and health care/prescription drugs. They will focus on expenditures and preventions that may lower costs in the long run including a pathway out of homelessness by providing a place to live.

2. Strengthening Mental Health and Addiction Care

Governor Kotek’s vision is to make mental health and addiction care accessible no matter where you live and what you can afford. Her behavioral health agenda will close gaps in the current system and expand access to the types of care and workforce needed. Organizations lost their workforce during COVID through Executive Order mandating the vaccine. That poor decision now puts Oregon at insufficient levels to meet current demands, particularly when serving individuals with the highest level of acuity.

The Governor is prioritizing investments in Oregon's workforce and increasing capacity by developing a new model of permanent supportive housing that can more effectively serve people with serious mental health needs who can live independently with enhanced on-site services.

3. Improving Outcomes for Oregon Students

The Governor's education agenda will better resource our schools and hold them accountable for the outcomes by creating as much fiscal certainty for school districts as possible. The current service level for the State School Fund increased last year by $600 million, leading to a historic total investment of $11.36 billion. She proposes to codify an updated process for calculating the State School Fund to provide more accurate and predictable funding for K-12 public education.

Increased investment must come with better outcomes for Oregon students. The Governor's 2025 education agenda is for more accountability for districts, schools, and the state. When a district’s numbers show failure for their students, she says direct assistance should be deployed toward better student outcomes, but she ignore the need and solutions that school choice would bring. Instead, the Governor will introduce a plan to create a continuum of support for districts and schools. The legislation will run in tandem with a set of administrative actions to better support schools and districts.

4. Staying the Course

The Governor has been accused that her recommended budget is nothing more than status quo. She is sticking with her policies and wants to build on what she sees as progress from her first two years in office.

5. Additional Priorities

Other legislative priorities include stable funding for wildfire mitigation and suppression, but as chair of the state land board, she needs to be accountable to counties loosing over 50% of their timber income.

The Governor supports a transportation package that fully funds the operations and maintenance of Oregon’s transportation system ignoring the majority of citizens against tolling.

Governor Kotek will also support legislation that advances Oregon’s climate resilience, improves state government operations, and reduces consumer costs. Oregonians are watching how she plans to accomplish such big goals without raising costs to consumers while raising taxes and fees.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The Governor’s leaders in the legislature filled in where the Governor has fallen short in keeping Oregonians safe by keeping streets and sidewalks clean, and protect Oregonians from the threat of gun violence by imposing more gun restrictions on law abiding citizens.

Leadership says they want to protect basic rights and freedoms by safeguarding access to unions, healthcare, abortion, clean water and lands. They add to being a sanctuary state, a place of diversity, equality and inclusivity (DEI) as a fundamental freedom, they will fall on their sword for. That battle seems to destroy all their priorities – it’s so easy to spend billions of taxpayer dollars when it isn’t their money.

“The legislature’s job is to improve Oregonians’ lives. Solving Oregon’s most important problems means our government has to work effectively,” said House Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D-Tigard, Metzger, & S. Beaverton). “We believe that every Oregonian should feel safe and at home in our state, and the values-driven leaders in our caucus will work hard to deliver results for working people.”

Their road forward is to “progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring our state is resilient in the face of climate change.” Perhaps to cover the Governor’s mismanagement of land use and wildfires. Let’s not forget how much CO2 from California fires is drifting up to Oregon. It seems an unattainable goal with their priorities to think they can “provide the legislative oversight needed to ensure public funds are improving the lives of Oregonians and delivering results.”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-16 18:36:36

Last Update: 2025-01-16 18:50:37

While Oregon Republican legislators are calling for a slow down and draw back on raising utility rates and other conservative efforts, Democrats steam ahead with glee having a supermajority.

Outgoing Senator Brian Boquist writes his “Last Observations for Thought” as he explains, it is to stimulate the thought process, encourage research, then make your own decisions.

Boquist’s final thoughts are a wakeup call to Oregonians on why Democrats want to pass tax increases, keep the failing homeless project funded, protect the sanctuary state status, control healthcare, take guns from lawful citizens, legalize pornography in schools, designate a toll zone blocking traffic in and out and through Oregon, and pass tax increases to make up for timber sales, and fund projects causing a deficit in a good number of agency budgets.

Boquist writes, “The plea for kindness across the divide in the Oregon Legislature it far to late for this State Senator to believe will happen. Why? Because it defies human nature? Or because it simply does not matter? The printed version of the Oregon Revised Statutes is three foot high. One third of these laws are never used, one third is ignored, and one third is used to justify every emergency. Oregon, and DC, operate in a constant state of emergency. Governors can do anything in an emergency including move money and make laws. The Governor can simply direct with no real checks and balances at all. The Oregon Supreme Court says anything the Governor says is an emergency unless reversed by the legislature. The Attorney General defends the Governor using unlimited funds in any challenge. Likewise, the Attorney General illegally, unconstitutionally, defends the majority Democrats, and Democrat presiding officers in the Legislature at the request of the same two Democrat presiding officers. The real lawyer for the Senate President and House Speaker is the Attorney General. The presiding officers have 100% control over the passage of all bills: either can kill any bill and block any budget. However, even Legislative Counsel agrees the Governor can spend, spend, spend on whatever after the budget is passed or even in an emergency. Just like they can raid PERS funds for an emergency. Then the Executive Branch only has to enforce the laws it wants to use itself while ignoring the others. In short, there is no democracy or republican government at all. In reality the Oregon Legislature is a feckless fraud on the People. It will fall when millennials decide enough is enough … ‘from the ashes will rise a new order’ as the saying goes!”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Previewing the list of bills being posted on OLIS, a significant number are studies or task forces to report on the issues leadership wants to further their agenda. Traditionally, these are “placeholder” bills to use as “gut-and-stuff” waiting to drop the real content at an appropriate time for speedy passage with full intent to blindside Oregonians. But with a supermajority, as long as all Democrats show up for a vote, they don’t need studies or task forces to conjure up support from the public. Voters already gave them the supermajority to amend legislation behind closed doors and finalized on the House and Senate floor.

