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.
Bend family whose child almost died from E. coli presses officials for quicker action on food safety
Stephen and Sarah Valenzuela took the day off work on Friday, bundled up their 5-year-old son and 3-week-old daughter to travel from their home in Bend to Portland to put a public face on food poisoning. In a meeting with U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley and Oregon public health officials about
Senate directs $10 million to help drought-stricken farmers in Klamath Basin
WASHINGTON — The Senate on Thursday approved $10 million to help farmers in the drought-stricken Klamath Basin, an unlikely burst of good news to a struggling region that has endured a shortage of water and hope for months. The effort was orchestrated primarily by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who found
Lawmakers rip offshore drilling
WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers from Oregon, Washington and California want a permanent ban on new offshore drilling in federal waters off their coastlines in the wake of last month’s massive environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Six Democratic senators representing the West Coast submitted legislation Thursday to restore a
Senate passes new homeowner protection
The Senate this morning passed a homeowner protection amendment from Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The two Democrats’ amendment to the Wall Street reform bill prohibits mortgage lenders and loan originators from accepting payments based on the interest rate or other terms of the loans, a
Oregon’s Merkley gets populist points on mortgage amendment
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is trumpeting the success of an amendment he co-sponsored with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., to crack down on several mortgage writing practices that contributed to the financial meltdown in 2008. The amendment, adopted Wednesday by the Senate on a 63-36 vote, includes a ban on so-called
US Senator Democrats See Support For ‘Volcker Rule’ Amendment
WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- A pair of U.S. Senate Democrats pushing strict limits on banks’ ability to engage in proprietary trading said Monday they have support from key lawmakers and the Obama administration on a proposal the financial services industry has vocally opposed. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) and Carl Levin