Dirk VanderHart
Reporter | Oregon State Capitol CorrespondentDirk VanderHart is JPR's Salem correspondent reporting from the Oregon State Capitol. His reporting is funded through a collaboration between public radio stations around the Northwest called the Northwest News Network. Before barging onto the radio in 2018, he spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter—much of that time reporting on city government for the Portland Mercury. He’s also had stints covering chicanery in Southwest Missouri, the wilds of Ohio in Ohio, and all things Texas on Capitol Hill.
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Supporters say House Bill 3291 will create less confusion about when ballots can be mailed. Opponents say it contains loopholes. -
Whether or not county commissioners would tap a person who'd have no pull in the Capitol is uncertain.
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State Sen. Lynn Findley opposed Senate Bill 554. Some constituents say he should have walked out over it.
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House Bill 2358 had been considered dead. A new proposal to use public money to cover farmers' overtime costs might not change that fate.
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A package working its way through the budget process will amount to the Legislature's largest-ever investment in necessary housing and services, advocates say.
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Bills to limit political contributions always faced an uphill battle in 2021. Now, a less contentious proposal to publicly finance campaigns faces skepticism in the Senate.
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Nearman refused to resign in the face of overwhelming evidence he would be ejected from the Legislature. The four-term Republican lawmaker becomes the first person ever expelled from the Oregon House.
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The bills require local governments to give more notice before clearing encampments, and set limits on anti-camping policies.
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A debate over a relatively minor rule change resulted in a brief shouting match this week.
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Oregon House Republicans broke their silence Monday on allegations against Rep. Mike Nearman, calling on the controversial lawmaker to resign days after new evidence emerged that Nearman plotted with supporters before allowing an incursion of the state Capitol in December. Meanwhile, Democratic House Speaker Tina Kotek says a committee will meet this week to consider expelling him.
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Motorcycle riders have advocated the law for years, saying they're safer when they can ride between slow moving cars. Brown disagreed.
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Oregon has repeatedly rejected proposals to use postmark dates to count ballots. More than a dozen states have adopted the practice.