November 2024 election results should give Democrats pause after voters turned down a corporate tax by 77.5% and refusing to outsource legislators’ salary increases to a committee. This session will be a wake-up call to Oregon voters, exposing how much elections matter.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-13 10:03:25

Last Update: 2025-01-13 23:27:35

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek’s first Executive Order in 2025 is to extend Emergency Order 24-02 in order to continue to address the crisis of unsheltered homelessness in Oregon. EO 25-01 directs state agencies to continue reducing the number of people experiencing homelessness in Oregon. In tandem with other executive actions, this executive order establishes and maintains a homeless response infrastructure to address the homelessness crisis, even after the state of emergency has ended.

How well is EO 24-02 working? Homelessness has continued to increase in Oregon since January 2023 when EO 24-02 was implemented. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s annual Homelessness Assessment Report, Oregon and Portland led the nation in homelessness among families in 2023, with a 13.6% increase in the number of families experiencing homelessness in one year. More recent data from the Community Services Consortium that serves Linn, Benton, and Lincoln counties shows that the counted homeless population more than doubled since 2023, with at least 1,437 people homeless in that tri-county region and 2,875 for the state.

Governor Kotek insists, “We must stay the course on what we see working. If we keep at this pace, 1 in every 3 people who were experiencing homelessness in 2023 will be rehoused. Since declaring the homelessness emergency response two years ago, we exceeded the targets we set through a statewide homelessness infrastructure we never had before. But the urgency remains as homelessness continues to increase and we need to see this strategy through.”

The Governor admits to seeing no results, but extended the emergency response to have the flexibility to sustain the system needed to reduce homelessness and determine the outcomes of the work that will continue through the end of the current biennium, which ends June 29, 2025.

“Governor Kotek came in with clear eyed recognition that the state needed to act quickly and boldly,” OHCS Executive Director Andrea Bell said. “This work is and has always been about people and making their life better. This starts with supporting and empowering local leaders to do what they do best—deliver for community. So much depends on what we, the generations now in positions of responsibility, choose to do in this moment. Building a future that includes and works for everyone is possible when we recognize the scale of our challenges and bring an even greater scale of ambition in confronting them.”

Since taking office, the Governor has taken consistent action in a socialist direction that lowers the standard of living to address homelessness in Oregon. The legislature provided her with a $155 million Homelessness Emergency Response Package of taxpayer money. Contracts were executed less than two weeks later, and dollars were disseminated shortly thereafter. That summer, the Governor signed SB 5511 into law, which included resources to continue operations established under the homelessness state of emergency and expand statewide efforts to reduce and prevent homelessness for the 2023-2025 biennium.

In spring of 2024, Governor Kotek Signed SB 1530 into law, which included additional resources to stabilize and expand existing shelters statewide and eviction and homelessness prevention services for the 2023-2025 biennium. That summer, Governor Kotek partnered with Representative Pam Marsh to convene a Sustainable Shelter Work Group with the objective of developing recommendations to establish an ongoing shelter program for the State of Oregon.

Last December, Governor Kotek released her Governor’s Recommended Budget for the 2025-2027 biennium which included the resources needed to maintain current service levels for statewide homelessness response efforts, including those established through the emergency response. Later that month, Governor Kotek received the recommendations report from the Sustainable Shelter Work Group and stated her intent to introduce an ongoing shelter program in the 2025 Legislative Session for the 2025-2027 biennium.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

As a result of funding and actions taken since the initial emergency declaration in Executive Order 23-02, as of January 9, 2025, the emergency response outcomes have established 600 new low barrier shelter beds, rehoused 1,200 households experiencing unsheltered homelessness, and prevented 8,750 households from experiencing homelessness. Still homelessness continues to increase.

In addition, as of January 9, 2025, preliminary estimates indicated that the Balance of State outcomes of establishing 100 new low barrier shelter beds and rehousing 450 households experiencing unsheltered homelessness will be exceeded by the outcome deadline of June 30, 2025.

Moreover, with the broader actions taken as a part of the Governor’s statewide homelessness response effort, including the emergency response, preliminary projections indicate that by the end of the 2023-2025 biennium 5,500 shelter beds will be funded by the State of Oregon, 3,300 households will be rehoused, and 24,000 households will have been prevented from experiencing homelessness.

Taken in combination with the Governor Kotek’s Recommended Budget for the 2025-2027 biennium, if funded, the statewide homelessness response infrastructure will be established. This infrastructure will provide nearly 1 bed for every 3 people that were experiencing unsheltered homelessness when the emergency was declared in Executive Order 23-02. It is also projected that with this infrastructure, by the end of the 2025-2027 biennium over 1 in 3 people that were experiencing homelessness when the emergency was declared in Executive Order 23-02 will be rehoused – equivalent to the 16% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness from 2017 to 2023.

However, a 16% increase over six years has accelerate to 13.6% in 2023 and continues at that pace. That is adding approximately 2,875 more homeless each year. The solutions needs more than providing shelter and homes. Oregon lacks a correction in policies to stop the increase.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-10 10:17:25

Last Update: 2025-01-10 18:40:31

Oregon Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) pushes back on recent comments from Democrat Representative Rob Nosse (D-Portland) celebrating the party’s supermajority as a way to raise taxes without any input from Republicans.

Portland Democrat Nosse previously wrote, “…Democrats will not be held hostage by Republicans to pass needed tax increases. We can go it alone if we need to, provided we can muster all of us to vote the same way.”

After cutting off Republicans from having any say, he wants them to lay down and play dead: “In addition, the Republicans no longer can just walk off the job either. In 2022 the voters passed BM 113 which put it in our state constitution a provision that says lawmakers who walk out for more than 10 days are barred from running for reelection. Our State Supreme Court unanimously upheld the measure after a legal challenge to it in February of this year. All of this combined will make Republican obstruction tactics harder to pull off.” What Nosse fails to say is the lawsuit was on the wording of when the Senators would not be allowed to run for office. The decision was not on the constitutionality or that it was obstructive or forbidden. Nor did it address the discrimination employed by Speaker Rayfield disapproving leave for religious duties while approving similar requests for Democrats.

Nosse recently doubled down on this idea, writing in his newsletter, “This [supermajority] will give Democrats the ability to pass revenue-raising bills without Republican votes.”

