Beer is a hot topic in this year’s 2011 Legislative Session. You can find beer bills, so to speak, by using the search engine at the Legislature’s website: I found these today:
HB2100
HB2262
HB2588
HB2644
HB2924
HB3145
HB3110
And then there is 2011 Senate Bill 444, which doesn’t pop up in the Legislature’s search-engine, which is a puzzle, but not the first time we’ve noticed the problem.
I was able to answer a reference question the other day with a Jack Ohman cartoon – the one about redistricting in Sunday’s (2/6/11) Oregonian – very funny. The patron was pleased.
I’m not the only law librarian who says that “reference” duty is the best job in a library. It also helps if you read widely, including political cartoons. (I grew up, so to speak, with Herblock and it’s nice now to be in Jack Ohman territory (Oregonian-home).
Political cartoonists are amazing people – political, literary, artistic, comedic, disquieting, and not infrequently sources of reference information.
It all started with a simple citation. One of our patrons had a case from the Oregon Court of Appeals and was looking for previous history information. The first thing that should have set off my radar that this would not be a simple request was the patron’s mention that the case was affirmed without opinion. Not knowing the twisting path before me, I happily set off on my journey.
Day 1:
“Abandoning Law Reports for Official Digital Case Law,” Cornell Legal Studies Research Paper No. 11-01, Peter W. Martin, Cornell Law School
As you’ll see when you read and think about this, there are good ways to go about shifting to digital and there are irresponsible ways.
(Thank you to Legal Research Plus for the lead.)
If you have a Washington or California state legal research or resource question, and especially if you’re new to legal research, check out that state’s law libraries legal research resources: websites, blogs, and maybe even just use the telephone!
1) Washington State has some excellent county law libraries.
2) Mary Whisner, University of Washington Law School librarian, keeps a list of Washington State Law Blogs up to date.
The Law Librarian blog posted a very funny video today from the Onion News Network titled Congress Forgets How to Pass a Law. As an added bonus, the video offers a shout-out to the Library of Congress (and mentions legislators frantically searching wikipedia).
From the Onion’s website:
After years of gridlock, Democrats and Republicans have realized no one remembers how to actually enact legislation.
The Classroom Law Project has loads of fun volunteer opportunities, some of which are for a few hours, a day, or every week or month.
Check the Classroom Law Project website for more information or telephone them: (503) 224-4424
You can sign-up right now to volunteer at the 2011 Mock Trial Competition.
In addition to Laura’s most recent post on leaving children home alone, June 15, 2009, and our newly updated Kids Home Alone in Oregon legal research guide, here are a few websites with information and resources on leaving children home alone and child care:
1) “Babysitting Basics” class from the Oregon Red Cross:
“Designed for youth ages 8 to 11, this two-and-a-half-hour Red Cross course prepares children to respond safely to a variety of situations when direct parent supervision is unavailable”
Question: Do Oregon Senate or House Joint Resolutions have to be signed by the Governor?
Answer: (with many thanks to Legislative Counsel staff):
A Senate or House Join Resolution does not have to be signed by the Governor. Only “bills” must be presented to the Governor. The Legislative Assembly uses Joint Resolutions to refer constitutional amendments directly to the people under section 1, Article XVII of the Oregon Constitution. Since Joint Resolutions and constitutional amendments are not “bills” they do not have to go to the Governor.
Are you interested in becoming a landlord? Several resources are available to help prepare you before taking the plunge and then support you after you have. To find not only landlord training and classes but also current forms, tenant screening services, updates on relevant legislation, and much more, look into the various professional associations for property owners and managers, such as the Oregon Rental Housing Association. Other Oregon landlord associations throughout the state can be found in the listing here.
In the Portland metropolitan area, two important organizations are the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland and the Metro Multifamily Housing Association. Also, the City of Portland’s Bureau of Development offers a “Landlord Training Program” for Portland-area property owners and managers. Watch for upcoming spring training sessions, or call 503-823-7324 to provide your email contact information; they will notify you when those spring dates are scheduled.
Both potential and current Oregon landlords may find the following publications useful as well:
