Press Releases

Risch, Merkley Introduce Bill to Remove Roadblocks for Youth Corps Public Lands Projects

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced legislation to reduce federal cost-sharing requirements for public lands projects performed by qualified youth or conservation corps from 25% to 10%. “Current cost-sharing requirements prevent youth conservation corps from carrying out important public lands projects,” said Risch. “My bill reduces this

Bynum and Merkley Introduce Legislation to Protect the Deschutes River

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Janelle Bynum (OR-05) and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Deschutes River Conservancy Reauthorization Act of 2025. The bill reauthorizes the Deschutes River Conservancy’s (DRC) eligibility to receive federal funding for water quality improvement initiatives and conservation efforts. Since its founding in 1996, the DRC and

MERKLEY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO MAKE SURE POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY PLANTS ARE LABELED AS SAFE

Friday, June 23, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Today, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced new legislation that would create the “Pollinator-Friendly Plant Labeling Program,” modeled after the Organic Foods Production Act, which created Organic Labeling. The program would require the Department of Agriculture to create a certification program for plant producers

AS STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY STRIP AWAY LGBTQ+ RIGHTS, MERKLEY, BALDWIN, BOOKER, TAKANO INTRODUCE URGENTLY NEEDED PROTECTIONS THROUGH THE EQUALITY ACT

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Washington, D.C. – Despite significant steps forward, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) Americans around the country are facing an uptick in discrimination and dangerous state-sponsored legislation. To combat these hateful actions, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, along with Wisconsin’s U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and

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