Partisan conflict stalls Oregon jobs bills


As 2012 session winds down, Democrats and Republicans spar over natural resources, public works, and job creation proposals.

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As 2012 session winds down, Democrats and Republicans spar over natural resources, public works, and job creation proposals.

It was good news when Oregon’s unemployment rate finally dropped below 9 percent in December. But the state remains higher than the national average; more than 175,000 Oregonians are still looking for work.

Republicans want to leverage Oregon’s natural resources, creating more jobs by increasing logging on state forests, drawing more water out of the Columbia River for farmers and expanding enterprising zones that offer tax breaks to businesses that locate in economically hard-hit areas.

Democrats’ jobs agenda focuses primarily on getting capital into the hands of businesses through government-backed loans, grants or public works projects.

Read more at Oregonlive.