Our Oregon

Our Oregon is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting economic and tax fairness for all Oregonians.

What's New?

July 1, 2009

This legislative session, Consumer Protection Chairs Senator Suzanne Bonamici and Representative Paul Holvey led the fight for financial reforms that will allow families to keep more of their money, avoid predatory credit scams and build financial security.

These victories wouldn't have been possible without the support of advocates, and organizations from around the state including OSPIRG, Oregon Law Center, SEIU, AFL-CIO, AARP, the Oregon Department of Justice and Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.

As the legislative session began, the real impact of the national economic crisis was just starting to become apparent to all Oregonians. The number of Oregon families falling into foreclosure went from a troubling trickle to an astounding 64 per day; complaints against aggressive debt collectors topped the list of businesses unlawfully harassing consumers; and Oregonians working to dig themselves out of debt were being tricked into bad deals by unscrupulous companies making false claims at steep prices.

Oregon lawmakers used this crisis as an opportunity to stand up for everyday Oregonians and regulate credit policies that have been abused for far too long. Please join us in thanking legislators for standing up to the predatory lenders and irresponsible financial institutions that are even now looking to squeeze more out of families.

See below for a complete list of the consumer financial protection bills that passed this session.

Foreclosure and Home Lending Protections:

PASSED -- Pre-foreclosure Loan Modification Meeting: SB 628. Lenders will be required to give homeowners facing foreclosure the opportunity to request a meeting and do a good faith review of a homeowner's loan modification request.

PASSED -- Protections for Tenants in Foreclosure: SB 952. Between the new state law and the new federal law, tenants facing eviction due to a foreclosure will have more notice and less financial risk.

PASSED -- Mortgage Lending Rules: HB 2188. Increases protections for borrowers entering into high-risk loans including a provision aimed at ensuring better disclosure for families who negotiate their loan in a language other than English.

PASSED -- Mortgage Lender Licensing: HB 2189. With few exceptions, all mortgage brokers will now be subject to the same state rules and licensing guidelines.

Asset Protection:

PASSED -- Exempt Income Protection Act: SB 731. Shields protected income such as Social Security and Unemployment benefits from illegal garnishment.

PASSED -- Lemon Law: SB 515. Increased protections against "lemon" vehicles.

Regulation of Abusive Debt Collection Practices:

PASSED -- Enforcement of Unlawful Debt Collection Practice Act: SB 328. The state Attorney General now has the authority to take action against debt collectors who use abusive and illegal tactics against consumers.

PASSED -- Oversight of Debt Management Companies: HB 2191. Unscrupulous debt settlement companies will no longer be allowed to run free in Oregon.

Tea Bags and Hot Water

April 15, 2009

Today, Fox News and the right-wing astroturf machine tried to draw a phony historical parallel to the Boston Tea Party with "tea bag" parties in some cities.

"The historical analogy is just flat wrong. This isn't about taxation without representation; it's about right-wingers who don't want to accept that they just lost a national election," says Kevin Looper, executive director of Our Oregon.

"The real problem isn't that right-wing ideologues haven't been represented in our government, it's that the last decade of their governing has left the rest of us in such hot water."

Despite the tea party sideshow, the real story is that middle and working class families are the ones whose interests need better representation. For decades, average Americans and Oregonians have been increasingly left behind while tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy have skyrocketed--with the rest of us left to carry the burden. As the economy crumbles, those same working families are going to be hurt most.

If you're frustrated by the hypocrisy of today's tea party politics, join us in a real grassroots effort to make change in the lives of working people. Help progressives pass an economic fairness agenda in Salem that will provide tangible support and consumer protection for real Oregonians.

Thanks to the hard work of Rep. Paul Holvey and Senator Suzanne Bonamici, the Oregon legislature is considering numerous key consumer protection bills. Click here to find out more.

Taming abusive bill collectors

February 9, 2008

The Oregon legislature is considering two bills that would finally put an end to the abusive, unlawful practices that many debt collections agencies engage in. Harassment by debt collectors has been in the Department of Justice's Top Ten Consumer Complaint List for years now, but there is currently no agency that has the authority to enforce the law against these practices.

Senate Bill 328 and Senate Bill 386 would give the Oregon Department of Justice the authority to enforce laws against abusive debt collection practices and provide greater protection for Oregon consumers.

Go here for more information about these bills.

Legislature in Session

On January 11, amid a growing recession that is threatening middle-class and working families across the state, the Oregon Legislature convened its 75th session.

At the same time, as the impact of predatory lending practices becomes more apparent, the number of Oregon homeowners at risk of foreclosure continues to increase.

Last year, the Pew Center on the States released a report called �Defaulting on the Dream: States Respond to America�s Foreclosure Crisis,� which looked at the mortgage problems facing homeowners in every state. Here are some startling facts about Oregon from that report:

� 1 in 34 homeowners is projected to experience foreclosure on their home as a result of their high-cost loan.

� 20 percent of all loans made in 2005-2006 were subprime

� 43 percent of all homeowners will likely feel the ripple effects of foreclosures from subprime loans

� Affected homeowners are expected to lose $5,459 on average in property values

� $2.5 billion is projected to be lost from the combined state and local tax base

Click here for more information on what other states are doing to protect homeowners.