Dirk VanderHart
JPR Oregon State Capitol CorrespondentDirk VanderHart is JPR's Salem correspondent reporting from the Oregon State Capitol. His reporting is funded through a collaboration among public radio stations in Oregon and Washington that includes JPR. Before barging onto the radio in 2018, Dirk spent more than a decade as a newspaper reporter—much of that time reporting on city government for the Portland Mercury.
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The bill gained bipartisan support from the joint committee that was tasked with finding solutions to Oregon’s drug addiction crisis.
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Law enforcement groups now back House Bill 4002, but opposition from fans of decriminalization is as strong as ever.
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Business and labor groups have negotiated a system of contribution limits they hope to push through before lawmakers adjourn March 10. Critics say the proposal is weak.
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A negotiated bill that includes the potential of six months in jail is expected to have momentum in the Capitol.
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Bills on greenhouse gas emissions and teachers strikes are gone, while proposals on campaign finance and drug addiction are being drawn up.
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A deadlocked vote in the chamber means Oregon will not be changing its time standard without its neighbors following suit.
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Democrats and Republicans often clash on the subject of caps on political giving, but are hoping to avoid a messy ballot fight.
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Oregon joins more than three dozen states in grappling with how to address so-called "deep-fake" technology ahead of this year's elections.
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Democrats and Republicans are seeing whether they can find a compromise over what kinds of consequences drug users might face.
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With an expensive ballot fight looming, two sides often opposed to one another are attempting to find a path forward in this year's legislative session.
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The state’s latest revenue forecast will dictate which spending bills survive the legislative session.
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In an opinion that could have reverberations for the upcoming legislative session, the court sided with state elections officials’ interpretation of the ballot measure voters approved aiming to end legislative walkouts.