Leader Bonham said: “These comments expose the majority party’s intent to force through tax hikes despite record-high revenue in the latest forecast, even as everyday Oregonians struggle with rising costs and making ends meet. Democrats seem to believe their supermajority entitles them to raise taxes on Oregon families, regardless of what voters want.”

Leader Bonham pointed to the overwhelming defeat of Ballot Measure 118—a major tax proposal that voters rejected by a 4:1 margin—as proof that Oregonians don’t want higher taxes.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Oregon is less than two weeks from the 2025 session, the public has no idea what tax increases the Democrat majority are proposing. Bill concepts are first submitted to the Legislative Counsel to draft as LC bills under a attorney/client privilege blanket. That keeps the public in the dark until they are introduced in committee, unless the bill sponsor choses to leak information.

“The message from Oregonians couldn’t be clearer: no more tax increases,” Bonham continued. “But instead of listening, Democrats are using their supermajority to make life even more expensive in Oregon. If they’re going to ignore the will of the people, they’ll have to do it on their own.”

If Democrats in their supermajority believe they will unilaterally raise taxes without any input or feedback or support from Republicans, then they will need to bring all of their members for such a vote. They need 60% to pass a tax increase and that is what they have at 36-24 in the House of Representative, and 18-12 in the Senate - the exact numbers they need to pass a tax. Bonham says, “They absolutely have the opportunity and power to conduct themselves this way, but I don’t believe anyone thinks this is a good way to govern.”

Republicans are challenged to engage in this session in an impactful way having so many limitations to their ability to affect bipartisanship and influence outcomes. Democrats with the mindset of Nosse destroy their own message of equality.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-10 10:03:24

Last Update: 2025-01-15 22:02:42

On January 1, 2025, new laws went into effect that the 2024 Oregon legislature passed with the presumption they will make Oregon safer, cleaner, and more affordable. These changes will directly impact the day-to-day lives of Oregonians, covering everything from stopping drug use on public transportation and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to making it cheaper to repair electronic devices and increasing transparency in public education.

Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama (D - E Portland & N Clackamas County) said: “Oregonians aren’t satisfied with the status quo, and neither are we. These changes in the new year mark just one phase in our mission to improve quality of life in Oregon. In 2025, we will continue to fight for affordability, safety, and freedom in our state.” Oregonians aren’t satisfied with the status quo, but there is a split whether the way forward should be more taxation or tax relief.

House Majority Leader Ben Bowman (D-Tigard, Metzger, & S. Beaverton) chimed in saying: "Oregon House Democrats are laser-focused on keeping Oregonians safe, making Oregon more affordable, and protecting our rights and freedoms. In the 2024 session, we made progress toward these goals, and many of these new laws will be in effect by January 1. In 2025, we will build on this work and deliver results for Oregonians.” The leaders answer to their agenda is more taxation.

Their 2024 agenda has left Oregon in a mess with the largest employers in the state laying off thousands. Oregon hasn’t yet felt a down-turn in the economy because government and taxes have held it up. The 2024 hiring was primarily in health care and government jobs. Governor Kotek anticipates more propping up will be needed and proposed 1200 new government employee jobs in her budget, and economists think the state’s workforce will grow by around 8% in the next decade.

Oregon’s aging populations, the oldest in the nation, will have an impact on health care, which will eat up the majority of the Governor’s proposed new hires for administration, but will not help providers meet patients needs. Oregonians passed Measure 111 in 2022, establishing the right to “cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care” for every Oregon resident. The amendment requires the state to balance the obligation of ensuring a right to healthcare against funding public schools and other essential public services. This balance requirement keeps free health care in check, but it isn’t stopping the administration from pushing forward with dozens of new tax proposals.

According to Oregon Business Industries release of Oregon Competitiveness Book in 2024, Oregon ranks 4th for sales taxes, even without a sales tax, 20th for property taxes, 41st for individual income taxes, between June 2023 and June 2024 Oregon ranked 45th in manufacturing growth, and 49th for corporate taxes. This poor ranking is due to Oregon’s combination of corporate income tax and gross receipts tax.

These rankings do not make Oregon a business friendly state, and Oregonians are forced to pick up the lack of productivity in higher and more taxes. Oregonians need to start by demanding accountability from the 2025 session. Government needs to answer what happened to $1.8 billion of treasury funds under Tobias Read’s watch? Having one of the highest education budgets in the nation, why are Oregon students still performing far below average? If the economy is growing, why is there an increase in unemployment?

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

January 1 was the implementation date for dozens of bills intended to help curtail medicine costs, reduce drug use on transit: Also on the list are protections for consumers, schoolchildren and warehouse workers. Most of these new laws will do little if anything to help the average Oregonian. Information about the key laws going into effect on January 1, 2025 is available on Your Oregon.

Democrat leadership compiled a full list of 2024 Session passed bills here.

As the state moves forward, will leadership give equal consideration to moving Oregonians forward?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-06 21:06:03

Last Update: 2025-01-06 22:00:51

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek declares war against the incoming administration of President Trump. She meets with her new Democrat cabinet, including Secretary of State-elect Tobias Read, Attorney General-elect Dan Rayfield, Treasurer-elect Elizabeth Steiner, Labor Commissioner Christina Stephenson, House Speaker Julie Fahey (D-Eugene), and Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego), behind closed doors to discuss battle strategies.

Kotek’s office responded to OPB that the meetings are “focused on getting Oregon officials on the same page. They discussed the distinct role of each of their respective offices in affirming Oregon values, ensuring a functioning democracy, and delivering results for Oregonians,” Kotek spokesperson Elisabeth Shepard told OPB in an email. “In addition, they identified points of contact within each office for ongoing, deliberate coordination and information sharing as the incoming federal administration takes shape in the new year.”

There is no hidden agenda that Democrat leadership isn’t just proclaiming war against the Trump administration. The 2025 legislative session is shaping up to exercising their control and power over Oregon citizens. How far can they go legally?

In Section 13 of the Oregon Constitution, it is stated that the Governor shall transact all necessary business with the officers of government, which implies a responsibility to work for the benefit of all Oregonians and not just the Democrat agenda.

It is also worth noting that the Oregon Constitution’s Bill of Rights, as outlined in Article 1, emphasizes the importance of protecting the rights and freedoms of all individuals in the state, which could be seen as related to the Governor’s duty to represent all Oregonians.

