Oregon House Dems rolling in special interest campaign money

cash to buy legislative votes

Promote Oregon

Partisan Trial Lawyers PAC Has Contributed $60K Since End Of February Session

Salem, OR – Incumbent House Democrats and Democrats seeking election to the Oregon House have received $60,000 in campaign contributions from the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association PAC since the end of the 2016 legislative session.

House Democrats and candidates receiving the most money include:

  • Janeen Sollman, candidate, House District 30 ($10,000)
  • Janelle Bynum, candidate, House District 51 ($9,000)
  • Mark Meek, candidate, House District 40 ($5,000)
  • Speaker Tina Kotek ($5,000)
  • Representative Dan Rayfield ($4,500)
  • Representative Paul Holvey ($3,500)
  • Paul Carlos Southwick, candidate, House District 37 ($2,500)
  • Mark Reynolds, candidate, House District 52 ($2,500)

The contributions come after the House Democrats, on a 31-29 vote that saw several Democrats join Republicans in voting ‘no,’ passed legislation tripling the amount of money trial lawyers could bill for their work on civil injury lawsuits.

The bill, a top priority for the Oregon Trial Lawyers Association, eventually died in the Senate. Not a single Senate Democrat has received money from the Oregon Trial Lawyers PAC since the conclusion of the February session, nor has any House Democrat that voted ‘no’ on bill.

Several other House Democrats and candidates also received sizable contributions prior to the start of the February Session, including:

  • Teresa Alonso Leon, candidate, House District 22 ($10,000)
  • Sheri Malstrom, candidate, House District 27 ($5,000)
  • Representative Paul Evans ($4,000)

Trial Lawyers have found the Oregon House to be friendly territory in recent years, as Democrats ushered through several controversial bills including HB 4136, tripling the cap on civil injury lawsuits; HB 2700, which made retroactive adjustments to class action lawsuit rules; and SB 411, which altered insurance coverage caps, likely resulting in increased premiums for Oregonians.

The partisan political organization is expected to spend heavily on legislative races in 2016. In 2014, the Oregon Trial Lawyers PAC donated more than $350,000 in direct and in-kind contributions to Democratic candidates.

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