Testimony for the Joint Legislative Committee on the IBR
December 17, 2024 Joint Legislative Committee on the IBRSalem, OR 97301 Dear Committee…
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Extending the Yellow MAX Line to Vancouver Is TriMet’s Worst Idea Yet
By John A. Charles, Jr. At a December 17th meeting of the Joint…
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Why Are Portland School Construction Projects So Expensive?
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2021, Sherwood School District opened the largest…
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Portland to Expand Streetcar, Riders Not Included
By John A. Charles, Jr. In mid-November, the Portland City Council approved a…
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DEQ’s Plan to Raise the Cost of Driving Should Be Cancelled
By John A. Charles, Jr. On November 21, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission…
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The Siren Song of free school meals
By John A. Charles, Jr. Thirty years ago, an iconic goal of liberal…
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Opinion – Oregon’s ‘Rebate’ Proposal Is a Backdoor Tax Increase
By Bill Conerly Will voters in the deep-blue State of Oregon vote for…
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More humility needed
By A. John Charles, Jr. Environmental advocates who demand that we buy certain…
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Metro, Please Learn from Past Mistakes
By Seth Bowman The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) was opened in 1990 with…
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Rising Costs and Diminishing Returns
By Brittany Hjelte The Oregon Legislature has mandated that large utilities deliver 100%…
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With Declining Enrollments, Why Is Portland Building Bigger High Schools?
By Ethan Rohrbach The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School is nearing completion….
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Is Affordable, Reliable Electricity a Service of the Past?
By Brittany Hjelte Oregon politicians banned the use of coal for electricity generation…
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Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2620. The…
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Zero-emissions? Not Really
By Emily Schutte When an Electric Vehicle is marketed as “zero-emission,” consumers expect…
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There is no Field of Dreams at the Expo Center
By Seth Bowman The Portland Expo Center has been serving our region through…
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Portland Public Schools’ Building Costs Are Shaking Up Budgets
By Brittany Hjelte Worries about the Cascadia Subduction Zone have persisted for the…
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Is a New, Earthquake-Ready Burnside Bridge Necessary?
By Ethan Rohrbach For the past 40 years, the scientific community has been…
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Testimony: Testimony to Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission on PPS Budget
June 4, 2024 Ms. Allegra WillhiteExecutive DirectorMultnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission…
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EVs = bad business
By Emily Schutte Electric Vehicles are bad business. To boost sales in a…
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Paying Twice for Oregon’s Roads
By John A. Charles, Jr. A committee of the Oregon legislature will soon…
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PPS levy perpetuates ongoing discrimination
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board is asking voters to…
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Cascade Policy Institute Seminars: The How-To’s of Making a Difference in Local Policy
Come join us for an exciting free seminar series with Cascade Policy Institute, where you’ll…
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Equity Funding Has Not Closed the Racial Achievement Gap in Portland Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach April 2024 Non-white students have historically performed worse in Portland…
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The Affordable Housing Scam
By Randal O’Toole Executive Summary U.S. taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars…
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The prudent person principle should be applied to all publicly funded projects
By Karen Rue Last week, Cascade Policy Institute provided suggestions to the Board…
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Letter to the Department of State Lands re: Draft Asset Management Plan
April 3, 2024 Vicki WalkerDirector, Oregon Department of State Lands775 Summer Street NESalem,…
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Letter to PPS Board: Recommendations for Jefferson Highschool Modernization Project
April 2, 2024 Mr. Gary HollandsChair, Portland Public School Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland,…
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By 2027, All Alabama Students Will Have Educational Choice
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Alabama became the most recent state to increase…
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Repealing Oregon’s EV mandate should be next on Gov. Kotek’s list
