SALEM- In a Tuesday morning vote, the Senate shot down a bill to ban the chemical bisphenol A in baby bottles and sippy cups.
The bill, carried on the floor by Sen. Jackie Dingfelder, D-Portland, lacked just a single vote to pass in the legislature’s smaller body. Failing on a 15-15 margin, three Democrats voted with the Senate Republicans to oppose the bill.
The legislation, SB 1032, was narrowed from its earliest form, which included banning the chemical in cans as well as in bottles. This early legislation was strongly opposed by industry representatives who feared the ban would bring an end to the canned food business in Oregon. Following these concerns, the bill was tapered to include just children’s sippy cups and baby bottles.
Similar bans have been enacted already in Minnesota and Connecticut; and proposals reducing BPA have been proceeding in Washington, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
Proponents of the bill believe the chemical is a danger to children, potentially causing early onset of puberty, liver abnormalities, diabetes, and some types of cancer. However, the bill’s opponents claim the chemical is not a real danger in small quantities, such as those amounts used to make bottles and cans.
SALEM- Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, broke ranks with the House GOP’s series of speeches on job and business loss due to the tax measures last month by bringing up a topic that hasn’t taken center stage this session, climate change and the climatgate scandal.
SALEM- Hundreds of citizen activists met on the steps of the state’s legislature Monday afternoon, calling for smaller government and less government spending.
Between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon, rallies hosted by the activist groups Americans for Prosperity and Freedomworks drew a variety of participants and speakers, including many Republican Representatives, leaders of other organizations in the limited government arena, and business leaders from around the state.
The major topic of every speech at the event included the impact of the tax measures 66 and 67 (passed by referendum last month), the growing state debt, and a need for smaller government and new leadership.
Kristina Ribali, a business owner from Yamhill County, seemed to express the mood of the rallies’ participants best in her speech, saying, “Don’t you dare tell me that what you’re doing is for the betterment of my kids and then leave them with a national debt that cripples them. Don’t you dare take that freedom away from my kids.”
A number of state representatives were presented with a “Friends of the taxpayer award,” given by the Freedomworks organization. After receiving his award, Rep. Matt Wingard, R-Wilsonville, spoke to the crowd, saying, “Until we defeat the corrupt political machine that is running this state, they are not going to respect us.”
A smaller protest held by Stand for Children was occurring across the street from the Tea Party rally. These protestors, seen carrying blue umbrellas, were there to demand kicker reform and cost-effective education reform for the state’s schools.
SALEM- Continuing with the trend of Republican remonstrances on Oregon’s business climate, House Minority Leader, Rep. Bruce Hanna, R-Roseburg, describes a poll about the current mood of entrepreneurs in Oregon and the importance of small businesses to the state’s economy.
SALEM- Rep. Kim Thatcher,R-Keizer, tells stories of businesses leaving the state after the tax increases passed last month continuing the trend of Republican remonstrances on the issue this session.
SALEM- Talk of jobs in Oregon continues to dominate speeches on the House floor, as seen in Tuesday’s speeches by Rep. Sal Esquivel (R-Medford), Rep. Bill Garrard (R-Kalamath Falls), and Rep. Jules Bailey (D-Portland).
SALEM- A constitutional amendment allowing law enforcement to establish sobriety checkpoints was given a public hearing Monday morning in the Senate Judiciary Committee.
While the bill, proposed by Sen. Rod Monroe, D-Portland, was given this public hearing, it has not been scheduled to receive a work session and thus is not likely to leave the committee.
Traffic safety activists and Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD) supported the bill, saying that sobriety checkpoints could save more than 20 lives per year that otherwise would be taken by people driving while intoxicated.
However, citizens and lobbyists from ACLU and other organizations opposed the bill, claiming it is not only a waste of the state’s resources but also would infringe on citizens’ right to privacy.
SALEM- House Minority Leader, Rep. Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg) reported on Thursday that Oregon had the largest number of new jobless claims out of any state in the Union.
Update- Bill passed the House Floor on Monday morning and will now move to the Senate.
BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The House Committee on Environment and Water approved a bill Thursday which will ban offshore drilling in Oregon for a period of 10 years.
The original bill brought to the committee constituted a lifetime ban on the leasing of land for the purpose of offshore drilling for oil and natural gas. Little opposition for the bill was brought to the committee during the public hearing on Tuesday. Since the petroleum industry is not pursuing a lease on the land, the only real concern for the bill was its permanent status.
An amendment was therefore brought before the committee by its chair, Rep. Ben Cannon, D-Portland, to limit the ban to a 10-year period, at which time the legislature would need to renew it or make it permanent.
“[The amendment] represents a middle course with respects to the sunset. There will be advocates for the ban, including me, who feel putting a 10-year sunset on the bill weakens it,” said Rep. Cannon.
“I’m reluctant to do so but understand that in this short session, under the timeline that we’re under, and in the interest of generating as much support as possible and really moving forward in a bipartisan way, I am urging the committee to adopt the -2 amendments which would sunset the ban in 2020.”
Much opposition to the amendment came from the Democrats on the committee; but with the Chairman’s vote, the amendment passed, changing the legislation from a ban to a 10-year moratorium.
“I am in favor of the ban,” said Rep. Phil Barnhart, D-Lane and Linn Counties. “The ban would require an additional step to any other steps that would be taken in order to do oil and gas exploration off the coast, and that would be a visit through the legislature.”
Republicans on the committee, however, saw the ban as being closed to future technologies and national energy crises and were more accepting of the temporary ban.
SALEM- House Majority Leader Rep. Mary Nolan, D-Portland, spoke to the House floor on Wednesday, promoting the achievements in Oregon’s business climate.