While the Oregon Constitution does not directly address the Governor’s duty to represent all Oregonians, it is implicit in the Governor’s role as the chief executive of the state that they should work to serve the interests of all citizens. The constitution’s emphasis on the Governor’s responsibility to transact business with government officers and make informed decisions suggests a commitment to representing the state and its people.

The Oregon Secretary of State is a constitutional officer who plays a crucial role in the state’s government, with duties that include representing all Oregonians. According to the Oregon Constitution, the Secretary of State’s responsibilities include tasks that benefit the entire state. The Secretary of State is also first in line to succeed the Governor and may be called upon to represent the state.

Likewise, the Attorney General’s primary responsibility in Oregon Statutes Chapter 180 is to uphold the law and protect the rights of Oregon citizens, which inherently involves serving the interests of all Oregonians.

In Oregon, there have been proposals to amend the state’s Constitution to include protections for abortion, same-sex marriage, and gender-affirming care that have not materialized. It was proposed to repeal language defining marriage as being between one man and one woman, which has been in Oregon’s Constitution since 2004 but has not been in effect since a federal judge ruled it unconstitutional in 2014. While Oregon polls strongly supported same-sex marriage initially, in more recent polls, some have shifted to nearly 50-50.

OPB predicts the meeting to include “The possibilities for a shakeup to Oregon policies under a second Trump administration are hard to overstate. While officials say it’s tough to predict what he will actually pursue, Trump has talked about kickstarting mass deportations and enacting tariffs that could pose challenges to the state’s economy; pulling back federal payments to help states transition to clean energy; ending vote by mail; and withholding money from cities and states that, like Oregon, have sanctuary laws preventing local officials from working with immigration enforcement agents.”

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Top officials say they are in a wait-and-see mode, and pretend it’s for how to work with the Trump administration. Consider their fear of mass deportations. President Trump has made it clear that criminal elements will be deported, and others will be given a path for citizenship. Protecting criminals with a sanctuary state law has put Oregonians at risk. The Governor’s budget proposal reveals her intent to challenge the Trump administration by proposing a $1 million a year boost in the AG’s budget. It seems like a useless expenditure that holds no accountability. Ending clean energy policies and voting by mail can only benefit Oregonians and make Oregon more business friendly.

It is essential to note that the relationship between the federal government and states is shaped by the US Constitution, and the Oregon Constitution needs to be considered in the context of this broader framework. Spreading fear using democracy is mal-information since the US is a Constitution Republic. What that means is we are not mob ruled by the Democrat’s majority, and constitutionally, leaders must rule for the good of all under a representative government.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-01-04 15:11:24

Last Update: 2025-01-05 00:37:04

On December 19, 2024, Attorney General-elect Dan Rayfield announced the establishment of the Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet. He says it is designed to support the Attorney General-elect and his team’s work to defend and advance Oregon’s values and the rule of law. What he is really saying is he intends to continue Ellen Rosenbaum’s anti-Trump policies on steroids, and work in conjunction with the Secretary of State in pursuing censorship on local media.

Rayfield states, “The Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet will bring together legal, policy and community leaders to establish an innovative partnership between the Oregon Department of Justice and key communities in Oregon’s work to defend against potential federal impacts on the state and its people.”

A few of the "key communities" he wants to protect against President Trump's policies are sanctuary state defunding, the deportations of criminal illegals and drug cartels, homeless destructive activities, free abortions, DEI child abuse and CRT in a failing school system.

"In an era of uncertainty, we must be proactive in our outreach efforts and work to protect the interests and values of Oregonians," said Attorney General-elect Rayfield. "The leaders serving on the Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet create a critical nexus between what is happening on the ground in communities throughout our state and the work we are able to do at the Oregon Department of Justice to defend all Oregonians."

Attorney General-elect Rayfield will chair the cabinet and has appointed Dustin Buehler to direct the Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet and co-lead with Fay Stetz-Waters. Rayfield has appointed the following members:

• Joe Baessler, Executive Director, Oregon AFSCME
• Sandy Chung, Executive Director, ACLU of Oregon
• Prof. Greg Dotson, University of Oregon School of Law
• Julie Hanna, Associate Vice President of Government Affairs, OHSU
• Dr. Sara Kennedy, CEO, Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette
• Kyndall Mason, Executive Director, Basic Rights Oregon
• Isa Peña, Director of Strategy, Innovation Law Lab
• Jeremiah Rigsby, Chief of Staff, CareOregon
• Lindsey Scholten, Executive Director, Oregon League of Conservation Voters
• Graham Trainor, President, Oregon AFL-CIO
• Melissa Unger, Executive Director, SEIU 503
• Prof. Norman Williams, Willamette University College of Law

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“We stand ready to defend the rights and values of the people of Oregon,” said Sandy Chung, executive director of ACLU of Oregon. “We appreciate Attorney General-elect Rayfield’s partnership in these efforts, as well as his recognition that we are stronger together.”

“The who’s who of unions and donors sounds like January 6th except it is Democrats,” says Senator Brian Boquist. “Apparently, they do not want federal funding … so are they proposing secession? The U.S. Supreme Court is clear, the USG can block funding to states when they violate federal laws. In fact, Oregon is arguing over hundreds of millions right now … hence the special session a week ago.”

The special session passed funds to pay the feds portion of the wildfire expenses. It’s intended to be a loan waiting for federal funding, but will we ever see those funds, particularly after Rayfield has waged war against the Federal Government. Did Oregonians really vote for an Attorney General to go rogue committing violations of federal and state constitutions? Oregon’s AG filed opposition briefs in Chevron then lost. The AG’s understand the supremacy clause and therefore has no legal argument so why are they jeopardizing the receipt of billions in federal funds? This issue goes well beyond immigration.

