Natural Resources Reports

The Oregon Legislature began its 2025 session with a record number of bills filed before the session opened, at least in the 25 years that the Legislature’s Office of Legislative Counsel has been counting. The record-breaking continued this week, with 3,391 bills filed as of Wednesday. That’s nearly 100 more than the previous modern-day record set in 2001. This from an Oregonlive news article.

The Joint Committee On Ways and Means took action on March 14 on five bills to rebalance the 2023-25 budget. The bills go to the respective chambers for a vote where they should pass and be sent to the Governor for her signature. The legislature will then focus on the 2025-27 budgets.

On March 7, the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Capital Construction held public hearings and work sessions on five bills to rebalance the 2023-25 budget.

The Co-Chairs of the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water are working on a broad package of water-related bills, the 2025 Water Package. There is a Water Caucus raising the awareness of the need to address Oregon’s water needs. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor, a map that is updated every Thursday.

We are pleased to learn that Business Oregon’s Infrastructure bill, HB 3031 with a -1 amendment to clarify the criteria to be used to access the proposed $100 million fund, will have a public hearing on Feb. 26 in the House Committee On Housing and Homelessness. Although there are a few issues yet to resolve, the League expects to support this important funding bill.

Our state agencies often receive reimbursable grants where the agencies do the work required in the grant and apply to reimbursement. With the uncertainty of that reimbursement, many projects that were planned by agencies are on hold.

As we all hear news daily from the federal government, Rep. Gomberg provided some concerning information about the potential loss of federal funding here in Oregon: Thrown into uncertainty was the Oregon Health Plan.

Bills we are watching: SB 726 Requires the owner or operator of a municipal solid waste landfill to conduct surface emissions monitoring and report data as specified in the Act.

How to protect productive agricultural ground and forests by determining what uses should and shouldn’t be allowed on private agricultural and forest land in the state is top of mind as the 2025 session of the Oregon Legislature gets underway.

A League member attended virtually the Dec. 18-19 Board of Agriculture meeting. Peter Kenagy, Albany area farmer, announced the reactivation of the Ag for Oregon group who will be advocating for agricultural land use protections and address the expansion of agri-tourism.

Look for a new lobbying group to Keep Oregon Farming by advocating for MORE uses on farmland. A separate group will be advocating for reducing the current number of uses on farmland.

During the Sept. Interim Days, there were many presentations related to the importance of agricultural lands. Agriculture is the second most important and most stable industry in Oregon.

We have begun to work on legislation and budgets for 2025. With your help, we can continue to make a difference. Join us and volunteer!

The League provided comments to the Board of Agriculture as the 2024 session began. Oregon agriculture is the second most important and most stable industry in Oregon because of the hundreds of “crops” grown here.

SB 5701, the omnibus budget bill for 2024 was amended at the end of the session. The League was pleased with the breadth of programs funded as well as the policy bills that were also funded. But there were disappointments, too.

SB 5701 is the omnibus budget bill for 2024. It is currently populated with the items approved during the November and January Legislative Days.

SB 5701 is the 2024 omnibus budget bill. It is currently populated with the items approved during the November and January Legislative Days.

The Dept. of Environmental Quality presented information on the status of our Title V air quality program fees after the significant increase adopted in 2023.

The 2024 short session runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. Bills in most committees must be scheduled for a work session by Feb. 12 and acted on by Feb. 19th in the first chamber. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website.

The 2024 short session runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website. Bills will be posted soon on OLIS. Committee bills were introduced during the January 10-12 Legislative Days.

Volunteers are still needed to cover important issues like Air Quality, Recycling and Toxics. The League needs your voices! Training provided.

We hope you read the October 1st LWVOR All-Member Newsletter with the list of volunteers needed for the League’s Natural Resources Team. The League depends on YOU to help advocate—using our adopted positions.

The League’s Natural Resources Team added volunteers Paula Grisafi (Toxics) and Carolyn Mayers (Wildfire) and sadly lost a member, Kathy Moyd, who worked on both Climate and Natural Resource issues and was a valuable former NASA engineer with a variety of expertise and willingness to attend meetings virtually, provide written and verbal League testimony using League positions and personal expertise.

In spite of the drama, the 2023 legislative session had more success than failure as you will see below. We hope you wait for our Sine Die Report in August—after the Governor has signed the bills—or not, for a more complete report on the bills we worked on and their outcome. HCR 38 was passed and set the process for the February 2024 short session.

LWVOR joined with others in support of HB 3229. The bill would increase federal air quality (Title V) operating permit program fees that have not been increased for many years. The bill is in the W&M Capital Construction Subcommittee where amendments are being discussed.

The end of the session may be seen soon, although the official sine die is June 25th... (Oops! “Sine die” doesn’t pass the reading test…it’s "end of the session" I should use.) Bills are stacking up in the Senate as there is still no quorum to be able to vote on those bills—policies and budgets. If there is no resolution by the 25, look for a special session before the Sept. 15t deadline when many agencies will be unfunded. 

