Sen. Boquist: Dems silence crime expert, Amazon concedes, more…

By Oregon State Senator Brian Boquist,
Highlights, excerpts from Sen. Boquist newsletter

— Oregon Dems silence crime expert as they push gun control bill: ‘What are they afraid of?’

— The price for “complete transparency”? $1 million.

— House passes $210 million Oregon CHIPS Act to fund semiconductor industry. The Senate passed it last week.

— Oregon’s data center-focused emissions bill that would have required Big Tech companies to pay the costs for clean energy in new facilities, HB 2816, was squashed by Amazon. The majority party consistently carves out its special interests, rather than prioritizing hard-working Oregonians in its legislative agenda.

— Lobbying email from Oregon secretary of state’s office raises eyebrows in Salem.

— SB 348 is a bill disguised as a rollout for the unconstitutional Measure 114. But it is worse because it undermines the judicial system by complying with the majority party’s political whims. Originally a “study” bill, it implements Ballot Measure 114, which was so clearly unconstitutional that there has been an injunction and stay by the courts and it hasn’t moved from that position since early this year.

— The minority parties in the Senate have been attempting to withdraw bills from committees. On Monday, the bills focused on making Oregon communities safer, and to no surprise, they were voted down as the majority party continues to prioritize criminals instead of victims.

— SB 430 was one of the bills that the majority party turned their backs on. Also known as Ezra’s Law, this bill would have made sentencing stricter when the victims of violent crimes suffer permanent physical injuries. Named after a 2-year-old boy who was left with permanent disabilities after a violent beating by his parent’s partner, Ezra’s abuser received a 12-year sentence because the little boy miraculously survived; but had he tragically died, the abuser would have gotten 30 years to a life sentence. Ezra must live with his injuries for his entire life, while his abuser will walk free. Read more here.

— Witness describes seeing gunman on I-5 ahead of fatal police shooting near Salem. The witness reported seeing a man standing in traffic and pointing a handgun at multiple drivers. Oregon State Police indicated that the suspect was shot and killed.

— Oregon’s population impacted by COVID, PSU says.

— Oregonian editorial board about the state’s drop in population: “thousands of now-former Oregonians. Census figures show that about 16,000 more people left Oregon than moved in from July 2021 to July 2022. It’s the first decline for Oregon since the 1980s when the nation was engulfed in a recession.”

— 1 week, 4 school abuse horror stories.

— REALLY HORRIBLE: Serial rioter who got light treatment, goes on to kill his newborn son.

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