OPP supported bill (HB2762)for State Bank study commission to be vetoed by Governor Kotek

The Oregon Public Banking Alliance's supported bill (SB2763) in the Oregon legislature passed with bi-partisan majority votes in both the OR House and OR Senate. Yet Gov. Kotek has indicated that she will veto the measure.

Oregon Progressive Party legal advisor, Dan Meek, submitted this letter to the Governor.

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The State of Oregon has over $115 billion of investment funds, much placed with those bankers and operators. They charge Oregon huge fees (not disclosed), likely over $1 billion annually, and invest almost 100% in businesses outside of Oregon.

That includes $223 million in “an Israeli company whose smartphone spyware has been used against dissidents, human rights defenders and journalists by repressive regimes” and “two prison companies that run immigrant detention facilities.” -- Associated Press (November 19, 2019)

Oregon and its counties, cities, and districts also pay to Wall Street huge fees of about 5% of the $3 billion in public works bonds floated annually.

So Wall Street gets paid to take our money and then gets paid again to loan it back to us.

Eject the middle men: create a STATE BANK OF OREGON to avoid fees and use our investment funds for Oregon-based public works, housing, small business opportunities. Local governments should borrow needed funds from our State Bank at much lower interest rates. See http://www.orpublicbank.org.

I learned that you are considering vetoing HB 2763, which would at least start the ball rolling with a study.
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Senate Approves $886 billion war budget for FY2024

WAR BUDGET VOTE is bi-partisan again. On July 26, 2023, the Senate in a 86-11 vote (with three Senators not voting) approved the Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Bill (S2226).

Once again Oregon's two Senators voted NO.

Others voting no included both Senators from MA (Sen. Markley and Warren) and VT (Sen. Sanders and Welch). In the past Oregon has been the only or one of two states where both Senators voted No. Oregon has frequently been joined by MA).

Once again the No votes were strongly out numbered by the Yes votes. The 11 No votes were 6 Democrats, 4 Republicans and 1 Independent (Bernie Sanders). The Yes votes were almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. See the Vote record: https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00212.htm?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#state

Sen Sanders amendment to cut the budget by 10% was defeated by 88 No to 11 Yes. Amoung the Yes votes to cutting the budget were OR Senators Merkley and Wyden, VT Senators Sanders and MA Senators Warren and Markey. See the vote record https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00203.htm?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email#position

Neither Sen Merkley nor Sen Wyden issued a press release explaining their vote.

Sen Sanders/Rep. Scott introduce $17 minimum wage bill into Congress

Sen. Sanders and Rep. Bobby Scott introduced a bill into Congress Tuesday to increase the federal min wage to $17/hour from its present $7.25/hour. It has been $7.25/hour since 2008. This increase would happen over the coarse of 5 years. In addition to the increase in min wage, the subminimum wage will be eliminated for teens, the disabled, and tipped workers. And future min wage increases will be tied to the annual increase in the median worker wage. No longer will Congress need to agree to increase the min wage. 28 million workers will see increases in their wages, about $3100 annually. 14 million of those workers benefits will be people of color.

The bill name is Raise the Wage Act of 2023; it was cosponsored by 146 members of Congress and 29 Senators. We don't know yet who those co-sponsors are. Nor do we know the bill number.

More details of the bill are available in this Common Dreams article: https://www.commondreams.org/news/17-minimum-wage

Read the text of the bill here: https://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/imo/media/doc/raise_the_wage_act_bill_text.pdf

Read the Economic Policy Institute's analysis of the bill here: https://www.epi.org/publication/rtwa-2023-impact-fact-sheet/

But is $17/hour enough?

While there is great reason to welcome this move by Sanders and Scott to increase the federal min. wage to $17/hour over the course of 5 years, we must recognize that $17/hour is not a livable wage. A livable wage that would afford the ability to rent an apartment should be $21 to $24 per hour.

Rebecca Gordon puts some perspective on this question of a livable wage in this article, also from Common Dreams: https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/unaffordable-housing-washington-dc

UPDATE 7/28/23
BILL NUMBERS/LIST OF CO-SPONSORS NOW AVAILABLE

The bill numbers are S2488 in the Senate and HB 4889 in the House.

Here in Oregon Reps. Blumenauer, Bonamici, Hoyle, are all cosponsors. Andrea Salinas is missing and needs to be encouraged to add herself to the list of co-sponsors. Naturally, the two Republicans from Oregon are not co-sponsors, that is Chavez-DeFemer and Bentz. In the US Senate, both Sens. Merklley and Wyden are co-sponsors. Overall there are 150 House members listed with 29 Senators, all Democrats.

Sen Sanders to vote No on new $886 B war budget

Sen Sanders has written an op-ed, published in The Guardian, saying that he will vote against the $889 billion NDAA (war budget) when it comes before the Senate, likely next week.

Op-ed link: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/24/the-pentagon-doesnt-need-886bn-i-oppose-this-bloated-defense-budget

I am going to copy and mail it to our two Senators and my US Representative Earl Blumenauer, asking them to follow Sen. Sanders' lead and vote No also. And I will further ask them to issue press releases following their vote explaining their vote, in favor or opposed.

Find their addresses here: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member

House approves $886 billion war budget for FY2024

 The House last night approved the National Defense Authorization Bill (HR2670) to provide funding for the Dept of Defense and other war making agencies of the federal government, including some very right-wing amendments offered by Republicans.   Here is the story:  https://www.commondreams.org/news/four-house-dems-join-gop-to-pass-886-billion-military-bill-packed-with-right-wing-amendments  Amendments from progressive members of Congress were removed from the final bill.

Note that four Democrats voted with the Republicans for the bill, including Marie Gluesenkamp Perez from Wash. state (Vancouver).

Also important is that this bill approved an amount $28 billion larger than last years budget.  And I does not include the amendment which would have moved $100 billion from the budget to domestic needs, like affordable housing, infrastructure repair, water system repairs, funds to reduce student debt and so much more. 

All Oregon Dems voted No; all Oregon Republicans voted Yes. See https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2023328   

Now the Senate needs to enact their version, and assuming that it will be different from the House version it will go to a joint committee of the House and Senate for negotiations and working out a final version for both the House and Senate to approve (or not).  This process is on a fast track for completion asap.  

I would recommend calls to our representatives thanking OR Dem for their NO votes  asking that their issue statement explaining why they voted No.  

Find your representative/senator contact info here:  https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member   

Please use the Common Dreams article (link above) for talking points. 

Thanks,