It’s mostly about budgets now, unless the Senate Republicans return to vote on policy bills awaiting a Senate chamber vote. Of interest is a new strategy of creating large budget bills combining a number of policy bills that need funding. Look for “packages” in this report’s Budget section. The latest word is W&Ms may finish by June 9th and then will wait for a return of Senators to the Senate chamber for a quorum. Otherwise, adjournment is June 25. 

With Policy Committees closed from moving bills out of committee (except for Rules, Revenue and Joint Committees), watch for interesting information sessions—to learn more about current issues and potential future ones. We continue to wait for a climate package and a water package, as well as most natural resource agency budgets to be scheduled. The League continues to advocate for the slew of bills in Ways and Means we supported earlier in session and listed in this report. 

We’ve got money! The May 17 Revenue Forecast declared an additional $1.96 billion available for the 2023-25 session. And the crazy “kicker” is up to about $5.5 billion!!  It could be about 50% of your 2023 Oregon taxes—shown up as a credit in 2024! Now we’ll see what the legislature does with all that money! We expect a package of climate bills and a water package.  The League will advocate for the slew of bills in Ways and Means we supported earlier in session. 

The League is scrambling to address good bills we want to pass and bad bills we hope will die. And some bills we want to amend to make them better or not worse! Deadlines are near—as is the end of session! We continue to wait for the May 17 Revenue Forecast. There are, of course, a slew of bills waiting for funding decisions in Ways and Means. 

The House voted out two of the session’s contentious bills:  HB 2002 related to health care and HB 2005 related to gun safety. They now head to the Senate where a walkout on May 3 has delayed voting on these bills. Agency budgets are moving to chambers for a vote. Policy bills had a May 5  Work Session scheduling deadline (but the bills have until May 19 to be “worked”). Now we wait for the May 17 Revenue Forecast. There are, of course, a slew of bills awaiting funding decisions in Ways and Means. 

Unless policy bills have headed to Ways and Means, we are watching them move to the second chamber. A few will see additional amendments, but most will simply have quick hearings, work sessions, and then will go to the second chamber for a vote. However, the Senate is still reading all bills and some Senators are using a number of delay tactics so the passage of bills out of the Senate chamber is very slow. The next policy bill deadline is May 5 to schedule a Work Session and May 19 for the bill to move out of committee to the second chamber. 

Budgets are beginning to have Work Sessions and we are seeing a number of federal grant requests from agencies due to all the federal funds available from various federal bills passed by the U.S. Congress this last year.

Fun and games at the Capitol—and some bills passing out of chambers. After the Senate decided to hold all day sessions on April 10 and 11, that was extended to the entire week and the House joined in the marathon sessions.

The next policy bill deadlines are May 5 where bills in the second chamber must have a work session scheduled or the bill is dead. May 19 is when a bill must have completed its work session in its second chamber, or it is dead.

April 4 looms large. Many bills have significant amendments, including totally changing their original filing—often called being “gutted and stuffed”. Bills will either move forward or “die” on April 4.

Usually we see lots of bills “die” after the Work Session scheduling deadline, but this session, many bills are still available to move by April 4. Some were scheduled to move to Revenue, Rules or a Joint Committee if they wanted to keep them alive.

St. Patrick’s Day has passed. And so has the chance for many of the more than 2,800 bills and resolutions introduced to pass this session. Bills in most policy committees needed to be scheduled for a Work Session by end of day on March 17 unless they are in Revenue, Rules or a Joint Committee.

Policy bills that are priorities for committees are seeing public hearings—even work sessions—and going to chambers for votes or to Ways and Means to be funded by end of session--maybe. For now, most bills are bipartisan.

The League is watching major housing bills as they move forward. We will be interested in the rebalance of the 2021-23 budget this week as well.

The Feb. 22 (quarterly) Revenue Forecast provided guidance to legislators as they consider bills for the next few months.

More bills filed and more bills scheduled for public hearings. We need to decide if LWVOR should testify or stay silent. Part of the time, we listen to the hearing and provide testimony after we better understand the purpose of the bill.

LWVOR has a statutory seat on the OHA’s Drinking Water Advisory Committee and we need a volunteer!

Everyone is awaiting Governor Kotek’s first biennial budget. Ways and Means Subcommittees can’t begin hearing agency budgets since agencies have to follow the Governor’s requests.

We have two new volunteers for Natural Resources: Paula Grisafi is providing testimony on Toxics bills.

Bills have been filed, “first read” and assigned to committees. But this does not guarantee they will receive public hearings.

Ready, set, go! Bill numbers are being assigned and bills assigned to committees. Governor Kotek is developing her Recommended Budget, due Feb. 1. Session officially begins January 17.