Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 2/19 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Other Governance Bills Privacy & AI, Campaign Finance, Elections, & Alice Bartelt, In Memoriam By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill A placeholder bill, HB 4024 , is being pressed into service from unusual partners , labor (which is otherwise promoting IP 42 against IP 9), and business. They are presumably hoping to forestall the impending faceoff between the two competing campaign finance initiative petitions. A three-hour hearing was held 2/23 in House Rules on a complex 43-page -3 amendment to HB 4024. The debate was vigorous with good government groups, including the League’s written testimony , opposed and labor, business, and small c(4) groups beholden to labor in favor. It remains to be seen if legislative leaders can push through such a complex bill with just over two weeks left in the short session. Remember that every legislator is an expert on campaign finance, at least on their own campaign’s finance. Other Governance Bills HB 4021 requires the Governor to fill U.S. Senator office vacancies by appointment within 30 days until a special election can fill the vacancy. House Rules had a public hearing and scheduled a work session. HB 4026 , amending is proposed in House Rules for this elections placeholder bill, to retroactively prohibit the use of a referendum on any urban growth boundary expansion. This would block a referendum in the City of North Plains in Washington County. The LWVOR submitted written testimony opposing the amendment and saying the bill is likely unconstitutional and may invite a lawsuit. The bill House Rules work session is scheduled for 2/27. HB 4031 , which requires the Public Records Advisory Council to study public records, passed out of committee without recommendation and was sent to House Revenue, where a hearing was held 2/21. An amendment is proposed to protect taxpayer information from disclosure. HB 4032 , which removes the requirement that the word “incumbent” appear on the ballot with the name of incumbent candidates for the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Oregon Tax Court, and circuit court, had a public hearing and a work session is scheduled in House Rules. HB 4117 , which authorizes the Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) to issue advisory opinions on the application of the public meetings law, and which is a correction to a bill passed in the 2023 session, passed the House immediately and unanimously. The bill then had a hearing and was scheduled for a work session in Senate Rules. SB 1502 requires public schools and college boards to livestream their meetings and post the meeting recordings on their websites and social media sites. It allows remote testimony for most school and college board meetings. The bill was amended and passed out of Senate Education with referral to W&Ms rescinded. The bill is scheduled for a 2/26 hearing and possible House Education work session. SB 1538 , an election law clean-up bill that makes many changes, was amended in several details and passed out of Senate Rules on 2/15. The amended bill was then passed by the Senate 20 to 10, sent to the House, and a hearing is scheduled 2/27 in House Rules. Privacy & AI, Campaign Finance, Elections, & Alice Bartelt, In Memoriam By Rebecca Gladstone Landmark Victims’ Rights package , HB 4146 : This sexual abuse bill addresses victims’ rights and provides technical protection fixes, including image privacy, even if images are not directly identifiable to an individual. We will support, relating to our privacy positions. The revenge porn aspect invites consideration of altered images, which could be relevant to SB 1571 -3, below. See MIT Technocrat, Dec 1, 2023 about student AI revenge porn victims . HB 4146 passed House Judiciary unanimously, with OJD implementation timing reservations addressed in amendments. It will be heard in Sen. Judiciary Feb. 26. See Oregon House approves bill changing laws on revenge porn, restraining orders , KOIN, Feb. 21, and Oregon's current law requires that victims of revenge porn be "reasonably identifiable" in the image , Feb. 15, KOIN. From Multnomah County DA’s office Policy Director Aaron Knott: “This is a small change that will make an enormous difference in the lives of crime victims who see intimate images of themselves distributed without their consent, but who may nevertheless be denied justice — or forced into a deeply traumatizing legal process to determine whether their body is reasonably identifiable.” AI, synthetic media in campaign ads, SB 1571 A : The House passed this bill unanimously. It awaits a Senate hearing assignment, League testimony. We are networking and expanding the conversation. Elections Campaign Finance Reform, HB 4024: Details are addressed elsewhere in this report. The 43-page -3 amendment to this brief placeholder bill was released one day before House Rules dedicated a 3-hour public hearing solely to the bill. The amendment was crafted between legislators, unions, and Oregon business, who face unevenly competing campaign finance initiatives for the fall, with their IP 42 trailing good government groups’ IP 9. The LWVOR opposes HB 4024; see our testimony . See former legislator Marty Wilde’s Money in Oregon Politics and earlier in the week, OPB, cautious hope for a campaign finance breakthrough . LWVOR is actively collecting IP 9 signatures ( get petition forms ). A LWVOR member is a Chief Petitioner. Automatic Voter Registration for students SB 1577-3 : This bill to expand automatic voter registration for higher ed students, through the Dept of Revenue, was amended to study viability, benefits and challenges. After passing from Senate Veterans on a 3 to 2 partisan vote, it awaits a J W&Ms hearing. Increasing Voters’ Pamphlet languages from 5 to 10, SB 1533 , is up for a Feb. 26 work session in Joint General Government, after passing unanimously in Senate Rules on Feb. 15 th . League testimony addressed the language increase; see other details in this report. Commemoration for Alice Bartelt, SCR 203 . This resolution, researched and written by LWVOR at sponsor Senate President Sen. Rob Wagner’s request, was heard and passed unanimously from Senate Rules on Feb. 22, League testimony and hearing video .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/9 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Please see Governance Overview here. Jump to a topic: Governance Sine Die Summary Artificial Intelligence Elections Campaign Finance Selected Elections Bills Privacy, Consumer Rights, Federal Response Emergency Preparedness Governance Sine Die summary, Overview, post session Rebecca Gladstone Passage of HB 4018, undoing campaign finance reform, has been a disappointment. See Norman Turrill’s report that HB 4018, passed against League opposition. A related question is the ethics of incumbents accepting campaign contributions during the legislative session, banned in the House but not in Senate Rules. It may have been disregarded in both chambers during this session. We have shared work for immigration and privacy issues, including federal overreach, with Social Policy. We started this hectic legislative session with a number of new governance volunteers but several were away during the session, so you’ll see mention of bills not addressed with League testimony. The problem of simply too much legislative work was discussed and observed, but not solved, for the League but also by legislators. We recommend again that this problem, shared by all, be addressed. Too many bills? Legislators protesting against bill limits said they feel unheard, partly a partisan climate challenge. Our 2025 long session had 3,400 proposals, unmanageable for our legislators, their staffs, and Legislative Counsel, Fiscal and Revenue Offices. HB 4002 , to limit bill proposals, failed again. This workload is not feasible in either short or long sessions and it needs policy attention. Legislative message traffic is getting heavier . Staff are pressed to even catalog input for bills and they are often too busy to answer phones directly. We are concerned for their juggling district and constituent needs with session work. Extend the short session? This is sometimes suggested but it pushes against the spirit of our “citizen legislature”, with most having other jobs to support themselves. Oregon is among the lowest for legislative pay and recent pay increase proposals have failed, falling prey to competing budget priorities and optics of them giving themselves a raise. Thank you to our volunteers, reporting and working bills here, also to our members and readers. Though the session has concluded, our work continues as bills that succeeded or failed influence upcoming policy and budget considerations. We welcome volunteers to help address all of our issues, especially for gaps like revenue. This is a better time for training, please let us know if you are interested, lwvor@lwvor.org . Artificial Intelligence/Cybersecurity Lindsey Washburn Notice of Artificial Output SB1546 requires AI companion and platform operators to disclose that users are interacting with artificial output, implement safety protocols to detect and prevent suicidal ideation, and provide special protections for minors. The Senate concurred with House amendments and repassed the bill. The bill has been signed by the President and Speaker and now awaits the Governor's signature. Elections Barbara Klein A-Engrossed SB 1509 ( Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act) awaits the Governor’s signature. This bi-partisan bill passed the House unanimously on Feb 20 th ; it passed the Senate on March 4 with two Democrats voting against the bill. The bill, similarly passed in other states , further protects Oregon's voters from being disenfranchised by faithless presidential electors and has strong League support. During the session we submitted both written and verbal testimony , (seen at minute 16:10) and it was part of our Action Alerts. We are hopeful that this will now become Oregon law. Campaign Finance HB 4018 Norman Turrill HB 4018 Enrolled on campaign finance (CFR) is now law, rammed through March 5 by the House 39-19 and the Senate 20-9. Honest Elections Oregon (HEO, a coalition including the League , Common Cause , the Campaign Legal Center , among others) opposed and characterized it as betraying the 2024 deal made to withdraw Initiative Petition 9 in exchange for passing HB 4024 , agreeing to work on technical fixes without policy changes. In 2024, an historic deal was made after extensive 4-way negotiations between HEO, legislative leaders including Speaker Fahey, labor union lobbyists, and business lobbyists. The HB 4018 proponents disregarded any input from good government groups, including suggested technical fixes . The proponents characterized the bill as some technical fixes. The bill replaces some 40% of the 2024 law and includes many complex policy changes that essentially allow huge campaign contributions from large business and labor unions, while still limiting individual contributors. The bill delays HB 4024 election (financial) disclosure changes for 3 years . See media coverage in the Oregonian , ( again ), the Statesman Journal , and OPB . Sen. Golden, who has announced his Senate retirement, was a champion opponent , characterizing this as a “hot mess.” Pressure came from labor union lobbyist(s) and legislative leaders but it fell short of purported threats to legislators if they did not vote for the bill. Members of HEO have asked the Governor to veto HB 4018. As HB 4018 becomes law, HEO has said it is likely to bring another related initiative, this time as an Oregon constitutional amendment. SB 1502 Enrolled was introduced on March 4 and quickly passed into law during the last day of session. It simply directs the Secretary of State to presession draft a 2027 bill with necessary campaign finance improvements from HB 4024 and HB 4018. Apparently, some legislators demanded SB 1502 in exchange for their votes in favor of HB 4018. Selected Elections bills Chris Cobey HB 4017 (use of campaign funds for security): Passed; on Governor’s desk as of March 9. HB 4177 A (modified definition of public meetings for open meetings purposes). Passed both houses as of March 9. HJR 201 (top two primaries). Neutral position . Had only a public hearing in the house of origin. Renewed proposal anticipated in 2027 session. Privacy, consumer rights, and federal response Rebecca Gladstone See our earlier LR for bills that Rep Chotzen grouped for federal response and /or immigration justice, many of them addressed by the League by either Governance or Social Policy, where many more of these actually passed. Please read that legislative report. HB 4123 Enrolled This landlord-tenant privacy bill, with immigration consequences, passed with a majority in both chambers, League testimony, in support. HB 4091 this Oregon National Guard activation and authority bill passed from the House to Senate Vets, on partisan lines, no amendments, but then stalled at the Senate President’s desk. See supporting League testimony . see League HB 3954 testimony (2025). HB 4143 A , to fund payments between federal and state accounts , passed from the House and then from Senate Judiciary on partisan lines, but it failed to progress from the Senate President’s desk. See our earlier LR and League testimony . SB 1530 was eclipsed by the related omnibus bill, SB 1516 Enrolled , which passed with 15 amendments. Both began by addressing threats to public officials . See League testimony in support of 1530, as introduced, which passed from the Senate on partisan lines. The 5 th amendment replaced the bill to require state and local to cooperate with federal law enforcement and then the bill, heard in House Rules, was not given a work session. We followed these bills, seeing promising progress, and all passed: HB 5204 Enrolled passed with biennial agency budget changes, including for some Secretary of State software needs. HB 4024 Enrolled , to prevent event ticket resale unless the seller has or can get tickets, passed without amendments. See League testimony , supporting Senator Prozanski’s SB 430 Enrolled (2025) consumer protections, foundational for HB 4024. SB 1587 Enrolled We are pleased to see this data broker, personal information protection pass, though on partisan lines. Emergency Preparedness HB 4044 A to create an Office of Resilience and Emergency Management within the Department of Human Services, passed unanimously from House Vets in mid February, bound for W&Ms, where it failed to progress. HB 4121 Enrolled awaits the Governor’s signature to create new systems and structures to improve emergency response in Oregon, see the -3 amendment analysis . Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/10 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Initiatives Courts and Privacy Government Ethics Initiatives HJR 3 (require signatures in every county) and HJR 11 (greatly increase the number of signatures required) were both heard in House Rules 3/10. Either of these constitutional amendments would have to be voted on in a general election. However, either would destroy the initiative process as we know it by making it much, much more difficult to get an initiative on the ballot. The legislature would, in effect, be insulating itself from being second-guessed by the voters. However, the whole purpose of the initiative process is for voters to have a say in issues that the legislature has failed to deal with. The League strongly opposes both these bills. Courts and Privacy By Becky Gladstone This week’s Joint Legislative Council Public Records committee hearing had more background for panelists, noting that cybersecurity and IT support are like plumbing, you don‘t think about them unless they don’t work. Tuesday’s Future of FEMA: Perspectives from the Emergency Management Community , hearing video highlighted an additional 800 in staffing cuts projected on top of 300 already cut. Anticipate urging to protect FEMA. HB 3012 calls for 16 and 17 year olds who are registered to vote, being able to cast ballots soley for their school districts. The League lacks a position for a specific optimal voting age. We have Strongly supported learning to vote, both with repeated legislative advocacy and for decades with our Mock Elections and Civics Education curriculum. See League COMMENTS filed , including in the hearing video , at time stamp: 1:14:49 to 1:15:58. Verbal testimony was limited to one minute. HB 2581 to coordinate expanded resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO), is scheduled for a Senate side work session after passing a House floor vote last week, League testimony . HB 2341 , to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, has a Senate side public hearing scheduled, after passing a House floor vote with 58 in favor, two excused, League testimony . SB 470 is scheduled for a work session, League testimony filed and presented in support. This bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos, seemed likely to generate amendments from discussion in the public hearing but none have been recorded. Upcoming SB 414 is an AI bill, making disclosing fake intimate images a crime. It was slated for a public hearing, removed and rescheduling is anticipated, with League support. HB 5537 We anticipate speaking to this SoS budget bill, during the week of April 7. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey SB 983 to be heard 3/17 in the Senate Education committee, would allow a local public official to discuss, debate and vote on a local budget that includes compensation for the public official or their relative after announcing an actual conflict of interests. This would be a major change in ethics laws . Small local jurisdictions are where most of the conflicts of interest arise. HB 2330 would create a task force to come up with ideas to address fraudulent schemes that target the elderly. The bill passed out of House Commerce and Consumer Protection to the House floor with a 10 to 0 vote. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/6 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Land Use/Housing Recycling Water Wildfire By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team 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. But the session is beginning to heat up. All this amidst the very real limited revenue for anything other than current programs and a few Leadership and Governor priorities such as housing. The next important session date is March 17 when policy bills will need to be scheduled for a Work Session or they are dead for the session unless they are in Revenue, Rules, or a Joint Committee. Budgets/Revenue We provided testimony on the Oregon Dept. of Forestry (ODF) budget ( HB 5020 ), expressing concern that staffing for climate change issues around forest management and urban forestry weren’t included in the Governor’s budget. We also provided testimony on the Oregon Dept. of Energy (ODOE) budget ( HB 5016 ), requesting additional agency programs that were not included in the Governor’s budget. The League provided support for the Land Use Board of Appeals budget ( HB 2028 ) that was heard March 6. The Dept. of State Lands budget ( HB 5037 ) was heard Mar. 7 with public testimony on the 9 th . The League provided testimony in support. The Columbia River Gorge Commission budget will be heard March 13—both agency presentation and public testimony. The Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) is scheduled for March 14-16. Public testimony on the 16 th . Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) budget ( SB 5509 ) week of March 20. Dept. of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) ( HB 5018 and HB 5019 ) week of March 27. Here’s the DEQ one-pager . Tentative date for the Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) budget ( HB 5043 ) is early April. Here is their one-pager . The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) budget ( SB 5539 & SB 5540 ) is tentatively scheduled the week of April 10. SB 5543-1 Bond Authorization, SB 5544-1 Capital Construction, SB 5545-1 2021-23 Allocations Bill and HB 5045-3 , Budget Rebalance were all heard in Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Capital Construction March 3. Funding for housing/homeless needs ( HB 2001 A ) with the A14 amendment and HB 5019 with the -3 amendment were heard in the JW&Ms Subcommittee on Transportation and Economic Development on March 7. SB 4 , semiconductor funding requests, has a -3 amendment posted and was heard on March 6 and 8. A -2 amendment by Sen. Knopp requests that the funding come from the General Fund while the -3 has money coming from the Rainy Day Fund. SB 4 is meant to help Oregon access federal CHIPS Act monies. The Full W&Ms met March 10 to address most of the bills above. SB 4 was not included in this meeting, but currently has a $210 million price tag. Lastly, the Office of Economic Forecast provided sobering data on Oregon’s population. Without an increase in young people—with in-migration--our need for a variety of long term care services will explode without the incoming revenue to pay for those services! Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch Last week we reported on HB 3382 , a bill to provide certain Ports with an exception from our land use planning system to allow dredging and other activities around these Ports without the current public process and federal consistency requirements. The bill has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Transportation . We understand that the reason the bill has been filed by the Ports Association is in response to a Land Use Board of Appeals decision around the Jordan Cove project. Here is an article about that case. Currently the Coos Bay/North Bend area is in the process of updating their management plans for the Bay. (See past Legislative Reports on this issue.) State agencies that administer permits that could be affected by the legislation are discussing the implications of the proposed legislation. HB 2903-1 , a bill that directs certain state agencies to implement the recommendations of the Ocean Policy Advisory Council (OPAC) around marine reserves, protected areas and other management areas and provides $800,000 for that work. The League also supported this bill as a continuation of previous testimony on OPAC’s recommendations. Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch Last week we expressed concern around provisions in SB 4 that includes “supersiting” authority by the Governor for many acres of farmland “just in case” the semiconductor industry might want to build a new facility in Oregon. We provided testimony in opposition only to Section 10 of the bill. Since our testimony, a number of amendments have been proposed and two public hearings have taken place. At this time no amendments have been adopted. See above in the Budget/Revenue section of this Report for the status of last week’s housing bills and also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report for details. Reduce/Recycle By Kathy Moyd A Work Session was conducted on March 7 in Senate Energy and Environment for SB 545 , one of our priority Zero Waste bills. A -1 Amendment had been posted. The original bill directed the State Department of Agriculture and Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules allowing consumers to use their own containers for refilling with food at a food establishment. Because the amendment had been posted just before the start of the Public Hearing, the League’s written testimony dealt only with the original bill. The -1 Amendment is a complete replacement of the original bill. It removes the State Department of Agriculture and limits the bill to restaurants, not all food establishments. It removes the administrative details, leaving them up to the Oregon Health Authority, although the following statement may leave too much ambiguity: “The Oregon Health Authority shall adopt rules allowing for a restaurant to allow a consumer to fill a consumer-owned container with food.” The amendment was adopted on a unanimous vote; the amended bill, SB 545-1, was passed by a vote of 4 - 1. No referral was made to Ways and Means. HB 2531 prohibits the sale or distribution in this state of new screw- or bayonet-base type compact fluorescent lamps on or after January 1, 2024. It prohibits the sale or distribution in this state of new pin-base type compact fluorescent lamps and linear fluorescent lamps on or after January 1, 2025. Repeals statutes related to mercury in lighting products. It was passed on March 6 with no amendment and goes to the chamber floor. Water By Peggy Lynch It’s been a busy week for water bills for which the League provided testimony or followed with others. HB 3163 would create a special Fund for place-based planning efforts. The League testified in support of the Fund. We are working with others on the specific criteria listed for qualifying for access to the Fund. The League has strong positions on water quality and the importance of wetlands so it was easy for us to support HB 2238 , allowing for rulemaking to increase removal/fill fees. The bill was pulled from the March 7 committee agenda and no new hearing date has been set. HB 3207 was scheduled for a public hearing on March 7 related to domestic water well testing but was pulled from the agenda. We understand it may not get a public hearing this session. HB 3208 that would expand the Environmental Quality Commission’s authority to annually adjust additional water quality fees up to 3% per year was heard and a work session on this bill is scheduled for March 9. HB 2813 A , a bill that directs OWEB to provide grants to protect drinking water sources and for which the League provided testimony in support was sent to W&Ms. The fiscal impact statement has a $5 million price tag. This money might also be able to be used as a match for federal grant opportunities. The Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) is being updated . Go to the website for opportunities to participate. The League is engaged in discussions on HB 3100 related to the IWRS. A public hearing was set for March 9 . The League supports the IWRS but has concerns about the current bill . Lastly, we are aware of a newly filed bill, HB 3368 , that would stop all future water permitting applications until Oregon determines the amount of surface and groundwater water available for use that has not already been appropriated. We have no idea where this bill might go this session, but here’s a helpful Oregon Capitol Chronicle article that explains the reasoning behind Reps. Helm and Owens’ filing this bill. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. We have an on-going drought throughout Oregon and League members may want to check the U.S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers The League monitored the March 3 meeting of the Wildfire Programs Advisory Council. The meeting purpose was to review a letter to the Legislature, the composition of which was assigned to a task force of the Council at their January 2023 meeting. The purpose of the letter is to advise the Legislature on a number of recommended adjustments to the Wildfire Risk Map to help ensure a successful next roll-out. Recall the original Map associated with SB 762, the 2021 wildfire bill, was withdrawn after widespread opposition to a number of its components, and work is underway to determine the best path forward. This is part of that effort. Among the recommendations made were to change the name to Wildfire HAZARD Map, which it was noted is the language California uses. Also, while emphasizing the importance of the integrity of the eventual final product, the group decided to eliminate hard deadline dates for completion of the new map that were in the original letter. It was determined there were too many variables beyond their control to set firm dates, including a number of wildfire related bills that could influence the final version of the Map. It was speculated that Community Wildfire Protection Plans (CWPPs) could be used as a platform to keep work moving forward in the interim. In addition, the Council felt it was important to allow sufficient time for the community engagement process which was not successful the first time around. The final letter can be found here . On March 8, Senate Natural Resources amended SB 509 on defensible space and the CWPPS mentioned above and the Oregon State Fire Marshall’s responsibilities and sent it to W&Ms. They also amended SB 82 related to fire insurance and sent it to the chamber floor. More on these bills next week. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The 2023 legislative session is almost halfway over. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/3 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Air Quality Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Emergency Services Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) State Land Board Water Wildfire AIR QUALITY 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. LWVOR supports. The public hearing on this bill was held Feb. 24 in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment . See the article in the Statesman Journal. See also the Climate Emergency Legislative Report this week. HB 3244 : Replaces the requirement that an owner or operator of a municipal solid waste incinerator conduct continuous monitoring or sampling of specified air contaminants with a requirement that the monitoring or sampling be conducted annually. LWVOR would oppose. The bill relates to the Reworld facility out of Keizer and League members have testified of their concerns in past years. AGRICULTURE By Sandra Bishop The following Senate bills will be considered in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire on March 6 : SB 78 – Replacement dwelling bill and SB 77 – home occupation reform bill. SB 73 – Spot zoning reform; and SB 79 – prohibits certain dwellings on resource lands. LWVOR will watch and may support with our strong positions on protection of Oregon’s valuable agricultural lands. Also, we are watching HB 3158 relating to photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use. Allows certain photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use to operate alongside farm or allowed nonfarm uses on a tract. LWVOR is watching this one before taking a position. The League is watching HB 2947 , a bill that would direct the Oregon State University Extension Service and the College of Agricultural Sciences of Oregon State University to study the distribution and occurrence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in biosolids applied to agricultural fields that do not produce crops intended for human consumption. BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 tentative 3rd week of March; Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 tentative 3rd week of March; Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 DEQ: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget DEQ Fact Sheet Public hearing tentative set for mid-March Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 info hearing 2/10, Meeting Materials , public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 info hearing 2/10, public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 , tentative public hearings Mar. 31 & Apr. 1-2; Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . Tentative public hearings March 10-12; Wildfire Funding Workgroup Work Session/report to be a part of the ODF budget presentation. The Workgroup will also present their report regarding potential wildfire funding solutions to the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety on March 5 and to the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources on March 6. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials LWVOR testimony Aggregate industry testified against the staffing and fee increases. LWVOR points out that KPM #4 , mine inspections has consistently NOT met the small 20% target so, if staffing is needed to meet that target AND fees increased to pay for them, we will continue to support. LWVOR supports SB 836 . Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 Public hearing Feb. 27 LWVOR testimony . SB 817 is a bill to request a minor fee increase (Work Session Mar. 4 in Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire ) Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 . Public hearing Feb. 17; Meeting Materials **Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 info hearings March 3-4, public hearing March 5. Meeting Materials Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are available online here . Info Mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony . And the fee bills: support HB 2808 and HB 2803 . Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & P ublic hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR testimony . Meeting Materials Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. & P ublic hearing Feb. 25-26 Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 Office of the Governor: SB 5523 Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 info hearing 2/19, public hearing 2/20. See more in the Wildfire section of this report. Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 info hearings 3/03-5, public hearing 3/06. Meeting Materials Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium Emergency Board: HB 5006 General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.) CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. T here are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL LHas the Jordan Cove Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) project reared its head again? League members may remember this proposed project that would have allowed a pipeline across land from southern Oregon to Coos Bay and then would have created an LNG export facility on unstable lands on the edge of the Bay. LWVOR supported local Leagues in objecting to the project, including engaging with state agency permit applications. The project eventually pulled out as they lost permit approvals. But we have been informed that a new filing to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been proposed and the applicant is stating that new federal support should supersede state permitting. We will share more as we learn more. A bill League is following is SB 504 related to shoreline stabilization. Our coastal partners have been working with the sponsor and a -4 amendment has been filed that focuses on “non-structural nature-based solutions” instead of “bioengineering”. A work session was held. The -4 amendment was adopted unanimously on Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire and the bill has been sent to Ways and Means. The League is pleased to see the bill numbers for kelp and eel grass conservation ( HB 3580 ) Eelgrass Action Bill (HB 3580) and protection of Rocky Habitat ( HB 3587 ). Here is a one-pager : Rocky Habitat Stewardship Bill (HB 3587) . The League signed on to letters of support f or both HB 3580 and HB 3587. We asked for funding for a staffer in the Dept. of Land Development and Conservation budget to continue to address rocky habitat, an element of the Territorial Sea Plan which the League has supported. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League has signed on to a letter in opposition to HB 2642 .because we believe that the DEQ should retain the power to implement vehicle emission testing. Emissions testing in Oregon began in the mid-1970s as a method of reducing air pollution from trucks and cars in order to ensure compliance with the landmark federal Clean Air Act of 1970. A public hearing was held on Feb. 18 in the Joint Committee On Transportation . The League supports SB 830 , a bill that m odifies provisions of the on-site septic system loan program to allow for grants. It also allows for the program to consider mobile home parks in need of septic upgrades. A work session was held on Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire where it passed unanimously and now heads to the full Senate for a vote . HB 2947 had a public hearing in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water on Feb. 10th related to treated sewage being used on farms. OPB provided great coverage of the concerns related to this usage. See also an article about this issue in this report under Agriculture. Here is the Onsite Wastewater Management Program 2025 Rulemaking webpage . Because of the League’s work on SB 391 (2021) and additional bills in 2023, a League member served on the rules advisory committee to address sewer availability and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) issues. On Feb. 26 the advisory committee approved the Fiscal Impact Statement. A public comment period is expected in May. You are welcome to Sign up for email updates about this rulemaking via GovDelivery . The League again served on an annual rulemaking advisory committee on water quality fee increases. A meeting was held on Feb. 25th where the committee agreed to forward their recommendation for the allowed annual 3% fee increase to the DEQ Director. To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee you can view the rulemaking web page at: Water Quality Fees 2025 . DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) By Joan Fryxell On March 6th the Technical Review Team (TRT) will be meeting on the Calico Resources proposed Grassy Mountain gold mine near Vale in Malheur County. The TRT will discuss Best Available Practicable and Necessary Technology (BAPNT). Information will be available online . The League provided testimony in support of SB 836 , a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. See the agency’s presentation to understand the reasons for these increases. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) You can read the latest about the Elliott State Research Forest in their latest press release. Included is that t he Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is seeking comments on administrative rules for the Elliott State Research Forest. The comment period is open from February 3 - March 5 (closes at 5 p.m. Pacific). Then DSL is seeking comments on the proposed Elliott State Research Forest Operations Plan. Click here to view or download the proposed plan, project overview map, and appendices. Click here to view only the proposed plan (PDF) The 45-day comment period is open until 5 p.m. on March 31. Here is a more complete notice of the plan with opportunities for virtual public meetings. EMERGENCY SERVICES By Rebecca Gladstone The League spoke and filed testimony on HB 2581 in support of a statute change, substituting the word “seismic” with “hazards”, to coordinate coverage efforts through the State Resiliency Officer. The bill has passed the House. The Senate Committee On Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs will hold a public hearing on March 6th. FORESTRY (ODF) By Josie Koehne HB 3103 , a bill that would d irect the State Forester to establish “sustainable” harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and develop a timber inventory model to inform sustainable harvest levels while ignoring the court affirmed “greatest permanent value” will be heard on March 3rd in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . T he League will OPPOSE . Governor Kotek is proposing SB 1051 , sponsored by Sen. Kayse Jama, that would move the hiring authority for the State Forester from the Board of Forestry to the Governor with Senate confirmation. Requires the state forester or deputy to be a practical forester. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Rules where it’s not subject to the same deadlines as other bills and where it will likely be heavily debated. The Oregon Board of Forestry will meet for a public meeting on March 5 at 8:30 a.m. The full agenda is available on the board’s webpage . See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. GOVERNANCE Our partners in the Oregon Conservation Network alerted us to a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also concerned with HB 3382 , since the requirements of the Secretary of State to gather ALL the state agencies’ rulemaking, including all materials, would be overwhelming to individual state agencies that provide that information on their rulemaking websites. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. Because the League is often engaged in rulemaking, we regularly comment on legislation that would affect changes in Oregon’s current Administrative Rules. We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692 , a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures . On Feb. 19, the Governor provided expectations and guidance for state agencies related to rulemaking and customer service. Upon outreach to the Governor’s Office, the League has been invited to participate in a discussion of rulemaking processes and committee membership selection. LAND USE & HOUSING By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony in support of the Land Use Board of Appeals budget: SB 5529 . We will also follow SB 817 , a bill to request a minor fee increase (Work Session Mar. 4 in Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire ). The League attended a webinar on the proposed 2025 Natural Hazards Risk Assessment . You can watch the webinar on DLCD’s YouTube Channel . Among the items of interest was a proposed verbiage change from using “climate change” to “future considerations” so as to not trigger issues with the federal government since this document is used as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)’s grant process. 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 had 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 supports this important funding bill. LWVOR testimony . Governor’s news release . Bills we are following: HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. These lands are currently a variety of state-owned lands scattered around the state. HB 2400 Allows the owner of property outside an urban growth boundary to site an additional dwelling on the property for occupancy by a relative of the owner. HB 2422 Requires that lands zoned to allow density of one or fewer dwellings per acre to be considered a rural use. HB 3013 : Details the process by which a permit or zone change that is based on provisions of a comprehensive plan or land use regulation that fail to gain acknowledgment is voided and any resulting improvements or uses are removed or revoked. LWVOR supports with -1 amendment. A public hearing was held Feb. 3rd. HB 3062 : Requires local governments to map sensitive uses as part of a comprehensive plan. A public hearing was held Feb. 20th. HB 2138 : Expands allowable middle housing and expands middle housing requirements to include urban unincorporated lands, filed at the request of the Governor. A public hearing will be held on March 3rd in House Committee On Housing and Homelessness where a -1 amendment is posted as a “gut and stuff” for the bill. We expect to see additional amendments before the bill moves forward. At this time, the League is not planning to testify on this bill. HB 3145 : Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to use Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program Fund moneys for factory-built housing. LWVOR should support. Not sure if in our Housing portfolio or Land Use. HB 2347 : Authorizes the Department of Land Conservation and Development to provide planning assistance for housing production to federally recognized Indian tribes and makes other technical changes to laws relating to land use planning. The bill passed the House 49-7 and now moves to the Senate. HB 2950 A bill to update Goal One and Public Participation is being sponsored by Oregon’s American Planning Association. The League is interested in the bill, but has some concerns. We understand there will be an amendment proffered. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . Because of the requirement to do rulemaking, the bill, if passing the Committee, will be sent to Ways and Means. SB 462 : Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to establish an education course for land use planners for local governments, special districts and state agencies. LWVOR supports educational efforts but there are other training opportunities so this proposal might be redundant. A public hearing was held on Feb. 19 in the Senate Committee On Housing and Development . SB 525 : Amends expedited land division criteria and processes. LWVOR has concerns. May need to oppose. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT (OPRD) The OPRD budget will be considered this week. The Legislative Fiscal Office notes : During the November 2024 meeting of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department provided an update outlining concerns for the long-term sustainability of OPRD’s operational funding. The Department asserted that the largest known challenge for the 2025-27 biennium is addressing the gap between projected operational revenues and anticipated expenditures. Throughout this biennium as well as the next, OPRD’s operational budget is dependent on an existing beginning balance. This means the current level of expenditures, given projected revenues, is unsustainable for the long-term. While the dedicated programs remain sustainable, operational expenditures are outpacing Lottery Funds and non-dedicated Other Funds revenues used to support agency operations. OREGON WATERSHED ENHANCEMENT BOARD (OWEB) By Lucie La Bonte On Feb. 25th, OWEB presented their budget ( HB 5039 ) to the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources. The presentation included information regarding the life cycle of grants and funding that OWEB receives and passes on to grantees through the reimbursement process. Turnaround time is within 2 weeks for reimbursements. Staffing continuity is important for local folks. They have an engaged Board of 18 that makes allocation decisions. There are multiple state and federal agencies, tribal and local representation. OWEB has made 900 grants this year. They have new programs: Protect over 12,000 acres of Agriculture Land, Working Lands Funds, and Water Source Protection.There were questions from the committee on weed control, invasive species and sustainability. 