By John A. Charles, Jr. Recently Gov. Tina Kotek decided to pull the…
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More Money is Not the Solution
By Joshua Schutte The Oregonian recently reported that “Oregon students as a whole…
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Rose Quarter I-5 Project Testimony on ODOT AVT Proposed Partnership Agreement
March 12, 2024 Ms. Julie BrownChairOregon Transportation Commission355 Capitol Street NESalem, OR 97301…
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Legislative committee wants to extend commuter rail to Salem at a cost of $118 per ride
By John A. Charles, Jr. On February 22, the Joint Committee on Transportation…
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Oregon Needs More Than Tiny Homes
By John A. Charles, Jr. The 35-day session of the Oregon Legislature opened…
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Testimony before the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response Regarding HB 4002, HB 4036 and SB 1555
John A. Charles, Jr.President & CEOFebruary 7, 2024 Cascade’s mission is to promote…
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Oregon’s Reliance on Fossil Fuels Is Growing, Not Shrinking
By John A. Charles, Jr. During the holidays, the Oregon Department of Energy…
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Reviving Downtown Portland Requires Stronger Medicine
By John A. Charles, Jr. Last week Gov. Tina Kotek released the recommendations…
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Why More Money Won’t Solve the Problems in Portland Public Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. At the Portland Public Schools board meeting last…
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Re: Adoption of RTP and HCT Plan
November 29, 20323 Metro Council600 NE Grand AvenuePortland, OR 97232 Re: Adoption of…
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Taxpayers Have Been Generous to Portland Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. In any prolonged strike, it is usually assumed…
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What The New Homeschool Demographic Means For School Choice
By Mia Tiwana The homeschool landscape is changing. Our approach to school funding…
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It’s Time to End Home Equity Theft in Oregon
By Mia Tiwana It’s time to end home equity theft in Oregon. In…
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School Choice Programs Don’t Cause Tuition Inflation
By Kathryn Hickok A long-standing question about taxpayer-funded school choice programs like vouchers,…
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North Carolina Becomes the 9th State to Offer Students Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok North Carolina has become the ninth state to enact universal…
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Testimony of Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Submitted to Portland City Council
September 19, 2023 Re: Agenda Item 798—Portland Clean Energy Community Benefits Fund (PCEF)…
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Portland’s $750 million climate slush fund
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2018, local voters approved the creation of…
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2023 – An Outstanding Year for School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 has been an outstanding year for school choice. Utah,…
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RealClear Opinion Poll Shows 71% of Registered Voters Support School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok A June 2023 RealClear Opinion Research survey of registered voters…
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Oregon Should Let Voters Reconsider Clean Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva For over 40 years, Oregon has outlawed the construction of…
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Let Oregon Voters Reconsider Nuclear Power
By Micah DeSilva Earlier this year, Oregon lawmakers proposed legislation allowing voters to reconsider their 1980 decision to effectively ban construction of new nuclear…
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Making Driving More Expensive Won’t Fix Oregon’s Congested Roads
By Micah DeSilva Metro is the regional government of the greater Portland region….
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Oregon’s 2040 Electric Utility Mandates Rely on Future Technology–or Buying Electricity from Other States
By Micah DeSilva Two years ago, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2021,…
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Metro Nature Parks are Hidden by Design
By John A. Charles, Jr. In June the elected Auditor for Metro published…
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Portland Needs More Than a Small Tax Break
By Sam Herrin Two weeks ago, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced plans to…
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Politicians Should Stick to Politics and Leave Technology Alone
By John A. Charles, Jr. Just four days before legislative adjournment, House Bill…
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School Choice States Open Doors of Opportunity for Generations of Children
By Kathryn Hickok Three states recently expanded education options for K-12 students through…
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The Oregon Senate has been shut down for a month. Does anyone care?
