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Did you know that … “There is created the Task Force on Effective and Cost-Efficient Service Provision …”: House Bill 2920 (HTML or PDF) (Chapter 881, (2009 Laws): Effective date August 4, 2009).

“… The task force shall:

(a) Review opportunities to provide services in the most effective and cost-efficient manner;

(b) Consider the ability of intergovernmental agreements, existing or new service districts and technology to achieve costsavings;

(c) Encourage effective fiscal planning for counties managing the phaseout of federal forest safety net payments; and

(d) Recommend to the Governor and the Legislative Assembly anappropriate level of state fiscal support to counties….” (See also: Representative Nathanson appointment to Task Force)

I’m not sure if you are fully aware just how difficult it is to cut a state’s budget, especially one’s own state’s budget. Do you really want to cut programs that have substantial matching funds the state would lose? Do you want to cut programs that bring in self-supporting fees? Do you want to cut programs that would save us all a lot money in the short, medium or long term (e.g. education?) Do you really want to cut money from programs that protect our health and safety? See what I mean?

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For the record:

The “honest services law” is 18 U.S.C. 1346, which is a federal (not state) law that is found in the U.S. Code. It has a complex and fascinating (to some) history and is not simply about “honest services.” Honestly!

“TITLE 18, § 1346:Definition of “scheme or artifice to defraud”

For the purposes of this chapter, the term “scheme or artifice to defraud” includes a scheme or artifice to deprive another of the intangible right of honest services.”

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Ever wonder about Oregon laws on:

1) Meals and rest breaks
2) Deductions from pay
3) Student interns
4) Domestic workers
5) Apartment managers
6) Employment at will
7) Whistle blowing
8) References

You could start with the Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS), admittedly not the most user-friendly of books, but then what statutory compilation is?

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Bloomberg Law is set, later this month, to roll out its legal research database to compete, so we hear, with Lexis and Westlaw.

Blog reports on the rollout include Above the Law, Advocate’s Studio, and Legal Research Plus (an early review).

Expect many more posts as the actual rollout date approaches and passes.

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Non-attorney legal researchers often assume that legal indexes will use the same terms (also known as keywords, subject headings, or simply words) we use in real life. But they don’t! Welcome to my world.

(Databases also often refer to one search technique as “natural language searching.” Ha ha ha. There is little “natural” about each person’s use of the language, and there is even less that is “natural” when talking about the law. So, when you are told, “just use natural language,” I recommend you laugh darkly and do some research to find out a little about the profession’s unique nomenclature.)

When searching for criminal laws in the ORS Index, if your narrow, specific or your common sense search words don’t seem to be doing the trick, try looking under these main subject headings first, and then search using the words you selected:

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The Multnomah County Library’s book blogs (Furthermore and An Embarrassment of Riches) are addictive. Look under the September 17, 2009, Penalty of Death entry for links to two books about the Oregon death penalty.

Other research guides to books and articles about the death penalty can be found from libraries and they link you to website, organizations, and to the law and history of the death penalty.

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We just got our copy of this book on wine law. As you might imagine, the business of winemaking and wineries is full of law and business, plus the fun part, people, food, and wine.

Book Review: The Little Red Book of Wine Law: A Case of Legal Issues, by Heather A. Phillips, July 17, 2009.

I’ve traveled a little bit in Italy’s wine country (and there is nothing quite like listening to the grapevines talking to each other at night when they think you are sleeping) and here in Oregon. It’s a hard business, as any farming is, and the stories and dramas behind the bottle, so to speak, are the stuff of literature, not just how-to books.

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Parent University in Washington County (Oregon)

The Washington County Sheriff’s office is hosting a series of classes for parents. There is no specific class on When Can I Leave My Kids Home Alone? (the #1 question this blog gets, see here and here) on the agenda, but you can always ask the experts in the class.

Topics that will be included:

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