9%-10% of funding is used for staffing. There are no requests for new staffing in the budget, but there is one request to make a limited duration position permanent. A public hearing was held Feb. 26th. HB 5039 is the agency’s budget bill. HB 5040 Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025. STATE LAND BOARD (SLB) By Peggy Lynch The State Land Board met on Feb. 27th to begin the process of recruiting for a new DSL Director, with an appointment targeted for June 10. The next regular meeting is scheduled for April 8. WATER By Peggy Lynch LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427 , a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. HB 3106 is the Oregon Water Data Portal funding bill for which the League provided testimony in support. The multi-agency effort to release a beta version of the pilot portal for the Oregon Water Data Portal project debuted on January 31. The pilot portal is accessible at https://www.oregonwaterdata.org/ . Users can provide feedback about the beta version of the pilot portal by completing a survey or emailing OWDP@deq.oregon.gov . A public hearing was held on Feb. 26th in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water where a -1 amendment was shared that would create an entire multi-agency system for gathering the water data needed for good decision making. The League has yet to determine if this new proposal is good for Oregon. See the following Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board presentation and the Internet of Water Coalition presentation . A work session will be held on Mar. 3rd on HB 3341 in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . It appropriates moneys to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for the Community Drinking Water Enhancement and Protection Fund. The League supported the establishment of this fund in past years. Other water bills we are following: HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3526 would require well water test reporting in property sales. The League supported this concept in past sessions and did again this session. HB 3364 makes changes to the grants programs at the Water Resources Dept. Testimony provided comments and concerns with agreement that all parties would continue to work on finding agreement on an amendment. HB 3419 is the major broad set of water policy changes that is now described by the various amendments posted since this is really a “gut and stuff” bill! The committee Co-Chairs announced that more amendments are expected. Per Rep. Owens: the -2 and -3 amendments on HB 3419 will NOT move. HB 2988 : Instructs the Water Resources Department to take certain actions related to aquifer recharge and aquifer storage and recovery. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th. HB 3108 : Requires the Water Resources Department to implement additional rules and requirements for the review of limited license applications for an aquifer storage and recovery permit HB 2803 : Increases certain fees related to water. LWVOR will support. Expect amendments. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. HB 2808 : Increases fees related to wells. LWVOR will support. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. HB 3573 , a bill that addresses funding for a variety of water measurement strategies. We expect a hearing next week in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . The League supports. 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. Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” V isit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers The Wildfire Funding Workgroup will present their report regarding potential wildfire funding solutions to the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety on March 5 and to the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources on March 6. There are six concepts . Each will have its own bill number, submitted by Rep. Lively who was an ex officio member of the Workgroup. Sen. Jeff Golden released a plea for a comprehensive solution to our wildfire crisis. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 4/28 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Air Quality Agriculture Bottle Bill Update Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Columbia River Gorge Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Oregon Parks and Rec. Dept. Water Wetlands Wildfire AIR QUALITY SB 726 A requires the owner or operator of a municipal solid waste landfill to conduct surface emissions monitoring and report data as specified in the Act. LWVOR supports. The bill has been referred to the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment where it will receive a public hearing on May 1st. AGRICULTURE By Sandra Bishop SB 1129 A Requires Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) to amend rules on urban reserves. The bill deals with prioritizing lands to be added to urban reserves. The bill passed the Senate and is scheduled for hearing April 28th in House Committee on Housing & Homelessness. HB 3560 A Expands the areas where childcare centers are allowed to be sited. The nexus with farm and forest land is a provision in the bill to allow a county to impose reasonable conditions on establishing a family child care home in areas zoned for exclusive farm use, forest use, or mixed farm and forest use. The proposal would also move statutes governing the siting of childcare facilities to the chapter of Oregon Revised Statutes relating to comprehensive land use planning. The bill has passed the House and is scheduled for hearing May 1st in Senate Committee on Early Childhood & Behavioral Health. BOTTLE BILL UPDATE By Sandra Bishop SB 992 is the omnibus bottle bill. The -3 amendment replaced the original bill, was adopted and the bill passed the Senate and has been assigned to the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment . This bill is Portland-centric and contains various changes to the bottle redemption centers in Portland to address problems and make it easier for those who return and redeem beverage containers on a daily or near daily basis. It also contains a provision that would allow a winery to refuse to redeem containers of a type or brand they do not sell. The League has not taken a position on the specific changes proposed in SB 992, but has always supported the bottle bill and continues to support the most appropriate, effective, and environmentally sound recycling and recovery of beverage container materials. BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 I nfo mtgs. March 24 and 25 with public hearing March 26. Meeting Materials Of critical importance is their request for a new IT system—ONE ODA--one of the many IT bonding requests this session. Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 Info mtgs. March 24 and 25 with public hearing March 26. Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 Info mtg. and public hearing March 13. An KGW article explains a potential funding issue since both Oregon and Washington must provide equal funding for the Commission. April 27 is a critical decision date at the Washington legislature. A new OPB article updates the latest. Unlike Oregon, Washington state has a House and a Senate separate budget proposal. Hope is that Governor Ferguson will recognize the importance of this Commission’s work. Ferguson has until May 20 to approve the budget. Dept. of Environmental Quality: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget DEQ Fact Sheet Meeting Materials . info mtgs. April 7-9, public hearing April 16. League testimony Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 info hearing 2/10, Meeting Materials , public hearing 2/11. April 28: Natural Resources Subcommittee info hearing on Department of Energy - Grid Resilience. Meeting materials Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 info hearing 2/10, public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 , public hearings Mar. 31 & Apr. 1-2; Meeting Materials , Apr. 3 ODFW Hatchery Assessment; See also the April 15 informational meeting on the Private Forest Accord and Aquatic and Invasive Species. Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . info hearing March 10 & 11. Public hearing March 12. Meeting Materials ; See the April 15 informational meeting on the Private Forest Accord. (See the Forestry and Wildfire sections for more information.) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials LWVOR testimony Aggregate industry testified against the staffing and fee increases. LWVOR points out that KPM #4 , mine inspections has consistently NOT met the small 20% target so, if staffing is needed to meet that target AND fees increased to pay for them, we will continue to support. LWVOR supports SB 836 , a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. See the agency’s presentation to understand the reasons for these increases. On March 25 the bill was moved to Senate Rules without recommendation. A performance audit was prepared. The League will continue to be involved in SB 836 because we need DOGAMI staff to do more than 14% inspections of mining operations. On 4/23 League did outreach to the Senate Rules Committee members with a history of LWVOR engagement with DOGAMI and explanation of our support for SB 836. Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 Public hearing Feb. 27 LWVOR testimony . SB 817 is a bill to request a minor fee increase. It has passed the Senate. A public hearing was held on April 23 in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 Public hearing Feb. 17 Meeting Materials See also the April 15 informational meeting on Aquatic and Invasive Species. Work Session set for May 7 along with HB 2558 A modifies the definition of "charter guide" for purposes of outfitter and guide laws. Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 info hearings March 3-4, public hearing March 5. Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony in part to address comments by the Legislative Fiscal Office. Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 Info hearing March 17. public hearing March 19. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony in support. The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Natural Resources will have an informational meeting on the Elliott State Research Forest on April 22 . Meeting materials . Work Session set for April 30 for SB 5539 and for SB 147A, Elliott State Research Forest policy and funding bill. Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are available online here . Info Mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony . And the fee bills: support HB 2808 (Bill moved to Ways and Means) and support HB 2803 (The - 3 amendment was adopted, reducing the fees significantly which will cause the department a revenue shortfall should the amendment stand the scrutiny of Ways and Means where it now lies.) Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR testimony . Meeting Materials Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. &Public hearing Feb. 25-26 Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 Info mtgs. 3/12, 13 & 17. Public Hring 3/18. Additional informational meetings: Held April 7 and Scheduled April 22. Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 info hearing 4/7&8. Public hearing 4/09; Office of the Governor: SB 5523 LFO meeting materials . April 28 Public hearing Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 i nfo hearing 2/19, public hearing 2/20. Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 info hearing 3/03-6, public hearing 3/11. Here is an article from oregonlive reporting on the potential 2025 transportation package with proposed revenue sources. The League signed on to a letter in support of increased transit funding . The Joint Committee on Transportation may begin having public hearings on elements of the 2025 transportation package starting May 12th. Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 info hearings 3/03-5, public hearing 3/06. Meeting Materials Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Info hearings 4/29-30. Work Session 5/01 Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium. Public hearing May 2. Emergency Board: HB 5006 This bill will be populated with an amount for the Emergency Board to spend at will and amounts in Special Purpose Appropriations if needed when the legislature is not in session. General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium. Public hearing held April 18. Second public hearing, this time on university and community college requests, will be held May 2. Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.) CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. T here are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL Ocean Policy Advisory Council Meeting, May 7. OPAC will meet virtually from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Meeting information will be made available via the Oregon Ocean Information website . Contact: Andy.Lanier@dlcd.oregon.gov COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE COMMISSION The League has been a supporter of the Commission since its inception. League members have served on the Commission. A shared responsibility between the states of Washington and Oregon, this year a Washington House of Representatives member is considering defunding the Commission. Funding must be equal between the two states. This KGW article explains the issue. April 27 is a critical decision date at the Washington legislature. LWVOR reached out to LWVWA and learned that they were unaware of this funding crisis. We understand that a conference committee is meeting to resolve the disagreement between the chambers. Not funding would be a violation of the Gorge Compact. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League supports SB 830 , a bill that m odifies provisions of the on-site septic system loan program to allow for grants. It also allows for the program to consider mobile home parks in need of septic upgrades. A public hearing was held April 17 in the House Committee On Climate, Energy, and Environment . The League then shared with each committee member our testimony in support of HB 2168 , a bill that would fund this grant and loan program. A work session is set for May 1st. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) SB 147 clarifies the management of the ESRF into the hands of the Dept. of State Lands and sets up a separate fund account for monies received to manage the forest. The bill will have a work session in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on April 30. It had an informational meeting on April 22 . DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) The agency gave a presentation on the proposed pilot project for a Geologic Carbon Sequestration Test Well on April 23 in the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment. FORESTRY (ODF) By Josie Koehne The League provided testimony in support of HB 3489 , a timber severance tax bill that would help fund ODF, provide funding for wildfires and monies that would go to counties where timber is harvested. A public hearing was held on April 24 where the League testimony supported also the -1 amendment proposed by the sponsor. The Legislative Revenue Office provided explanations of a variety of taxes on timber harvest before the hearing on HB 3489. The Board of Forestry April 23rd mtg. agenda is focused on a process for selecting a new State Forester. The Board wants to address their current role as appointee. However, they are aware of the Governor’s bill in the legislature. The League will continue to follow SB 1051 , assigned to the Senate Rules Committee and which transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor. A public hearing was held March 24. Because the bill is in Senate Rules, there is no current deadline for action on the bill. See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. GOVERNANCE The League continues to follow the bills listed on the March 17 agenda of the Senate Committee On Rules since some of the bills relate to the process of rulemaking. After legislation is passed, agencies are required to implement those laws. That action often requires rulemaking to clarify the details around that implementation. But the League is concerned when legislators “get a second bite at the apple” by relitigating the legislation when rulemaking is only meant to implement, not change policies or facilitate an agency’s mission. Separately, the League was invited to a conversation among state agency rules staff on addressing concerns of the Governor in an attempt to standardize the process statewide. The Governor has provided Rulemaking Guidance to state agencies : This document includes questions received from agencies since the Governor’s letter. This document includes additional resources for agencies including direction to post updates to the Transparency site, a website template that agencies can use (if they choose) to develop their pages, and links to other comprehensive agency rule making sites to review. There is a broader discussion to increase transparency and consistency in the state agencies’ rulemaking process. A second meeting related to the state agency rules process is set for June with an invitation to the League to continue to participate. We continue to watch a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also concerned with HB 3382 , since the requirements of the Secretary of State to gather ALL the state agencies’ rulemaking, including all materials would be overwhelming. Individual state agencies provide that information on their rulemaking websites. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. Because the League is often engaged in rulemaking, we regularly comment on legislation that would affect changes in Oregon’s current Administrative Rules. We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692 , a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures . LAND USE & HOUSING By Sandra Bishop/Peggy Lynch A presentation was provided to Senate Committee on Housing and Development on April 23rd by the Governor’s Office and others. This was an opportunity for Senate members to learn more about the House Chamber housing bills sent to Ways and Means. The Senate Committee will hold an informational presentation on Housing and Homelessness bills that have been sent to Ways and Means on April 30. HB 2647 passed the House floor and was assigned to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. On April 29 it is set for a work session “solely for the purpose of moving it to another committee”. Usually that means to the Senate Rules Committee for further discussion, debate, to be moved to Senate floor or to die. HB 3921 is a similar bill in that it would allow by law land swaps for City of Roseburg/Douglas County per this preliminary staff analysis . The bill passed the House and will have a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Housing and Development on April 30 and a work session set for May 7. The League provided testimony in support of HB 3939 , a bill that provides a list of infrastructure projects to fund for smaller Oregon cities so they can build more housing. We have also supported HB 3031 A (already sitting in Ways and Means) but know there might be limited dollars this session so called out that link in our letter. The -1 amendment to HB 3939 was adopted and the bill moved to Ways and Means. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. HB 2316 -4 frees up approximately 3,500 acres of state land of which can now be used for housing production, all within the urban growth boundaries. It provides revenue to the state from the sale of the land, and it also provides revenue to our cities because the land becomes taxable for property taxes five years after purchase. The bill was sent to Revenue with a subsequent referral to Ways and Means. See also the Agriculture section above and the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. WATER By Peggy Lynch Oregon's Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) provides a statewide inter-agency framework for better understanding and meeting Oregon's instream and out-of-stream water needs. Here is the IWRS website . Oregon's Water Resources Commission adopted the first IWRS in 2012 and the second in 2017. A League member served on the Policy Advisory Group for each. Oregon Revised Statute (536.220) was updated in 2023 to requires that the IWRS is updated every 8 years.  Draft 2 is now available for Public Review and Comment. Please submit your written comments to WRD_DL_waterstrategy@water.oregon.gov on or before May 7, 2025 . Bills we are following: Water Right Process Improvements ( HB 3342 ) . A - 4 amendment was adopted and the bill passed the House. It has been assigned to the Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire with a public hearing on April 29. Harney Basin Groundwater Management ( HB 3800 ). A work session was held and the bill was sent to House Rules without recommendation as to passage. Water Rights and Public Interest ( HB 3501 ) A work session was held and the bill was referred to House Rules without recommendation as to passage on a 6 to 3 vote. HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. House Rules has a public hearing set for April 30 consider the A8 amendment that will extend the timeline for testing to 2027. A work session is scheduled for May 1st. HB 3364 makes changes to the grants programs at the Water Resources Dept. The bill passed the House floor, and had a public hearing on April 24 in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire where a work session is set for April 29. LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427 , a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. Possible work session scheduled for April 8. SB 1153 , an alternate bill provided with help from the Governor’s office, may have more of a chance of passage. It had a public hearing on March 25 with a work session April 8. These bills were moved to Senate Rules without recommendation as to passage to allow for further conversation. SB 1154 was amended by the -1 amendment and sent to Senate Rules without recommendation as to passage in a 4 to 1 vote. An article in the Oregon Capital Chronicle explains the bill and its controversy. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. The good news is currently Oregon is NOT in drought! However, the latest long-term forecast is for a hot (90 deg) May and a hot (100 deg) June! We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. As the weather gets warmer and more people and animals visit Oregon’s water bodies, it is important to watch for potentially deadly algal blooms. Information on current advisories can be found on the OHA’s cyanobacteria bloom webpage at healthoregon.org/hab . The OHA has an online photo gallery to help community members identify signs of potentially harmful blooms. WETLANDS The League participated in rulemaking on Removal-Fill Program Fees earlier this year. After review by the Dept. of Justice and comments received, adjustments to the proposed rules will be shared on May 1st. At that time, the Dept. of State Lands will be hosting a second comment period from May 1 – 31, as well as two public hearings online. More to come next week. A new Rulemaking Advisory Committee has been formed related to Permitting and Mitigation in Oregon's Wetlands and Waters. WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers Many wildfire-related bills saw some movement this week, though the future of, perhaps, the majority of them remains far from certain. SB 83 , which would repeal the State Wildfire Hazard Map and accompanying statues related to it, was passed unanimously by the Senate on April 24, and referred to the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment. As of this writing no hearing has been scheduled. Also headed to that Committee, and scheduled for Public Hearings on April 29 are SB 75 A , which defines “high wildfire hazard area for purposes of developing an accessory dwelling unit on lands zoned rural residential, or a replacement building on lands zoned for resource uses”; and SB 85A , which directs the State Fire Marshal to establish a neighborhood protection cooperative grant program to help communities collectively reduce their wildfire risk. The League supports this bill as an extension of the work done in previous sessions. The Omnibus wildfire funding bill, HB 3940A , is scheduled for a Public Hearing before the House Committee on Revenue on May 1. All eyes will be on this hearing as wildfire season approaches and funding is shrouded in uncertainty. Oregon Department of Forestry has stated the minimum annual need for wildfire funding to address the growing wildfire crisis is around $280 million. It is quite unclear at present which of the several funding mechanisms in this bill, which were generated by the Wildfire Funding Workgroup, will move forward. Also in wildfire funding news, SB 1177 is still before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. This bill would establish the Oregon Wildfire Mitigation and Adaptation Fund and redirect the “kicker” to it, one- time, for financing wildfire related expenses, by using the interest earned. A 5% return would yield approximately $170-180 million per year, or just over half of the aforementioned projected ongoing costs to fund wildfire mitigation and suppression. SJR 11 also remains before the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue. It would dedicate a fixed, to-be-determined percentage of net proceeds of the State Lottery to a wildfire fund created by the Legislature. Its passage would mean an amendment to the Oregon Constitution, which would have to go to the voters for approval. Finally, HB 3489 , which imposes a severance tax on owners of timber harvested from public or private forestland, had a Public Hearing April 24 before the House Committee on Revenue. The League has supported a severance tax in past sessions and provided testimony at the hearing. The League is also still following other non-funding related bills, such as SB 926 , which would prohibit the recovery of certain costs and expenses from customers that an electric company incurs as a result of allegations of a wildfire resulting from the negligence or fault on the part of the electric company. It was passed by the Senate on April 23 and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary. SB 1051 , which transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor, subject to Senate confirmation, remains in the Senate Rules Committee. HB 3666 has had no movement in the past week and remains in the Rules Committee. This bill would establish wildfire mitigation actions and an accompanying certification for electric utilities in an attempt to standardize their approach. Finally, while the effects of Federal cuts on staffing and other areas of wildfire mitigation and suppression generally remain uncertain, it was announced recently by the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) that Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants funding has been ceased by FEMA. The BRIC grant program provided money to help communities prepare for natural disasters before they happen. This act will result in a loss of wildfire mitigation funding, along with many other needed preparedness actions. In addition, some funds already allocated will be withdrawn. OEM outlined the impact the April 4 announcement from FEMA canceling the fiscal year 2024 BRIC grant program has on Oregon in this April 24 announcement . This development adds to the urgency of finding viable and substantial wildfire funding solutions this session. Bills we are watching: Senate Bill 1051 , Governor Kotek is seeking the authority to choose the next State Forester. The Board of Forestry has begun the recruitment process. SB 926 would prohibit the recovery of certain costs and expenses from customers that an electric company incurs as a result of allegations of a wildfire resulting from the negligence or fault on the part of the electric company. The bill passed the Senate and has been assigned to House Judiciary. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/13 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Land Use/Housing Recycling Toxics Water Wildfire By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team 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. Their next important date is April 4 when they must pass out of the policy committee. One last tip: Watch for the “relating clause” on bills. Any bill can be amended or proposed to be amended if the content of the amendment fits within the relating clause. That’s why LWVOR gets nervous when we see “relating to land use” or “relating to water”! Of course, whatever the content, it must pass both the Senate and House and be signed by the Governor before becoming law. Agriculture The Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) was heard this week. The Ways and Means ODA presentation provides a great deal of data around Oregon agriculture. Note on page 37 where our nursery and cattle industries continue to vie for top commodity. Budgets/Revenue Look for the Ways and Means Co-Chairs Budget Framework to be provided this week to guide the Subcommittees as they consider all the agency budgets. That Framework will provide the amount of money each Subcommittee should expect to spend for their assigned budgets and any policy bills that might be assigned to them. Of course, the May 17 Revenue Forecast will provide the final guide. The Columbia River Gorge Commission budget ( HB 5008 ) was heard March 13. The League provided testimony in support. The Oregon Dept. of Agriculture (ODA) budget ( HB 5002 and HB 5003 ) was heard March 14-15. Public testimony was due on March 16. Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) budget ( SB 5509 ) is set for March 20-21 with public testimony on March 22. Dept. of Agriculture grant requests will be heard March 23. Dept. of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) ( HB 5018 and HB 5019 ) budgets the week of March 27. Here’s the DEQ one-pager . Tentative date for the Oregon Water Resources Dept. (OWRD) budget ( HB 5043 ) is early April. Here is their one-pager . The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) budget ( SB 5539 & SB 5540 ) is tentatively scheduled the week of April 10. Legislators will need to assure that General Fund monies allocated in 2021-2022 drought and wildfire packages and awarded will be available for reimbursement if the projects go into 2023-25. That funding continuation was not included in the Governor’s budget for OWEB. On March 15, the biennial Harvest Tax bill, HB 2087 , had a public hearing. LWVOR provided comments expressing concerns but supporting if this bill is all that is available for helping fund forestry programs. A Budget Report was provided for HB 2001 that clarifies that some monies are coming from 2021-23 while most from the 2023-25 biennium. The same is true in the Budget Report for HB 5019 . Also, there is a Budget Note on pages 3-4 of the LFO Recommendation. SB 4 , semiconductor funding requests, has amendments and more public hearings and possible Work Sessions. SB 4 currently has a $210 million price tag but amendments could require sessions in House Revenue related to tax credits. Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch HB 3382 , a bill that would provide certain Ports with an exception from our land use planning system to allow dredging and other activities around these Ports without the current public process and federal consistency requirements had a public hearing in the Joint Committee on Transportation . State agencies that administer permits that could be affected by the legislation provided information on their processes and implications of the proposed legislation on certain state permits. The League provided testimony in opposition. This bill is a serious threat to our Coastal Zone Management Plan and we have joined with other coastal advocates to oppose this bill. The only filed testimony in support came from the bill’s sponsor, the Oregon Ports Association, although a number of legislators testified in favor as did former State Rep. Brian Clem who is an investor in a container ship proposal at Coos Bay. The League expects to be engaged in discussions around the main reason for the bill (Coos Bay) as the sponsors seek to find a solution to their wish to deepen and widen the Coos Bay channel. The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) is considering the adoption of amendments to Part Three of the Oregon Territorial Sea Plan (TSP), the Rocky Habitat Management Strategy. A draft of the proposed rules and fiscal statements is available on DLCD’s website. A first public hearing for this rulemaking is set for March 22 in Newport at 12:00PM at the Guin Library on the Hatfield Marine Science Campus. LCDC is scheduled to consider adoption of the new amendments during their April 20-21 meeting. Please contact Casaria Taylor, Casaria.taylor@dlcd.oregon.gov for further information. Address written comments to the Chair LCDC, care of Casaria Taylor via email. If you have questions about the proposed rules, contact Andy Lanier at 503-206-2291, or email: Andy.Lanier@dlcd.oregon.gov . The agenda for LCDC’s April 20 meeting will be available on DLCD’s website . LWVOR has supported this work and may provide testimony before LCDC in April. The Oregon Ocean Science Trust (OOST) has scheduled its next meeting for April 5 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, in-person only but open to the public at the Hatfield Marine Science Center, Library Seminar Room – Guin Library,2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport. The meeting will focus exclusively on Strategic Planning. Oregon Ocean Science Trust/Oregon Department of State Lands webpage and Oregon Ocean Science Trust website . Dept. of Environmental Quality By Peggy Lynch SB 835 , a bill that seemed to require that DEQ or county public health, whichever is responsible for septic system permits, to approve the use of the septic system currently used by the primary residence to also allow an accessory dwelling unit to be connected to the same system. LWVOR provided testimony with concerns that seem to be addressed by the -1 amendment . The bill will have a Work Session on March 20. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony on a suite of bills with Work Sessions on March 20: SB 220 , SB 221 and SB 222 . You can find our testimony on the bills’ websites. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch The prospective Board for the ESRF met on March 13 and heard a draft budget presentation. The League continues to follow the transition to a separate state agency, the ESRF Authority, but has concerns regarding the funding for this new agency. It is supposed to survive on minimum timber harvests, grants, federal funds and philanthropic donations. Right now the budget doesn’t pencil out. A new bill, SB 161 with the -1 amendment has been filed to address work to be done and changing a date from July to November. The ESRF website notes a next prospective Board meeting on April 10. Land Use/Housing By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony in opposition to HB 3442 , a bill that would require local governments to allow development of certain affordable housing on certain lands within 100-year floodplain or subject to property development constraints under land use regulations related to natural disasters and hazards. Local governments have development codes that should address these issues and the state should not REQUIRE this action. Local governments have a better understanding of the hazards and mitigation that might be needed so housing is placed in safe places. A public hearing was held on March 16 with a Work Session scheduled for March 23. A new bill popped up that would create a new Housing Accountability and Production Office in DLCD: HB 3414 . A public hearing will be held March 23. The bill, filed late, has Speaker Rayfield’s name as one of the sponsors so we are certain that it will continue to be discussed. SB 4 that includes “supersiting” authority by the Governor for many acres of farmland “just in case” the semiconductor industry might want to build a new facility in Oregon is still alive. In the Joint Committee on Semiconductors, the committee can continue the work throughout the session. We provided testimony in opposition only to Section 10 of the bill. A number of amendments have been proposed and public hearings and possible work sessions continue. See above in the Budget/Revenue section of this Report for the status of last week’s housing bills and also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report for details. Reduce/Recycle By Kathy Moyd HB 3220 : Modifies provisions of the electronics recycling program. Expands definition of covered electronic device. Establishes criteria for electronics producer responsibility programs. Directs Environmental Quality Commission to establish fee calculated to cover costs to department of carrying out program. Passed the House Climate, Energy, and Environment Committee with a unanimous vote. SB 545 -1 Directs Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules allowing restaurants to allow consumers to fill consumer-owned containers with food. Requires authority to adopt rules that take effect no later than June 30, 2024. The bill passed the Senate on March 15 per this press release . Toxics As a member of the Oregon Conservation Network, we were pleased to see the OCN Letter in support of HB 3043 , the Toxic Free Kids Act Modernization. LWVOR has engaged in this bill in past sessions. Water By Peggy Lynch The continued scarcity of water in Oregon is the focus of many bills being considered this session. It is unclear which bills listed in our last report will receive a Work Session and stay alive. At the writing of this report, we can share only one: HB 3208 that would expand the Environmental Quality Commission’s authority to annually adjust additional water quality fees up to 3% per year was heard and a work session on this bill is scheduled for March 16. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. We have an on-going drought throughout Oregon and League members may want to check the U.S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. California is beginning to look much better, but Oregon continues to have concerns. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers Recent actions by the Senate Committee on Natural Resources relating to two wildfire bills, SB 509 and SB 82 , mentioned in the last LR, are detailed below. SB 509-2 , the community wildfire risk reduction bill, was amended to remove elements related to home hardening against wildfire risk, and move them to another bill, SB 80 (notice that it’s “relating to wildfire” and may well be moved to another committee since there is no hearing nor work session scheduled for this bill); and add a 20-year Strategic Plan to holistically address wildfire risk and mitigation. SB 509-2 was forwarded to W&Ms. Meeting details, including all supporting materials, may be found here . Discussing SB 509-2, Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple of the State Fire Marshal’s office (OSFM) outlined the tasks assigned to their office with this bill, which will include improved communications with the public and developing the 20-year Strategic plan to address wildfire risk mentioned above. In addition, a Neighborhood Protection Cooperative program will be developed, building on an existing Fire Protection Program, designed to help Oregonians reduce their risk, and focusing on communities, where previously the focus has been more on individual parcels. This was in response to having received much feedback from the public that artificial lines between areas hinder progress on resiliency. Also, Senator Golden pointed out the utility/necessity of setting standards for homeowner and community education on defensible space measures that will be recommended by future consultants who will receive training as part of this effort to reduce risk. OSFM is also directed to create a central consolidated website so the public, which has been vocal in its frustration with navigating the over-abundance of online wildfire information sites, may more easily access wildfire information of all types, including grant and educational opportunities, in one place. SB 82-3 addresses wildfire risk and how insurers operate in that space, was amended and forwarded to the chamber floor. Andrew Stolfi, Director/Insurance Commissioner, Department of Consumer Services, gave an overview of the amended bill. The bill gives definitions of terms to provide clarity and outlines a number of consumer protections. Among those, insurers will be required to improve notices they send to consumers that relate to cancellation, non-renewal or increase of premium on their homeowners’ policies, giving them more information about the data behind their decision, and actions homeowners might take to improve their risk and possibly reduce their premiums. In addition, insurers will be required to extend the timeframe in which homeowners must rebuild after wildfire, after much public outcry. Finally, the bill prohibits insurers from using any Wildfire Map created by the State as grounds for cancellation, non-renewal or increase of premium on homeowners’ policies. He mentioned that the insurance companies are in agreement with the measures outlined in the bill. On March 15, Senate Natural Resources held a Work Session on SB 644-4, which removes certain requirements relating to wildfire risk maps, in light of the current absence of a map, for development of accessory dwelling units on lands zoned for rural residential use. The bill was adopted and sent to the chamber floor. A Public Hearing was held on SB 1012 , which provides for a homestead rebuilt by the same owner on the same lot to replace a homestead destroyed by September 2020 wildfires to temporarily have frozen assessed value equal to destroyed homestead assessed value for 2020-2021 property tax year. HB 3446 was mentioned as a bill with similar aims. Next up was SB 839 which directs the State Forestry Department to establish a pilot grant program for the purpose of managing wildfire risk by promoting use of air curtains by persons that make biochar. This method could reduce smoke and particulates related to disposing of removed fuel by 80% according to Senator Brock Smith. The final wildfire bill related hearing was on SB 928 which instructs State Forester, or forest protective association or agency that is under contract or agreement with State Board of Forestry for protection of forestland against fire, and whose protection area is or may be affected by fire on nearby federal lands, to take certain actions to address fire. The aim of this bill is to bolster and improve wildfire response, by leveraging and improving upon existing processes for cooperation and collaboration between Federal and State Departments and Agencies, with direct actions and areas of cooperation outlined more clearly. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The 2023 legislative session is almost halfway over. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 3/3 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley/Sharron Noone • Education: Jean Pierce • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Note: Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE . Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Behavioral Health Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Behavioral Health By Stephanie Aller HB 2596 (School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact) was passed by the House and had its first reading in the Senate on February 25. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education. The League presented testimony supporting a related bill, HB 3351 , which lets licensed counselors from other states work in Oregon. The League of Women Voters of Oregon submitted testimony in support of HB 3129 , the Higher Education Behavioral Health Workforce Expansion Fund. The bill will help to address the behavioral health workforce crisis by funding students and investing in faculty and program resources. The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a public hearing on HB 3129 on February 25. Rep. Nosse, a chief sponsor of the bill, testified that many behavioral health educational programs at public institutions are at full capacity. They do not have the funding to expand enrollment. Other institutions would like to start new programs to train behavioral health providers but also lack funding. SB 527 is scheduled for a public hearing on March 13 before the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health. The bill directs the Oregon Health Authority to start a grant program to establish behavioral health workforce training programs for high school students. Education By Jean Pierce On February 26, the Education Committees of both chambers met together to hear a presentation from authors of the American Institute for Research (AIR) report analyzing School Funding in Oregon. AIR has found that funding would need to be increased by $5074 per student if Oregon were to reach the level of adequate performance to which it aspires. But it is up to the legislature to determine whether that is the level they are willing to fund. They also noted that increasing funding to achieve equity is only the first step. The next step would be to analyze how some districts are doing more with less, with an eye to providing guidance for how schools and districts should use the resources provided in order to achieve better outcomes.. Specifically addressing special education funding, the authors of the AIR report noted that there was an increase of 21.5% in funding per student between 2018 and 2023, and yet that was only an increase of 4.3% in inflation-adjusted figures. Over that same time period - there was a 27.6% increase in students with moderate or high-cost disabilities and a 7.2% decrease in low-cost disabilities in the state. The one-size-fits all Special Education weight that is part of the State School Fund does not accommodate this shift. Oregon is one of only eight states which use a single weight. AIR recommends that our state use a system more like that of 21 other states which group categories into tiers according to the cost of services needed. In addition, the research group recommends eliminating the State School Fund cap on special education funding. They noted that 88% of school districts have exceeded the cap, but the