By John A. Charles, Jr. Most Republican members of the Oregon Senate have…
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More Money, Same Result
By Sam Herrin “More money, same result” is what Oregon’s Senate voted for…
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A Failure of Political Leadership
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Oregon Senate has come to a standstill…
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Replacing the I-5 Interstate Bridge Is Not a Solution for Anything
By John A. Charles, Jr. Over the next four weeks, the Oregon legislature…
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Money for Nothing
By John A. Charles, Jr. Over the next five weeks, the Oregon legislature…
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Homeowners, Business Owners, and Retirees: Multnomah County is Coming for Your Life Savings
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If you’re a Multnomah County homeowner, business owner, or…
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Oregon Needs More Temporary Shelter and the Means to Encourage People to Use It
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Elected officials across the state are scrambling to do…
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Time to Sound-Off on ODOT’s Tolling Proposal
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. In about 18 months, Portland-area drivers will be paying…
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Oregon Legislature Lines Up a Spending Blow-Out
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. While Oregonians are filling out their tax returns, their…
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Comments on I-205 Toll Project Environmental Assessment
Eric Fruits, Ph.D.Cascade Policy Institute Submitted to theOregon Department of TransportationApril 6, 2023…
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Portlanders Are Voting with Their Feet
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Oregon’s economic engine is losing steam. For the second…
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ODOT Admits Its Tolls Will Make Oregonians Worse Off
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. In about 18 months, Portland-area drivers will be paying…
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A Misplaced Moral Panic Over Teen Vaping
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The moral crisis over vaping has hit the Oregon…
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Snowstorm Shows Taxpayers the City of Portland’s Dystopian Side
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week’s snowstorm was more than a snow-pocalypse, it…
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ODOT Says Households Will Pay $575 a Year in Its First Round of Tolls
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This next week is going to be a big…
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When the State Stays Silent, It’s Easy to Assume the Worst
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. What do spy balloons, a state liquor scandal, and…
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Press Release: Cascade Policy Institute Research Shows Education Savings Accounts Can Foster School Choice While Boosting Per-Student Funding
February 9, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Small Steps Toward the Stone Age: Biden’s Gas Stove Ban
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. My, how time flies. Just last month, I warned…
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ODOT Is Gassed Up and Ready to Go on Tolling: But They Don’t Know Where They’re Going
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. “We got a full tank of gas, half a…
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A Holiday Wishlist for Oregon
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. ‘Tis the season for holiday wishes. And, toward that…
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Tolling’s Political Pile-Up
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If the Oregon Department of Transportation has its way,…
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Multnomah County Is Going “Ban”-anas
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. First they banned styrofoam, then last week they banned…
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Magical Thinking Won’t Fill the Fuel Tank
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Portland is a world leader in magical thinking on…
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For Oregon’s New Governor, Great Power Comes with Great Responsibility
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s the day after Election Day and the votes…
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Oregon Needs a Free-Market Makeover
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D “What’s the one thing you’d do to fix Oregon?”…
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Mayor Wheeler Offers a Mixed Bag of Homelessness Solutions
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler and his council…
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Portland’s “Moon Shot” to Solve Homelessness: Lessons from Apollo 13
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This week, Portland City Council is considering five resolutions…
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No on Measure 26-225: Metro’s Parks and Nature Program Needs a Reset
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Yet again, Metro is asking for more money for…
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ADA Lawsuit Is a First Step Toward Addressing Region’s Homelessness Crisis
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. For most of us, homeless tents blocking sidewalks are…
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PCC Wants More of Your Tax Dollars to Spend Its Way out of a Slump
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The ballot for November’s election is filling up, and…
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Oregon’s Budget: Out-of-Control Spending and Misplaced Priorities
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. If you feel like Oregon politicians are spending more,…
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Oregon Legislature Should End the GET Green Energy Fiasco
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It seems everywhere you look, “clean energy” is in…
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Gotta Get Rid of the GET Green Energy Boondoggle
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It seems everywhere you look, “clean energy” is in…
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Solar Panels in a Dark Room
By Taylor Marks In 2014, Fire Station 21, located on SE Madison St….
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TriMet’s Electric Bus Plans Could Burst into Flames
By Mia Tiwana Connecticut’s bus service just pulled its entire fleet of electric…
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Portland’s Clean Energy Fund Didn’t Deserve a Green Light
By James Swyter and Mia Tiwana This month, Portland City Council approved $118…
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Local Governments Must Change Course to Fix Their Policy Crises
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Things are not going well in the Portland region….
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This Green Fund Doesn’t Deserve a Green Light
By Mia Tiwana Have you heard of the Portland Clean Energy Fund? Portlanders…
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Welcome to Portland, Where Getting a Job Is Easy but Staying Safe Is Hard
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Two of my kids are young adults working retail….
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Portland’s all-or-nothing city charter ballot measure may add up to no reforms at all
By Taylor Marks Too much, all at once. Portland’s city charter is long…
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Lights Out: A Lesson in Local Government
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Last week, an Oregonian story reported that for years,…
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Portland’s “EV Ready Code” Isn’t That Electric
By Mia Tiwana Portland City Council is trying its best to bring electric…
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A Boring Budget Item Highlights Public Safety Dysfunction
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s budget season for local governments in Oregon. Budgets…
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Press Release: The $60 Million Question: Cascade Policy Institute Questions PPS Bond Spending
May 24, 2022 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: Eric Fruits, Ph.D.Office: (503) [email protected]…
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The $60 Million Question: What Is the Center for Black Student Excellence?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. and Mia Tiwana Executive Summary In November 2020, Portland…
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