Audit questions how Oregon spent some of the $11.6 billion received for federal programs in 2018

The Oregon Secretary of State’s annual financial audit of state agencies that receive federal dollars uncovered a number of concerning issues, including questionable costs and data errors within foster care and other welfare programs.

Instead of the usual deep dive on a specific issue or agency, the audit takes a sweeping look at federally funded programs and in some cases, examines small sample sets in order to determine potential patterns.

Among the findings, audit officials said Thursday that the review of the 2018 fiscal year found Department of Human Services officials had not properly tracked payments to welfare recipients under the federal Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. That problem led to overpayment in some cases, according to the audit. The review also found inaccuracies in identifying who is eligible for assistance, a recurring problem that the state has faced since 2010.

Also, in a review of 60 foster care cases, the audit reported several instances in which the state didn’t complete criminal background checks or properly vet prospective foster homes. In conjunction with those findings, auditors questioned as much as $800,000 in costs.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/audit-questions-how-oregon-spent-some-of-the-116-billion-received-for-federal-programs-in-2018.html

Oregon teens push for lowering voting age to 16

Hundreds of teens spent their spring break pleading with Oregon state lawmakers to consider lowering the voting age to 16, saying young people deserve a say on issues that will directly shape their future including gun control and global climate change.

"The decisions our election officials make now will affect us for the rest of our lives, which is why we need a say," Jeremy Clark, a 14-year-old from Portland, testified on Wednesday. "We are tired of waiting for the adults to take action."

Legislators are considering changing the state constitution to lower the voting age to 16 in all elections, including for federal office. The move would ultimately need approval from voters in the 2020 ballot.

Teens around the country have emerged as a powerful political force since a school shooting at Parkland, Florida, that left 17 students and teachers dead. Students have since staged multiple school walkouts calling for more gun control, and have separately staged political demonstrations demanding action on climate change.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/oregon-teens-push-for-lowering-voting-age-to-16.html

Marianne Williamson adds 'meaning' to Democratic presidential field with quixotic 'inner' campaign;

When Steve Novick was asked about one of the Democratic presidential candidates earlier this month, he drew a blank.

The long-time progressive activist, who’s closely following his party’s nomination sweepstakes, had to put the name into Google:

Marianne Williamson. Aha! An American spirituality teacher, author and entrepreneur.

She officiated at Elizabeth Taylor’s eighth (and last) wedding, a circus-like event at Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/marianne-williamson-adds-meaning-to-democratic-presidential-field-with-quixotic-inner-campaign-her-rivals-are-noticing.html

Oregon foster kids removed from county juvenile jail that limited tampon access

Oregon child welfare officials are removing foster children from a Klamath Falls residential program located in a county juvenile jail, after lawyers and state lawmakers raised concerns that the girls did not have free access to tampons.

Girls recently were given access to three free tampons at a time, but only if they turned over their used hygiene products to staff.

Four girls in foster care were assigned to the program as of this week, and the state is moving all of them to other locations by April 1, a Department of Human Services spokesman said.

Lawyers who represent children in foster care first sounded the alarm about the hygiene products earlier this month, after one of the teenagers complained that staff would only provide tampons if she earned points for good behavior.

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2019/03/state-removes-foster-youth-from-program-that-limited-tampon-access.html

Oregon Health Authority falls short on fixing Medicaid payment problems

The Oregon Health Authority still needs to strengthen its efforts to detect and avoid improper Medicaid payments, the Oregon Secretary of State's office said Wednesday.

The office's audit division released a follow-up report to a 2017 audit that found widespread problems in the Health Authority's payment system for Medicaid.

The report on Wednesday found that two of the eight recommendations in the audit have been put in place and six recommendations have been partially implemented.

OHA officials agreed with all the recommendations.

"While OHA has made progress, more work is still needed to fully resolve these recommendations and further improve processes to reduce improper payments," the report said.

Read more: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/politics/2019/03/27/oregon-health-authority-short-on-fixing-medicaid-payment-problems/3278835002/

Commercial, labor taxes among ideas to raise $2 billion for Oregon schools

The Legislature's Joint Subcommittee on Revenue has moved forward with discussions on three potential tax options that would create revenue specifically for Oregon's schools, totaling more than $660 million per year.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown wants to raise nearly $2 billion for education in the 2019-21 biennium and she's tasked the Joint Committee on Student Success with making it happen.

The committee, comprised of 14 senators and representatives from both sides of the aisle, has been meeting since January 2018 to study the most critical issues in schools today — including disruptive behaviors in class and a lack of mental health counselors — then brainstorm ways to make the proposed solutions reality.

The subcommittee on revenue has begun hearing logistics from the Legislative Revenue Office on certain ideas. They heard three possible tax options at their meeting Tuesday evening, each of which includes a reduction in personal income tax rates.

Read more: https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/education/2019/03/28/education-oregon-legislature-governor-kate-brown-taxes/3270267002/

Oregon union membership rate declines, report says

SAN FRANCISCO - Union members accounted for 13.9 percent of wage and salary workers in Oregon last year, a drop from the 2017 rate of 14.9 percent but still the 11th-highest rate in the nation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Richard Holden noted that the union membership rate for Oregon was at its peak in 1989, when it averaged 21.6 percent, and at its low point in 2016 at 13.5 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.)

Nationwide, union members accounted for 10.5 percent of employed wage and salary workers in 2018, down 0.2 percentage point from the 2017 rate.

Since 1989, when comparable state data became available, union membership rates in Oregon have been above the U.S. average.

Read more: https://www.ktvz.com/news/oregon-union-membership-rate-declines-report-says/1062837714

Nike squares off against Intel, other businesses over big Oregon tax hike

In a legislative session already overflowing with power plays, shifting alliances and palace intrigue, the most surprising battle may be unfolding outside the Capitol.

Intel and Nike, Oregon’s two largest corporations, find themselves on opposite sides of the debate over Kate Brown’s proposed $2 billion business tax hike. Actually, it’s Intel and much of the rest of the business community against Nike, which alienated some usual allies by teaming with the public employees’ unions.

The battle of business titans has slowed the tax debate to a crawl. Gov. Kate Brown and other political leaders are waiting for the sign that the private sector has agreed upon a plan.

“While both Intel and Nike have reasonable assumptions about the various proposals, we really need specific bill language and evaluation by state revenue officials before going further,” said Nik Blosser, Gov. Kate Brown’s chief of staff. “No one wants to pick sides between two of our state’s most important companies.”

Read more: https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2019/03/nike-squares-off-against-intel-other-businesses-over-big-oregon-tax-hike.html

Oregon House OKs bill removing cap on noneconomic injury damages

SALEM — Oregon would no longer cap damages awarded for so-called “pain and suffering” resulting from bodily injury under a bill approved by the state House.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the measure passed 36-22 on Monday and now moves to the Senate.

The measure would remove a $500,000 limit on noneconomic damages that was put in place by a 2016 Oregon Supreme Court ruling. Noneconomic damages are defined in the bill as “subjective, nonmonetary losses” and could include emotional distress, humiliation and injury to a person’s reputation.

They differ from economic damages, which are usually awarded to cover the cost of medical care, lost wages and damage to property.

Read more: https://www.registerguard.com/news/20190326/oregon-house-oks-bill-removing-cap-on-noneconomic-injury-damages

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Mike Pence Goes Where No VP Has Gone Before