waiver which is available to those districts covered only 30% of the amount of funding which they received for students under the cap. Accordingly, they reported that districts with more high-need students are receiving less money than needed. Further, since public schools are required to accommodate these students’ needs, they must make cuts in other programs. LWVO R submitted t estimony for SB 1098 , which prohibits discrimination when selecting or retaining school library materials, textbooks or instructional materials or when developing and implementing a curriculum. The League submitted testimony for HB 3182 , which directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide affordable housing support to low-income students in higher education. This bill is addressing a serious problem in Oregon. A 2023 survey of Portland Community College students revealed that 56% were experiencing housing insecurity LWVOR submitted testimony for HB 3183 , which would appropriate money tothe Higher Education Coordinating Commission for purposes of the Open Educational Resources Program. The funds would continue to provide no-cost, low-cost textbooks and course materials across Oregon’s colleges and universities. This is a significant problem, since a 2022 survey of students at Oregon State University revealed that 61% had not purchased textbooks due to the cost. Gun Policy By Marge Easley The League has signed on to the legislative agenda of the Alliance for a Safe Oregon , which includes the following gun policy bills: HB 3076 : institutes state licensing of firearm dealers SB 696 : places a statewide ban on rapid-fire devices, such as bump stocks HB 3075 : allocates resources for Measure 114 implementation SB 1015 and HB 5014 : funds community violence intervention programs SB 697 : raises the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase a semi-automatic rifle SB 429 : requires a 72-hour waiting period before the transfer of a firearm SB 203 : strengthens Oregon’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law The Alliance will hold its Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 4. A joint informational session of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees has been scheduled for the week of March 10, with hearings on several of the bills tentatively scheduled for March 17 and March 20. Links to League testimony on these bills will appear in upcoming Legislative Reports. Meanwhile, the Trump administration will have a significant impact on gun policy at the federal level, as was made clear by the issuance of the February 7th executive order on “Protecting Second Amendment Rights.” Newly named FBI Chief Kash Patel has also taken the reins of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and a bill has been introduced in the House to eliminate the entire agency. Health Care by Christa Danielson HB 2010 A : LWVOR presented testimony for this bill, which funds the state portion of the Oregon Health Plan. The bill continues the assessments on health insurance and hospitals that have been in place for the last five years. One half of all children and one fourth of the population of Oregon have the Oregon Health Plan as their health insurance. The bill passed the House with bi-partisan support, and is currently in the Senate Committee on Health. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Governor Kotek’s Statewide Shelter System Proposal On February 24, Governor Kotek testified before the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness to present her proposal for a statewide shelter system. HB 3644 would create the system, which would be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). The bill appropriates $218 million to reduce unsheltered homelessness and transition people into stable housing. It codifies the structure established by the Governor’s statewide housing emergency declared at the beginning of her term in office. The proposal is the product of a Sustainable Shelter Work Group created by the Governor and Representative Pam Marsh. The bill calls for dividing the state into regions. Each region will have a regional coordinator responsible for planning, funding, and services. OHCS will enter into five- or six-year agreements with each region. They will be required to submit an annual report outlining progress on their regional plans. The proposal would move Oregon away from one-time emergency funding for shelters towards a stable outcomes-based system. At least 70 percent of the funds would go towards low-barrier shelters with the remainder available for recovery-based shelters. Programs will be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. In order to accommodate regional differences, shelters eligible for the program include congregate and non-congregate shelters, safe temporary emergency sites that meet health and safety standards for vehicular camping, and basic freestanding structures that are sound, weatherproof, and have locking doors. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 9/21 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley/Sharron Noone • Education: Jean Pierce • Gender-Related Concerns, Reproductive Health, Age Discrimination: Trish Garner • Gun Safety & Gun Issues, Rights for Incarcerated People: Marge Easley • Hate and Bias Crimes: Claudia Keith/ Becky Gladstone /rhyen enger • Health Care: Christa Danielsen • Housing: Debbie Aiona and Nancy Donovan Note: Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE . Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2026 Social Policy bills . Jump to topic: Afterschool and Summer Behavioral Health Childcare and Early Learning Education Gun Policy Healthcare Afterschool and Summer Katie Riley A new coalition has been formed by multiple organizations to influence possible legislation that will be enacted to define a process to disperse funding from the agreement with Meta due to their liability for the negative influence of social media on mental health. Strong support was voiced by LWVOR to fund afterschool programs because research indicates their preventive role in promoting academic and lifelong success. Representative Dobson has agreed to sponsor the legislation. A concept for the legislation was submitted by the September 11 deadline. Behavioral Health Trish Garner House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health: The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reported on its progress addressing individuals who need residential care due to their mental illness. Attention to this issue largely arises from Oregon House Bill 2005 (2025) which broadened courts' ability to civilly commit individuals and Section 1 of House Bill 2015 (2025) which required OHA to study and develop recommendations regarding the provision of residential treatment. Civil commitment allows a court to order an individual with severe mental illness to receive treatment against their will, either in a hospital or through supervised outpatient care. Theoretically these individuals could be sent to the Oregon State Hospital, but the Hospital is nearly entirely filled with patients who are awaiting an evaluation as to whether they can aid and assist in their criminal defense or have been determined unable to do so. This means that there is virtually no room for civilly committed patients, which has had demonstrably negative effects on the un-housed population in Oregon. The residential housing which does exist for the civilly committed or seriously mentally ill is also in short supply, particularly housing which can provide health, mental health and substance abuse treatment while residing in these settings. OHA has issued a 300+ page, 34-recommendation report OHA HB 2015 Legislative Study, Recommendations attempting to address HB 2005's mandate. One of the report's primary findings is that OHA does not currently differentiate “settings” from the “services”, which creates significant downstream impacts for beneficiaries, providers, and state oversight entities. Read differently, the administrative and licensure requirements as well as payment mechanisms for providers of housing and health care are currently "siloed," leaving each with different reporting requirements. Some of the OHA Report’s recommendations include: (1) adding a new licensure type for “licensed Supported Living homes,” (2) development by Medicaid of a new reimbursement methodology for treatment services provided by residential treatment facilities and homes that use provider-based costs to develop provider-specific rates paid on a monthly basis, (3) modifying bed hold rates, and (4) developing separate certification standards for those facilities wishing to act as a “purpose-intended” treatment facility. Section 2 of HB 2015 (2025) required OHA to develop and implement a new licensing process for residential treatment housing for young adults in transition (YAT). It also directed OHA to create early transition plans for residents. Young adults referred to these treatment homes often have trauma histories, have been treated in 24-hour mental health treatment settings, have lived in resource homes through the Oregon Department of Health and Human Services (ODHS), and/or have experienced other types of intense circumstances. For these reasons, the youth require additional supports to transition into adulthood. OHA is on track to have the required licensing process in place by January 1, 2027. Senate Interim Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health Dashboard for Real time Residential Treatment Bed Data: in 2023 the Oregon Behavioral Health Coordination Center (OBCC) was launched so that Oregonians could obtain real time information regarding the availability of adult psychiatric acute care, residential treatment and crisis substance abuse beds. It also tracks waitlists, room types, referral pathways and insurance information. The information is transmitted through the Oregon Behavioral Health Capacity System's (OBCS) dashboard which is operated by the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) along with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and other community partners. The dashboard currently includes 59% or 3,605 beds in covered adult facilities. OBCC reports that it collects similar data for child and adolescent facilities through the Regional Care Management (RCM) system which is currently collecting data through a mix of manual and electronic processes. Once a data-sharing agreement is in place, it will be added to the OCBS dashboard. OBCC anticipates adding additional data points to its system, such as insurance status and outpatient data. Youth Inpatient and Residential Treatment Capacity: There are currently only 2 acute psychiatric inpatient beds for youth - Providence Willamette Falls with 44 beds and Unity Center for Behavioral Health in Portland with 22 beds. There are 13 psychiatric residential facilitates with 265 beds that serve secure inpatient, subacute and residential treatment lasting 1 to 6 months. There are also 16 psychiatric day treatment programs operating through coordinated care organizations where admission requires pre-authorization and a hospital's certificate of need issued by OHA. Importantly, here are no organized standards for the provision of face-to-face and/or telehealth-provided healthcare. It is expected that 75 more beds will be available across the state by 2028. In 2025-26, approximately 2,360 youth were referred to psychiatric residential treatment facilities (PTRF) with 45 admissions, and 465 youth were enrolled in intensive in-home behavioral health treatment. There are several reasons why the PRTF referrals don't end in admission, but in 41.2% of these cases there is no referral follow up. Twenty percent of these referrals are admitted to other residential programs, 16% to a lower level of care and 11% are admitted to acute psychiatric inpatient units. There are 5 youth residential substance use treatment programs in Oregon, but only one is licensed to provide co-occurring treatment for substance abuse and mental health needs homes. There are currently 8 Young Adults in Transition (YAT) homes which provide 24-hour supervision and support and provide OR connect youth to needed behavioral health services. Substance Treatment for Youth: Tony Vezina, Executive Director of the 4D Recovery Program, testified that access to treatment remains a significant problem and as is the case now, young people should not simply be placed into smaller versions of adult programs. OHA acknowledged that adolescent care often cannot support itself under current reimbursement structures. Oregon's Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC) will shortly be presenting a 2026-2030 comprehensive plan that describes care provided across several agencies, including OHA, the Department of Corrections and more. OHA is working with the Oregon Youth Authority to develop substance abuse programs in schools. As stated by OHA, Oregon needs a clear strategy to identify needs and meet them where they are. Along with OHA and the ADPC, the Oregon Department of Education has established a formal advisory committee for K-12 school policy and guidance work. In January 2026 the 25-29 member System of Care Advisory Council (SOCAC) issued a 2026-2029 strategic plan ( SOCAC System of Care Strategic Plan 2026-29 ) with the goals of (1) improving access, (2) co-creating systems with providers, youth and families, and (3) creating sustainable infrastructure that increases capacity and credibility and (4) transforming systems that serve children, youth and families. Childcare and Early Learning Katie Riley and Trish Garner During recent legislative days the topic of childcare was covered in reports on how the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) operates, including how the Early Learning Council focuses on policy and Early Learning Hubs coordinate services at the regional level. It was mentioned that the Employment Related Day Care waitlist was lengthened by adding student eligibility. Currently a bachelor’s degree is required for staff but this is seen as a hindrance to hiring as salaries are too low for people with these qualifications. Childcare deserts (care does not exist for 2/3 of children) still exist in 34 of the 36 counties for infants and toddlers although there have been increases in care. For the preschool population (3-5 yrs old), childcare deserts exist in 9 of the counties; a decrease from 27 in 2014. The purpose of DELC has been to consolidate state childcare programs and early care and education programs into one place. For example, the Employment Related Day Care program was moved to DELC. DELC services are free or provided at low cost. They are individualized to meet family needs and include parenting education, respite, home visiting, infant and toddler childcare, preschool programming and screening of and referrals to other community supports. In 2025 DELC reported that it had made 17,607 family assistance visits and provided support for 1,866 programs. DELC is continuing to field its pilot program "Every Child Belongs" [authorized in 2021 by House Bill 2166 and Senate Bill 236 ] which seeks to prevent suspensions and expulsions for children in early childhood programs. It offers infant and early childhood mental health consultation, classroom assistance, progressional training and family support. Providers can easily access services through everychildbelongs.org . A significant problem still exists which impedes meeting needs where and when they exist