Oregon Senate approves bill easing access to heat relief

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A bill that would help renters access air conditioners and air filters passed the Oregon Senate 23-4 and is headed to the House for consideration. A record-breaking heat wave last June killed more than 500 people in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and western Canada. Most of those who died were lower-income or older residents who had no access to air conditioning and couldn’t leave their homes. The bill limits restrictions that landlords and homeowners associations can place on portable cooling devices and calls for the creation of a program to distribute air conditioners and filters to needy residents.