Legal marijuana is so close, but the particulars of what it looks like are still very much up in the air. Some of that might change with House Bill 3400, a controversial piece of legislation that’ll go before for the full House of Representatives after weeks of tense sausage-making. What’s HB 3400 all about? It’d rein in the medical market a bit, and set standards for labels and packaging. The most controversial thing, though, is that it could pave the way for a whole bunch of the state to outlaw medical and recreational pot dispensaries.
As promised, House Speaker Tina Kotek has unveiled a minimum wage proposal that could increase Oregon’s to $13. That’s short of what many in Portland—including Commissioner Dan Saltzman—have called a sensible wage floor: $15. But Kotek’s also hoping to do away with the state law that prevents Portland from establishing its own minimum wage. The Speaker’s support goes a long way in the House, but it’s Senate President Peter Courtney who’s indicated he doesn’t have the stomach for a minimum wage discussion. So that might be an issue.
Oh, and the fate of a bill that’d make it more easy to opt out of standardized testing is unclear.
PLUS: A bill that would clear the way for Portland and other cities to purchase police body cameras is on the governor’s desk, as well. It’d mandate cops blur people’s faces before giving footage out in public records requests—something that the bill limits to narrow circumstances.
The Portland Public Schools Board of Education is prepping for a major changing of the guard. While the old gang’s still together, though, they figured they’d go ahead and extend Superintendent Carole Smith’s contract right quick. That didn’t sit well with many, and the boardhastily pulled back the extension, contenting itself with heaping praise on Smith.
The state IT manager who leaked former Gov. John Kitzhaber’s emails might not be facing criminal charges, but the HR case against him seems to think he’s sort of a liar.
Man, those wooden beams upholding all that deadly glass in Director Park are so rotten.
BE PRAISED! The Pope is about to come out—hard—against human-caused climate change, saying “man has slapped nature in the face.” Get it, Pope.
It’s JEB[exclamation point]. Please say the [exclamation point].
Something about how Rachel Dolezal once sued Howard University for treating her differently because she is white. And went on Today this morning to say she identifies as black.
And her older brother is accused of child sexual abuse?
The flailing Trans-Pacific Partnership creaks confusingly along, with all manner of baroque procedural scheming.
Carlos Knight & The Bay City Boys play you into your workday.
How Dolezal ever passed as ‘black’ is beyond me, but I would suggest that if the NAACP has no problem with her, then they should have no problem with all those white actors in blackface many years ago.