WASHINGTON — The Obama Administration Thursday endorsed full-scale protections for gay and transgender workers from job discrimination, giving a major boost to legislation written by Se. Jeff Merkley that is based on similar protections offered in Oregon. “No American should be denied a job or the opportunity to earn promotions,
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer of California introduced a bill last week to help community banks get credit flowing again. The Bank on Our Communities Act allocates existing bank bailout funds to allow community banks to raise private capital, get lending moving again
WASHINGTON — Now that many small banks are staggering under losses from real estate and business loans, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said they deserve the same federal aid given to big Wall Street banks over the past year. Merkley introduced a plan to bail out small banks on Wednesday —
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, has lent his support to a bill that would protect bank customers from excessive overdraft fees. The Fairness and Accountability in Receiving Overdraft Coverage Act would require banks to gain customer consent before enrolling them in overdraft protection programs, limit the number of
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., was shepherding Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd, D-Conn., around Portland Monday to talk up legislation that seeks to prevent “abusive financial practices” by forming a Consumer Financial Protection Agency. You’re not hearing much about this now, overshadowed as it is by the congressional battle over health
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley is co-sponsoring a bill that would repeal the legal protections for telecommunications companies who helped the U.S. government with unauthorized post- 9-11 surveillance. April Baer reports. Merkley’s joined forces with Senate power-hitters Christopher Dodd, Patrick Leahy, and Russ Feingold in an attempt to undo the legal
Political and business leaders from the Northwest to Washington, D.C. stepped into the spotlight Thursday on the issue of climate change. Rob Manning reports. Within hours of each other Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency rolled out new greenhouse gas rules, leading Democrats in D.C. announced a Senate bill to deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., took administration officials to task on Thursday for the snail’s pace at which federal aid is reaching homeowners at risk of foreclosure. While the foreclosure rate in Central Oregon and nationwide remains high, lenders have been slow to modify mortgages for borrowers on
WASHINGTON – Expressing frustration at the slow pace of a key program, Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley is pressing federal officials to explain why $75 billion in funding to help people avoid foreclosure is not flowing faster to people in need. In a pair of letters this week to Treasury Secretary
Sen. Jeff Merkley predicted Friday that Congress will create a health care reform package by Christmas that will pool participants and increase competition among insurers to reduce health care costs. During a conversation with three people in Medford, the Oregon Democrat said a government-managed public insurance program “remains the big
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