Today some updates on a range of civic issues:
Other States Ban Teacher Strikes
Oregon Republican legislators are proposing laws that would bar teachers from striking now that more than 40,000 students at Portland Public Schools have lost at least 10 school days this month. The proposal is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled legislature. But 37 states already bar the practice, including solidly Democratic places such as Massachusetts and New York, because they prohibit all public-sector unions from striking. [Oregon Capital Chronicle]
No Statewide Ban on Flavored Smokes
Multnomah and Washington counties — the two most populous in the state — have already passed bans on flavored tobacco. But state legislators appear unlikely to move forward on a statewide ban next year. Five states have already outlawed flavored tobacco. [Willamette Week]
Release for Lawyerless Put on Hold
There’s now a delay on the previously ordered release of Oregon defendants. A federal judge stepped in earlier this month to address the long-term shortage of public defenders and ordered the release of any defendant held for seven days without being assigned a public defender. A federal appeals court will hear a challenge after placing a temporary hold on that order, which was due to go into effect on Thursday. [Oregonian 🔒]
