July 8 Republican lawmaker threatens Oregon Senate president
The senate special committee has ordered Senator Brian Boquist, a Republican from Dallas, Ore., give 12-hour notice before coming to the Capitol after threats of violence. Sen. Boquist threatened Senate President Peter Courtney that “hell is coming to visit you personally” if Courtney sends state troopers to retrieve the absent republican lawmakers, as well as implying intent to harm any state trooper sent to retrieve him, according to Willamette Week. Boquist claims threats came out of a heated discussion and were not serious. The remarks were made before the Republican Senators nine-day walk out.
July 8 Bill to prevent FBI and ICE from access to Oregon driver’s records
Oregon House Bill 2015 would prevent the FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement from using the state’s driver’s database to conduct facial recognition sweeps for undocumented immigrants, according to OregonLive. The bill would also grant people without proof of citizenship or legal residence access to legal driver’s licenses. Currently around a dozen states and the District of Columbia allow people without proof of citizenship or legal residence to legally have driver’s licenses, according to OregonLive.
July 11 Premera Blue Cross to pay Oregon after data breach
Premera Blue Cross has agreed to pay $10.4 million to 30 states, including Oregon, after an investigation of a data breach which exposed the confidential information of more than 10 million people, according to OregonLive. Premera Blue Cross is the largest health insurer in the Pacific Northwest, and approximately 700,000 Oregonians were affected by the breach. Oregon will receive $1.3 million. According to KTVZ, the company had been warned by cybersecurity experts and internal auditors about holes in the system, yet the company failed to fix them. The breach lasted from May 2014 to March 2015, in which hackers sent an email posed as a communication from the company’s IT department.
July 11 ICE protests target Portland Businesses
Members of Occupy ICE PDX entered Microsoft’s downtown Portland store and two Bank of the West buildings to demand the businesses sever relationships with ICE, according to OregonLive. The protest at the Microsoft store was disrupted when, according to Willamette Week, a counter protester threatened the protesters with a knife. The counter protester was then arrested by Portland police on charges of menacing, disorderly conduct and unlawful use of a weapon. The protest was part of a “week of action.” The group also demonstrated at ICE’s Portland headquarters on July 12.