PORTLAND- Medical marijuana has been controversial in Oregon since before it became legal in the state in 1998.
Oregon Capitol News sat down to talk with five experts to discuss the unforeseen consequences of the state’s medical marijuana law.

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PORTLAND- The grocery bag is not a simple carryout tool anymore, but a political and social debate.

A leader in green initiatives, Oregon is feeling the pressure to take a step in either recycling or banning the product.

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SALEM—As temperatures rose outside, tensions within the House Chamber soared Tuesday over House Bill 2301.

This legislation would establish a basic framework for governance of online education through Oregon’s existing public schools.

The proposed bill joined many other education-related measures that passed out of the House, but not without opposition.

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SALEM—Two bills with potentially far-reaching consequences for Oregon’s entire education system passed the Senate Monday.

Senate Bill 250 passed 18-11 in the Senate after debate on the floor. The bill deals with Education Service Districts, or ESDs, which pool school districts’ funds for special services.

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SALEM—On Monday the Senate voted to raise the threshold of eligibility for the Oregon estate tax to estates valued at over $1.5 million.

The bill was authored by the Oregon Law Commission (OLC) and, if signed into law by Governor John Kitzhaber, will raise the minimum estate holdings from $1 million to $1.5 million.

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SALEM—Rep. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, has until 5 p.m. Tuesday to revive Senate Bill 742, which would allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition at Oregon state universities if they meet a long list of criteria.

As of Monday afternoon, Rep. Dembrow thinks he has 25 of the requisite 31 House member signatures for the discharge petition he filed last Thursday.

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SALEM — The bill that would fulfill the federal requirement for a health insurance exchange passed in its fourth House Healthcare Committee meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Senate Bill 99 would create a board for a “health insurance exchange” in compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), signed into law by President Obama in 2010.

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SALEM- On a 17-12 vote nearly down party lines, senators approved a measure which would change the way Oregonians receive their “kicker” refund.

Currently, taxpayers receive a check from the state government in December if the actual tax revenue collected by the state was more than two percent above the amount allocated in the approved state budget.

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SALEM- One Salem legislator has been fighting for years to bring locally grown food into Oregon’s schools and this year hopes to provide subsidies for schools to do so.

The Farm to School program, proposed by Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, is the official policy of the State but lacks funding for school districts to actually buy Oregon food for their students.

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SALEM- Three proposals moving toward allowing the use of dogs in hunting cougars have been proposed in the legislative session so far.

Rep. Jim Weidner, R-Yamhill, is sponsoring one of those bills, which would overturn the previous voter decision to allow the practice of hunting cougars with dogs.

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