Sen. Boquist: Home equity theft, Labor ignores $$, M110 data

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

— Portland commissioner Rene Gonzalez announces run for mayor.

— OPB reports on Oregon’s labor bureau failing to collect nearly $5 million in wage theft claims since 2015!

— OPINION: States must finally end the unconstitutional scheme of home equity theft.

— Willamette Week reports on OHA failing to meet a September deadline for a report promised back in January of this year. From the article, “Policy wonks and politicians are weighing whether Oregon should recriminalize drug possession or otherwise tweak Measure 110, but they’re working with incomplete data because the Oregon Health Authority has not produced a report it had promised after a January audit by the Secretary of State’s Office.”

— OPB reports on Oregon hospital systems filing a new appeal to pressure the State on much-needed psychiatric care. The meat of the story is pretty far down, but here it is: “Four Oregon hospital systems are seeking to revive their lawsuit alleging they’re being burdened with psychiatric patients because of the state’s inadequate mental health system… The hospital systems, which provide nearly 60% of the state’s psychiatric inpatient beds, first brought the lawsuit against the Oregon Health Authority, or OHA, in September of last year arguing that the agency had violated the civil rights of mental health patients by failing to provide them adequate mental health treatment options. As a result, the hospital systems are providing long-term care to civilly committed mental health patients for whom they’re ill-equipped to care, the lawsuit alleged.”

— 52 pounds of fentanyl powder, 8,000 pills seized in largest fentanyl bust by Multnomah County deputies.

— The Center Square reports: “Oregon Governor Tina Kotek issued new remission orders forgiving unpaid traffic fines and fees to include people who were left off the previous 2022 remissions orders. The governor’s orders released this week add 10,000 more Oregonians to the list of eligible people. Their fines have been forgiven, and they can restore their license.”

— Oregon Catalyst: Don’t forget to use your (free) political tax credit in 2023.

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