The US Supreme Court decision affirms the federal government's right to deport undocumented immigrants regardless of local opposition. In addition, the Supreme Court decided earlier in favor of three cases of federal deportation policies reinforcing a strong approach to immigration enforcement. The question for Oregon citizens is Rayfield's justice following federal and state constitutional law?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-12-28 17:26:14

Last Update: 2024-12-30 13:16:01

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) released the following statement following the announcement that Governor Kotek and her team failed to secure essential federal investment in Oregon’s semiconductor industry prior to year-end, under the Biden administration:

“The criteria for CHIPS Act R&D site selection was not simply, ‘do you have dirt to build on?’ The fact that Oregon is likely to have missed out on nearly a billion dollars’ worth of investments and good-paying jobs means that competing states not only had available land, but they also had the ecosystem to support the investment long term. We did not.

“Oregon has earned a reputation as one of the most anti-business states in the nation. We have thrown more money at bike lanes than we have invested in tax credits for research and development. We have focused more on enabling drug use than investments in higher education. Our leaders continue to pursue fiscal policies that make Oregon unserious as a competitive economic powerhouse. This was made abundantly clear when we attempted to compete head to head with states who are serious about investment and growth. Our beautiful state is squandering its potential as business leaders and everyday Oregonians alike tell politicians that our state has become unaffordable and over-regulated – yet their concerns fall on deaf ears.

Drazan exposed the expected tension between the Kotek administration in Oregon and the incoming Trump administration,

“Governor Kotek’s oppositional approach to the incoming Trump administration makes it even more unlikely she will work with them in pursuit of a much-needed transformational investment in Oregon’s economy. This will hamstring Oregon for a generation as Kotek and her colleagues look for opportunities to spit and claw at the incoming administration rather than work with whoever is in the White House to serve the needs of all Oregonians.

“To take the first step in turning our state around, I am calling on Governor Kotek to issue a moratorium on new regulations and roll back existing regulations that are uniquely impacting affordability and investment in Oregon’s economy.”

--Staff Reports

Post Date: 2024-12-27 23:53:56

Last Update: 2024-12-28 00:30:19

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 5801 passed in Special Session to allocate $218 million to the Department of Forestry (ODF) and the Oregon State Fire Marshal (OSFM) for costs associated with the 2024 wildfire season. ODF will receive $191.5 million and OSFM will receive $26.6 million. But not without opposition.

Jennifer Hamaker, President of Oregon Natural Resources Industries, grew up in the family business of logging. She informed legislators on how ODF went broke, what it is that broke ODF, and the mismanagement and disinformation plaguing ODF:

"From the outside looking in it's hard to tell whether something is incompetence or fraud. Incompetence is accidental fraud. Fraud is intentional incompetence.

Regardless, the effects are often the same: a waste of resources and of taxpayer dollars. And, likewise the outcomes should also be the same: be it incompetence or fraudulent the people doing it should be removed from office.

The Oregon Department of Forestry was established in 1911 and, until now, to operate they generated their own revenue through timber harvest revenue. They have now literally defunded themselves.

Which is why they are here today asking for $218 million when net fire costs are $122 million.

Before I get to the mismanagement and incompetence that has led to the ODF begging for the money that it should be generating on its own, let's look at what has led to this disaster.

ODF recently adopted a Habitat Conservation Plan (or HCP) that closes down 57% of our state forests to timber harvest, for 70 years. You don't have to be a math wizard to know that if you owned a farm, shutting down 57% of your land for 70 years is more likely to result in bankruptcy rather than profitability. Your mortgage hasn't decreased. The payments on your tractors and other equipment and cars and trucks haven't decreased. Those are all the same. but taking 57% of your land offline means that you will very quickly need the government to come in and bail you out after you made the reckless decision to shut down the majority of your land where your revenue comes from.

ODF is operating as a rogue entity, no longer following our constitution or the laws of our state.

By implementing the Habitat Conservation Plan over a year before it was approved by the Board of Forestry, ODF staff bypassed their governing body’s authority and obligated future legislatures. Now we have staff writing state policy and for seven decades of legislatures will have to deal with this reckless and irresponsible decision that stripped the state, counties and ODF of future revenue long after all of us are gone. ODF staff wrote and implemented state policy with no vote from the people, no authority from the legislature, and against the Forest Trust Land County’s opposition. It's one thing to encumber the next generation with piles of debt, this strips them of the means to pay for the forest they are obligated to protect.

What is the message we are sending by giving ODF, this rogue bureaucracy, $100 million more than the fire costs?

I should also point out that ODF’s failure to include Greatest Permanent Value in their HCP, ODF’s failure to include the Forest Trust Land Advisory Council in their planning, scoping, and steering committees, ODF’s failure by side stepping Board approval, and ODF’s failure by obligating future legislatures all goes against Oregon statutes and Oregon law.

As a governing body, entrusted by the people of Oregon, do we support lawlessness and incompetence and hand them $100 million to continue doing whatever they want?

ODF is now insolvent, in large part because of the HCP that shuts down 57% of our state forests for 70 years and drastically reduces timber harvest volumes by at least 34%. Which is why they are here today asking for more money. They will be here again in future bienniums or special sessions asking for more when if they had just followed the law, included Forest Trust Land Counties and set their bias aside to economic impacts when creating the HCP, they would be bringing us money rather than demanding it from us.

Coming here today is an admission of complete failure. I sincerely hope it’s only incompetence.

And despite those failures, ODF is here asking for $218 million when what they ought to be asking for is forgiveness.

We know forests under ODF's watch have gone up in smoke. It turns out so does the money under their watch. According to submitted documents, net emergency fire costs are $122 million but ODF wants $218 million, and they’ve already received $47.5 million from the E-Board. The combined total is $265.5 million. When ODF receives reimbursement from the federal government, they will have received well over half a billion dollars. ($265.5M+47.5M+$152M+$186M=$651M)

To put this into perspective, according to an E-Board analysis, the 10-year annual average for gross fire cost is $69 million – meaning that the 2024 fire season cost almost 5 times more than the 10 year average.

That seems a tad excessive don't you think? As I say I hope it's only incompetence.

At the very least, a complaint should be filed with the Inspector General (IG) immediately against ODF’s leadership, State Forester Cal Mukumoto, Board of Forestry Chair Jim Kelly, and State Forest Division Chief Mike Wilson for all of the above. And do so before any additional money is given to them.

If you do not think there is already plenty to investigate before handing them more money, brace yourself. There’s more. Because before we even think about handing them any money let's look at the record.

Unmanaged forests allow fuels to accumulate, adding fire risk which is a lot of what we experienced during the Labor Day fires. Unmanaged forests have unintended consequences and indirect costs.

