Payday lenders may seem to be everywhere, but they were not always there. The first payday stores opened in the early 1990s – a byproduct of the same anything-goes deregulatory mania that led to a wave of booby-trapped mortgages and the financial and economic meltdown of 2008. Almost as soon
Oregon’s two U.S. senators have joined a drive to reschedule marijuana as cannabis becomes more widely accepted as a medical treatment. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced last week three federal agencies will consider whether to move marijuana from “Schedule 1” of the federal government’s controlled substance list. Schedule 1 is the most
As the tax filing deadline approaches, Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley is asking the Internal Revenue Service to improve security. When Mark Ertle was doing his taxes a few years ago, he got a rude awakening. Someone had stolen his identity and filed his taxes to get the refund. “It was denied
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — More than 600,000 Americans were victims of tax ID fraud as of September 2015 and the IRS paid out $5.8 billion in fraudulent tax returns in 2013. With just a week left before tax day, Senator Jeff Merkley is taking action against tax identity theft. Merkley visited
The landmark Klamath agreements signed Wednesday are only one piece of the Basin’s water solution, groups say. Audubon California commended the deal while pointing out that Klamath wildlife refuges remain without water certainty and adequate water supplies to support migrating waterfowl. “We’re excited to see the removal of the Klamath
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and nine other Democrats are attempting to block a go-around they say payday lenders use to avoid complying with state laws. The Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act introduced Thursday would prevent payday lenders from using remotely created checks to withdraw
Senate Democrats are looking to crack down on payday lenders. The Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic (SAFE) Lending Act introduced Thursday by Sen.Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) would deliver a blow to payday lenders that critics say charge dangerously high interest rates and fees on short-term loans. The SAFE Act would block
Where others before him have failed, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon is championing a new savings vehicle to boost retirement security for the American workforce. He joins a coterie of policymakers and think tank denizens who are concerned about the 68 million full- and part-time workers without access to
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said rising house prices and rental costs, plus an extremely low rental vacancy rate, are contributing to an affordable housing crisis in Southern Oregon and across the state. “Families are just being absolutely squeezed as a result,” said Merkley, who met with local housing experts
Oregon U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley wants to help solve the affordable housing crisis. He was in Eugene Wednesday. Merkley says more people are moving to Oregon than to other U.S. states. And that contributes to a housing shortage here. Merkley says he’s secured about 30 million dollars in hardest hit
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