Bend awarded $5 million federal grant to fuel affordable housing production
Bend Bulletin The city of Bend has received a $5 million grant intended to kickstart affordable housing supply, the federal government announced Wednesday. Awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the grant set the course for the city to identify and address policies that slow affordable housing
Wyden, Merkley announce $30.1 million in ‘Payments in Lieu of Taxes’ to Oregon counties; $6 million to C. Oregon
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Thursday that counties throughout Oregon will receive more than $30.1 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2024, including over $6 million for Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties. Because local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT
Wyden, Merkley, colleagues call on Postal Service to prepare for November election
KTVZ WASHINGTON (KTVZ) — Senator Ron Wyden said Thursday he is leading Senate colleagues including fellow Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley in calling on Postmaster General DeJoy and the U.S. Postal Service to share their plans to accommodate high volumes of mail expected in the upcoming 2024 general election in Oregon and nationwide.
Wyden, Merkley among senators seeking debt relief for Corinthian Colleges students
Thirty-five Democratic U.S. senators, including Oregon’s Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, have signed a letter to President Barack Obama seeking more relief for students of predatory for-profit colleges. The list includes Corinthian Colleges, which filed bankruptcy and closed suddenly in 2015. “These schools have put their pursuit of federal student loan dollars ahead of the
Action On A National GMO Labeling Measure Heats Up On Capitol Hill
Donnelly characterized his plan as setting “ambitious goals” for companies to be more transparent. “Instead of pitting conventional farmers versus organic [farmers], or concerned parents versus biotech companies, we need to quickly enact legislation that ensures consumers can get the information they want, without sticking misleading labels on every food
Oregon lawmakers seek national clean energy goals
WASHINGTON – Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley and Reps. Suzanne Bonamici and Earl Blumenauer, all D-Ore.,introduced resolutions Thursday setting a national goal of producing more than 50 percent of America’s electricity from clean and carbon-free electricity sources by 2030 and calling for the enactment of new legislation to achieve
Proposed law could require ‘genetic engineering’ food labeling
The national fight over the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms took a new turn on Wednesday, when Sen. Dianne Feinstein joined Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore.; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; and Jon Tester, D-Mont., to introduce legislation that would require national labeling of GMO ingredients. Called the Biotechnology Food Labeling and Uniformity Act, it is
Merkley introduces biotech labeling solution
Just a day after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted 14-6 to advance a bill from Sen. Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) on how to address labeling foods that may contain genetically modified (GM) ingredients, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) introduced another bill to add to the discussion. Merkley’s bill would provide
Senate Dems offer rival bill on GMO food labels
Senate Democrats are pushing a rival bill on labeling for genetically modified foods. The Biotechnology Food Labeling and Uniformity Act unveiled Wednesday would require manufacturers to disclose the presence of genetically modified organisms on a product’s Nutrition Fact Panel. Manufacturers, though, would have a choice in how they comply. They could choose to