Since the Labor Day Fires are still fresh for most of us, let’s look at the impacts.

• Labor Day fires killed 9 Oregonians while burning through our rural communities of Gates, Detroit, Phoenix, Talent, Blue River, Vida, Mckenzie, and others.
• 1 million acres burned destroying 5,000+ homes and businesses.
• The Labor Day fires burned over 15 billionboard feet of lumber worth more than $30 billion of end-product value that could have built 1 million family homes.
• That staggering loss of timber will be felt for decades. The loss of timber will reduce future harvests by 115 to 265 million board feet per year over the next 40 years, and economic impact of $5.9 billion.
• The estimated $5.9 billion total net economic impact of the Labor Day fires is even more significant when compared to the $12.7 billion annual output of the Oregon forest sector – meaning the total negative impact is equal to 46% of the forest sector’s annual output.
• And that's just the cost of the timber. It will also cost Oregon’s forest industry sector 1,200 to 3,000 jobs over the next 40 years. Not including wage growth or inflation and assuming an average forest-sector wage of $68,200 for each one of those jobs, that is a net economic loss of $82million to $204.6 million per year. For a grand total loss between $3.3 billion to $68.2 billion over 40 years.
• And those are just some of the timber and economic impacts.. The governor and the ODF claim they are concerned about carbon emissions. The carbon released in just the first few weeks from the 1 million acres of burned timber was more than Oregon’s entire annual transportation and energy sectors combined, normally, Oregon’s largest sources of carbon emissions. Given that, Oregon doesn't need to drive fewer cars, we need to burn fewer trees.
• A single large-fire year can emit up to 15 million metric tons of carbon, which is equivalent to a quarter of Oregon’s annual human-caused emissions and twice as much carbon as all the vehicles in Portland emit each year.
• Out of the 1 million acres burned, only about half will be replanted. We need salvage harvesting to clean up our forests and trigger the law for reforestation. Salvage harvest can help offset firefighting costs.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

ODF should do the work it was created to do not write state policy with bias and blinders toward economic impacts. ODF should not be here asking for money to operate when its statute gives it the means to create their own revenue.

Under ODF's management the forests are costing us money rather than generating money. Through well-known forest-management practices, developed right here in Oregon and practiced for generations, Oregon experienced only 1 forest fire in excess of 10,000 acres between 1952-1987. Even as recently as 2011, we had only 11,000 acres burned instead of what has become the new norm of an average of 650,000 burned acres annually, lost to incompetence.

Heat, fuel and oxygen are the elements needed to make fire. We cannot control the oxygen or the heat, but we can absolutely control the fuel. And we should absolutely control ODF and deny any additional funding for operations until they are investigated. Otherwise it won't just be the forest going up in flames it will be the money we hand them.

ODF, the Board of Forestry and our State Forester has turned a $6 billion asset into a liability that is bankrupting ODF until the Legislature becomes their accomplice."


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-12-18 15:08:17

Last Update: 2024-12-19 18:09:43

In 2023, Jeff Myers, Save Oregon Schools, teamed up with Dr. Bruce Gilley, Professor of Political Science at Portland State University, to do a comprehensive review and fact-checking of the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) research report on high-school graduation requirements, publishing two articles covering fraudulent research in ODE’s 2016 Chronic Absenteeism Statewide Plan and the 2021 Ethnic Studies Advisory Group Report.

They found a surprising disinterest among elected officials in harm to students. Meeting with Representative Courtney Neron, Chair of the House Education Committee, resulted in no action, which troubled Myers considering her background as an Oregon teacher for many years.

Myers said, “It shouldn’t take new legislation to ensure our state agencies produce and share factual research, but this glaring 'loophole' demands a solution. We also need to establish clear jurisdiction and a reliable process for reporting cases of fraud. Over the past 12 to 15 months, I’ve been repeatedly redirected, with every agency and office claiming it’s someone else’s responsibility to address these issues. This broken system needs repair, and it’s become evident that new legislation is the way forward.”

This week legislators held Legislative Days in preparation for the 2025 session. Meyers was focused on one critical issue: tackling the root cause of our struggling public education system—research fraud. What we’re being told the problems are is a conflict between the narrative versus reality.

The current narrative from school district leaders, teachers’ unions, and our elected officials is that we’re dealing with a funding problem. They regularly use phrases like “fully funding education”, yet we’ve been steadily and significantly throwing more money into our school system for years.

Adjusted for inflation, Oregon has increased the spending per student by over 46% from 1999 to 2021. Education-funding

Source: U.S. Public Education Dashboard, by Save Oregon Schools

After fluctuating in the first 14 years, you see a sharp, steady rise since 2013. Given the influx of money from the pandemic and Oregon’s Corporate Activity Tax, we likely will see the trend continue when the figures for 2022 and beyond are released. If you’re wondering how Oregon funding compares to other states, you can see for yourself in my U.S. Public Education Dashboard. For reference, Oregon per student spending is above California and the U.S. Average, but is below Washington.

So what are the results of this rising funding? Declining achievement for our students. Below is a snapshot from my Oregon Student Assessment Results dashboard, which uses data from the Oregon Department of Education on annual assessments.

Source: Oregon Student Assessment Results dashboard, by Save Oregon Schools

As you can plainly see in the dashboard, student achievement was on a slight downward trend until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, which resulted in a significant drop across the board. As the Oregonian reported earlier this year, Oregon was the only state that hadn’t shown any improvement in reading or math skills since the pandemic.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Ensuring our public agencies produce factual research is not a partisan issue—it’s something everyone should agree that integrity in public research is essential. This is about holding our institutions accountable and restoring trust.

Myers puts forth a legislative concept and draft of his proposed “Public Research Integrity Act.”

Problem Statement

This proposed legislation addresses the growing concern over fraudulent research produced or disseminated by public officials in Oregon. Such research, which includes falsified data, manipulated conclusions, and omitted facts, undermines public trust, misguides policymaking, and diverts resources from critical state priorities.

By creating strict penalties and incentives for whistleblowers to report fraudulent practices, the law seeks to uphold the integrity of research used to inform public policy and governance. The legislation ensures accountability, transparency, and adherence to evidence-based standards, safeguarding the public from the harmful consequences of deceptive practices in government research and communications.

Proposed Solution

The proposed legislation, the "Public Research Integrity Act," establishes a comprehensive framework to combat fraudulent research by public officials in Oregon.

• Criminalizes the creation, dissemination, and approval of deceptive research or documentation, imposing penalties for violations, including classification as a Class A felony and permanent disqualification from public office.
• Introduces mechanisms for whistleblower protections and incentives, offering compensation to eligible individuals or organizations who report fraudulent activities.
• Ensures robust investigation processes led by the Oregon Department of Justice, with transparency in findings.
• Mandates the use of standardized definitions for research-related terms across agencies to enhance consistency and accountability.

This multi-faceted approach promotes transparency, deters misconduct, and reinforces public trust in government practices and policies.

Cost / Benefits

The proposed "Public Research Integrity Act" is expected to have minimal implementation costs, primarily associated with establishing a mechanism within the Oregon Department of Justice to receive and investigate complaints. These costs can be offset by fines collected from individuals or agencies found guilty of violating the Act, with a portion allocated to compensating whistleblowers to offset their costs for identifying the fraud and to reward them for providing a valuable service to all Oregonians.

The benefits, while challenging to quantify in monetary terms, are significant. By deterring fraudulent research, this legislation aims to reduce wasteful spending, prevent misguided policies, and ensure public funds are allocated based on accurate and reliable information. This will lead to more effective governance and better outcomes for Oregon’s citizens, particularly in areas like education, where fraudulent research has resulted in many harms against students and staff alike. The Act ultimately fosters public trust in government processes and reinforces the accountability of public officials to the people they serve.

Meyers’ draft legislation for “Public Research Integrity Act” can be viewed here. He says: “What is at the root of our unique struggles in Oregon? Research fraud of course!”


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-12-14 14:01:30

Last Update: 2024-12-14 23:42:35

“Public Research Integrity Act”

An Act Relating to Fraudulent Research by Public Officials; Creating a New Crime; and Prescribing Penalties

SECTION 1. Short Title

This Act shall be known and cited as the "Public Research Integrity Act."

SECTION 2. Findings and Purpose

The Legislative Assembly finds that:

1. The integrity of research, reports, and guidance issued by public agencies and officials is essential to maintaining public trust and ensuring effective governance.
2. Fraudulent research undermines legislative priorities, deceives stakeholders, and erodes public confidence.
3. To protect the public and uphold transparent government, it is necessary to establish strict penalties for public officials who knowingly engage in fraudulent research practices.

The purpose of this Act is to create criminal penalties for any Oregon public official who knowingly creates, participates in the creation of, or disseminates fraudulent research in official reports, guidance, or documents intended to inform public policy, agency action, or legislative mandates.

SECTION 3. Definitions

As used in this Act:

1. "Public official" means any person elected or appointed to any office, position, or employment within the state government, including but not limited to state agencies, departments, commissions, boards, and authorities, as well as employees of local government entities.
2. "Fraudulent research" means any research report, analysis, study, guidance document, agency plan, or other official documentation or communication that:

a. Is intended to mislead or deceive others by containing material misrepresentations, falsified data, or intentionally manipulated conclusions.

b. Omits relevant facts or data with the intent to mislead.

c. Is created or disseminated with the knowledge that it does not accurately represent the evidence or information required to address legislative priorities or agency responsibilities.

SECTION 4. Prohibited Conduct

1. It shall be unlawful for any public official to:

a. Knowingly create, authorize, or contribute to the creation of fraudulent research as defined in Section 3(2) in response to:

i. Reports or analyses requested by legislation or by a legislative committee.

ii. Agency plans or documents aimed at addressing priorities or requirements set by the legislature.

iii. Guidance documents intended for agency staff, local agencies, or the public.

b. Participate in, or knowingly approve, the dissemination of such fraudulent research or documentation.

SECTION 5. Criminal Penalties

1. Any public official who violates Section 4 of this Act shall be guilty of a Class A felony.
2. Upon conviction, the official shall be subject to penalties provided for a Class A felony under Oregon law, including but not limited to imprisonment, fines, and a permanent ban from holding any public office within the State of Oregon.

SECTION 6. Additional Remedies and Enforcement

1. Any agency or individual directly affected by fraudulent research may seek an injunction or other equitable relief from a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the dissemination or reliance on such research.
2. Nothing in this Act shall preclude additional administrative penalties or civil remedies as permitted under Oregon law.

SECTION 7. Severability

If any section, subsection, sentence, or clause of this Act is held to be invalid or unconstitutional, such decision shall not affect the remaining portions of this Act, which shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 8. Effective Date

This Act takes effect on [date], and applies to all actions of public officials occurring on or after that date.

SECTION 9. Reporting and Investigation

1. Reporting Allegations:

   Complaints or tips regarding violations of this Act shall be submitted directly to the Oregon Department of Justice.

2. Investigation Authority:

   The Department of Justice shall conduct preliminary assessments of complaints to determine if a violation may have occurred.

   If the complaint is substantiated, the Department of Justice shall initiate a formal investigation and may involve other relevant agencies as needed.

3. Confidentiality and Whistleblower Protection:

   The identity of individuals reporting suspected violations shall be kept confidential, and any person providing information or testimony shall be protected from retaliation.

4. Public Disclosure of Findings:

   Upon completion of an investigation, findings shall be reported to the public unless confidentiality is required by law.

   SECTION 10. Standard Definitions for Consistent Use by State Agencies
   
   To ensure clarity and consistency in government research practices, the following terms are defined and shall be applied uniformly across all public records, research reports, agency plans, guidance documents, and official communications by state agencies and public officials:
   
   
   1. Research-Based:
      
      

      Definition: Refers to practices, programs, interventions, or educational strategies that are directly founded on or derived from scientific research or evidence, establishing a direct link between research findings and the approach.

      Example: A "research-based" teaching method is developed based on educational psychology studies, demonstrating its effectiveness in improving student learning outcomes.

      Order of Process: Conduct research ? Develop lessons ? Implement in classrooms.

   2. Research-Supported:
      
      

      Definition: Indicates that there is empirical evidence or scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of a particular approach, practice, or intervention. This does not imply direct development from research but that existing research validates the approach's use.

      
      
      

      Example: A "research-supported" program is created independently but validated by studies showing its effectiveness in meeting educational goals.

      Order of Process: Create lessons ? Validate through research ? Implement in classrooms.

   3. Research-Aligned:
      
      

      Definition: Refers to programs or practices that generally align with principles or strategies recommended by relevant research. This term does not imply a direct evidence base or specific empirical support for the program itself.

      Example: A "research-aligned" curriculum incorporates strategies research suggests are effective, even if the curriculum itself has not been the subject of specific studies.

      Order of Process: Review untested research ? Develop lessons ? Implement in classrooms (with students as the initial subjects).

   These definitions shall be utilized in all communications and documentation related to educational programs, practices, and interventions to maintain transparency, uphold standards, and ensure a shared understanding across all public agencies in Oregon.
   
   Additional Components for Further Consideration
   
   This section highlights supplementary ideas that should be considered when drafting the full legislative bill. While the core legislative concept is kept straightforward, these components provide valuable detail to address potential gaps, enhance transparency, and mitigate risks.
   1. Appeals Process: Establish a mechanism for reporters to appeal if they believe the Oregon Department of Justice has failed to meet required timelines, issued an incorrect ruling, or mishandled the process. This ensures an additional layer of accountability and fairness.
   2. Justification for Financial Incentives: Include a detailed rationale for financial incentives. Reviewing and validating research is often time-intensive, requiring meticulous verification of information from potentially hundreds of citations in a single report. Financial incentives offset these costs, encouraging individuals and organizations to undertake this vital work.
   3. Penalties for False Reports: Introduce penalties for submitting false reports of research fraud, particularly when done maliciously or with the intent to disrupt legitimate research. These penalties could include fines or compensation to the authors of the research for costs incurred in defending their work.
   4. Public Reporting of Fraud Investigations: Require the Oregon Department of Justice to maintain a publicly accessible database of research fraud reports. This should include the date of the report, the research in question, examples of the alleged fraud, the agency's status on the investigation, and the final outcome. Reporters should have the option to remain anonymous or have their name/organization listed publicly.
   5. Expedited Review for Related Reports: Establish a process for expedited review when fraudulent research is identified in reports that share similarities with others issued by public bodies across the country. Reporters could link their findings to previously identified fraudulent reports to streamline the review and investigation process.
   
   
   Examples of Research Fraud
   
   These are just two examples of research fraud in Oregon. These articles identify the instances of fraud, primarily by the Oregon Department of Education, and how they have led to misguided programs, practices, and content that are causing issues in our public schools today.
   • Unveiling Oregon Department of Education's ontroversial Methods: A Deep Dive into Research Flaws and Lack of Oversight
     
     

     In September 2022, the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) delivered a research report on high-school graduation requirements to the legislature in response to Senate Bill 744 (2021)

     ODE’s report misrepresented evidence, made unsubstantiated claims, and contained plagiarism

     When the legislature didn’t take immediate action on their report, ODE bypassed them and went to the State Board of Education in late 2023 to implement some of their misguided recommendations

     
     
     

     This report continues to influence legislation and policy decisions and has not yet been retracted

   • Another "F" Grade for the Oregon Department of Education - Fact-Check Finds 2016 Chronic Absenteeism Plan is Biased and Flawed

     This December 2016 “Chronic Absenteeism Statewide Plan” and its related research report were created in response to House Bill 4002 (2016)

     Like the previous example, there were many falsehoods, biased statements, and fraudulent representations of research

     Chronic absenteeism has continued to get worse in schools around the state, which is no surprise given the plan was not research-based but instead manipulated by its authors to implement radical, unproven programs and practices

     --Donna Bleiler
     
     

     Post Date: 2024-12-14 14:00:00

     Last Update: 2024-12-15 17:20:27

     
     

In the House Rules Committee’s hearing on election integrity, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade’s testified that many Oregonians experienced issues in receiving the ballots on time or at all this election cycle.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan state, “I want to encourage the Secretary of State to continue to press the United State Postal Service to deliver answers and solutions for the Oregonians who experienced delays in receiving their ballots, or didn’t receive them at all.

“However, today’s testimony from the Secretary of State’s office did nothing to give Oregonians confidence that the errors that allowed non-citizens to register to vote in Oregon have been fully identified and corrected.

“Automatic voter registration must remain suspended until we can confidently tell Oregonians that only eligible voters are registered through our automatic voter registration system, safeguards have been implemented to verify citizenship at the point of registration, and that regular audits will be performed in perpetuity to remove ineligible voters from the voter rolls.

Janice Dysinger, election expert and founder of Faithful Elections, agrees. "Vote by Mail misses 4 out of 100 people automatically to start with for mailing problems. Every election there are people looking for their ballots to come on election day. I hear from them and direct them to their clerk. Often they become disenfranchised voters.

"Our voter rolls include dead and inactive voters as no-one has removed these voters per recent Oregon law changes. Now we learned, as we suspected, that non citizens are on our voter rolls. So Oregon elections are being decided by non citizens, dead voters, people who have moved and the people who vote those ballots.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

Dysinger says we should do more than monitor for non-citizens. "Our voter rolls change every election. They are an exploited plot to control the outcome. It all takes place in the dark. Oregonians need to take back their elections and return to the precinct, vote in person with ID on paper ballots that are counted in that precinct that day. Absent voters need to apply each election with proof of ID as military and real Oregonians should do. Machines make our elections a farce as recent court cases show. Count the vote under 'Sunshine laws' that requires, out in the open under televised video surveillance where all can see the count.

"Precincts should be small enough to count votes in one day. More precincts is the solution to counting and posting results to the elections office that same day. No one should be allowed to turn in their ballot late. Election day should be a holiday for voting. Real elections take effort. Oregon did it for 145 years when it was a trusted process, and Oregon can do it again," Dysinger concludes.

Rep. Drazan says: “As elected leaders we have a duty to strengthen our election system, provide transparency for Oregonians, and ensure the continued trust in our elections.” Will she be a leader to pass solutions?


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2024-12-14 12:37:18

Last Update: 2024-12-14 23:42:06