in that there is no general data available as to the number of similar programs, families at risk and who is receiving services. A final report on these programs is expected to be available in April 2027. Education Jean Pierce On September 9 th , the House Education Committee heard a presentation from the National Center on Educational Outcomes about how Oregon’s high opt out rate (89% participation) from standardized tests affects reporting to the federal government which requires a 95% participation rate. There are very different ways of interpreting Oregon’s high opt out rate: Some believe this is not a problem, since high-stakes standardized tests should be phased out Not having a representative sample of students taking the tests means that the results are hard to interpret. Because of this, Oregon has been excluded annually from Harvard and Stanford’s Education Score Card, which tracks student performance in states after the pandemic. The effects of deviating from the required 95% can be magnified if states – like Oregon – treat the missing data as “non proficient”, substituting 0’s for actual scores. According to a 2024 article , many of the students who opt out would have been expected to score well if they had taken the test seriously. This would lower the test results – particularly for 11 th graders, who are more likely to opt out than younger students. The committee also heard a report from Andrea Lockard, from the Office of Research, Assessment, Data Account, and Reporting (RADAR) who described what is meant by interim assessments which are required by SB 141 . These tests are administered three times per year, help track progress during the year, and can be used to inform teachers about the need to adjust to meet individual differences of students who are currently in their classes. The Senate Education Committee heard from two Umatilla High School students who met with others from each state to create a “Students First Act”, which includes provisions that Artificial Intelligence (AI) organizations must address all known biases in AI products used in public schools Teachers must prioritize human connection in the learning environment Schools must protect the professional expertise and autonomy of teachers Schools must ensure the data privacy of students Oregon was one of the first states to issue guidelines for districts, which are encouraged to develop AI policies. The Oregon Department of Education has published recommendations regarding the use of AI by students or teachers to generate content. While recognizing that AI can be used to promote equity, ODE guidelines recognize dangers of bias, inaccuracy, plagiarism, and threats to student data privacy. Currently, the state appears to have no laws regarding the use of AI in public schools. Other states have policies regarding: Regulating AI use in schools Ensuring safe and effective AI usage in education Protecting student data privacy AI research and exploration Presenters noted the importance of including students in developing AI policies. The Senate committee also heard a presentation from the Oregon Media Literacy Coalition, which urged legislators to adopt laws similar to those of Washington State. The goal would be for Oregon to identify best practices for social media and AI literacy, to develop a web repository for resources, and to include students in the effort. Gun Policy Marge Easley On September 9, the Task Force on Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention, created by SB 1503 with an initial $250,000 budget allocation in 2024, presented its second annual report to the Senate Interim Committee on Judiciary. The task force has met monthly since October 2024 and is staffed by the Oregon Department of Justice. Its members include thirteen individuals with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise as well as four non-voting legislators. This latest report expands on five key policy recommendations to deal with Oregon’s suicide crisis, which will hopefully provide a framework for meaningful legislation in 2027 and beyond: Mandatory County Suicide Fatality Review Boards Voluntary Firearm Storage Dedicated resources for the Oregon Health Authority to implement the Adult Suicide Intervention and Prevention Plan (ASIPP) Creation of structures to support science-based suicide treatment Creation of sustainable state funding for community violence intervention (CVI) programs The complete report can be found here . Healthcare Christa Danielson and Trish Garner OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION Healthcare leaders have mapped a system overhaul to improve care and spend less. Join them to learn about and comment on their proposals, including such key pillars as primary care and behavioral health. Tasked by Governor Kotek, the Health System Sustainability Group is led by former Governor Kitzhaber. Register HERE Senate and House Interim Health Care Committees: Both Senate and House Interim Health Care Committees were presented the same information. If one were to summarize what took place in these Committees, it would be that a lot of moving parts are heading into virtually uncharted territories. The challenges posed by US House Bill 1on the delivery of health care in Oregon will be considerable. State health care agencies are struggling to lessen the impact of the blow. At least one point is clear, however, the delivery of health care through Medicaid will no longer exist as we now know it. Medicaid faces cuts of $421 million in 2027-2029 and $868 million in 2029-2031. OHA estimates that up to 200,000 Oregonians who are otherwise eligible could lose Medicaid coverage over the next ten years. because of its new work Unless exempt, every six months, Oregon Health Plan (OHP) members must prove they are receiving income over $580 a month from work, are enrolled in higher education at least half time, or are participating in a combination of work, volunteering, education or training programs that add up to at least 80 hours a month. It is estimated that approximately 600,000 OHP members will be subject to these requirements. To stem this loss, OHA is attempting to increase automatic verification, such as using technology so people can automatically upload payroll documents, and enhancing member access through the ONE online account and the Oregon ONE Mobile app. It is also developing a variety of sources that will advise OHP members of the work and activity rules, including a state-wide “Stay Connected, Stay Covered” media campaign. At the same time as these impacts are being analyzed, Oregon's private insurance companies are suffering from increasing costs and decreasing revenues. Approximately 100,000 Oregonians have recently lost insurance with the closure of Providence and Pacific Source (with small market exceptions). Moda will be narrowing its geographic coverage, and Health Net will shortly be leaving the Oregon market. in 2025 insurance carriers had losses amounting to approximately $700 million which pushed up insurance rates. Final rates for 2027 are anticipated to increase by 21.6%. Private insurance enrollment has declined by 15%. In 2027 individual medical claims costs are projected to go up 8.5%. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) presented information on the status of Oregon’s federal "Section 1115" waiver. Applications for these waivers must be filed by states every 5 years and Oregon's current waiver expires on September 30, 2027. A Section 1115 waiver allows a state to depart from federal healthcare rules administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Examples of waiver departures include allowing states to change benefits, expand eligibility and test new healthcare models. Oregon's current waiver allows payment for certain health-related social needs such as housing assistance, nutrition support, and other social services that affect health outcomes. The waiver also covers the Oregon Health Plan Bridge Program for adults with incomes 138–200% of the federal poverty level and supports individuals with disabilities, children and young adults and adults and other medically fragile individuals. If Oregon's waiver renewal is not approved, those services will be phased out. Questions to ask as we move forward toward the long session in January 2027: How do we protect Oregonians who currently receive Medicaid benefits? How do we obtain reasonably priced private health insurance coverage? How will we address the loss of services we may lose from changes in federal health care policy? Is it time to move towards state-based healthcare coverage for all? Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2026 Social Policy bills for which the League submitted testimony. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. Volunteers are needed. We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning Basic Needs: Food Basic Needs: Income Juvenile Justice Public Safety Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 2/24 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Air Quality Agriculture Bottle Bills Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Dept. Of State Lands (DSL) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Emergency Services Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Natural Resources Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Recycling State Land Board Water Wetlands Wildfire AIR QUALITY 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. LWVOR to support. The public hearing on this bill is set for Feb. 24 in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment . Testimony is taken for up to 48 hours after the hearing. HB 3244 : Replaces the requirement that an owner or operator of a municipal solid waste incinerator conduct continuous monitoring or sampling of specified air contaminants with a requirement that the monitoring or sampling be conducted annually. LWVOR would oppose. The bill relates to the Reworld facility out of Keizer and League members have testified of their concerns in past years. AGRICULTURE By Sandra Bishop Chair Jeff Golden announced four specific Senate bills that will be considered by the committee: SB 78 : Replacement dwelling bill SB 77 : Home occupation reform bill SB 73 : Spot zoning reform SB 79 : Prohibits certain dwellings on resource lands. LWVOR will watch and may support with our strong positions on protection of Oregon’s valuable agricultural lands. Also, we are watching HB 3158 relating to photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use. Allows certain photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use to operate alongside farm or allowed nonfarm uses on a tract. LWVOR is watching this one before taking a position. The League is watching HB 2947 , a bill that would direct the Oregon State University Extension Service and the College of Agricultural Sciences of Oregon State University to study the distribution and occurrence of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in biosolids applied to agricultural fields that do not produce crops intended for human consumption . A New York Times article shared a story about Johnson County, TX as they address the issue of harmful “forever chemicals”. BOTTLE BILLS By Sandra Bishop SB 992 originally introduced as an Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission study of how to modernize the beverage container redemption system is now being shaped as an omnibus bottle bill. A 28-page amendment was introduced in a public hearing on Feb 17th in the Senate Energy & Environment committee. There is a request from industry representatives to incorporate provisions from several other bills. LWVOR will wait for a settled version of the bill to determine whether or not to support. BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 , tentative 3rd week of March. Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 , tentative 3rd week of March. Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 . DEQ: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget; DEQ Fact Sheet ; Public hearing tentatively set for mid-March. Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 ; info hearing 2/10; Meeting Materials ; public hearing 2/11. Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 ; info hearing 2/10, public hearing 2/11. Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 ; tentative public hearings Mar. 31 & Apr. 1-2. Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . Tentative public hearings March 10-12. Department of Forestry / Department of the State Fire Marshal - Wildfire Funding Workgroup Work Session/report to be a part of the ODF budget presentation. Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials ; LWVOR testimony ; Aggregate industry testified against the staffing and fee increases. LWVOR points out that KPM #4 , mine inspections have consistently NOT met the small 20% target so, if staffing is needed to meet that target AND fees increased to pay for them, we will continue to support. LWVOR supports SB 836 . Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 ; Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet ; Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials ; LWVOR testimony . Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 ; Public hearing Feb. 27. Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 ; Public hearing Feb. 17; Meeting Materials Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 ; Public hearing tentative set for March 8. Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 . Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 ; Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet ; Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are available online here . Info Mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony . And the fee bills: Support HB 2808 and HB 2803 . Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-26. Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 25-26. Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 . Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 . Office of the Governor: SB 5523 . Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 ; info hearing 2/19, public hearing 2/20. See more in the Wildfire section of this report. Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 . Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 . Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 . Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : An average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium. Emergency Board: HB 500 . General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : An average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium. Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.). The next Revenue Forecast will be Feb. 26th at 8am in the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue ( agenda ). The legislature will use that forecast to do a final rebalance of the 2023-25 budget. Then the May 14th forecast will be the basis for the legislature to determine the 2025-27 state budget. Oregon receives substantial funding from the federal government, so the legislature is watching closely as the March 14th deadline for a federal budget to be passed again looms. Congress also needs to address raising the federal debt limit to authorize paying for bills we’ve already incurred. The federal budget is annual and runs Oct. 1-Sept. 30. Currently there is only a federal budget until end of day March 14. Additionally, the firing of federal employees who live in Oregon is beginning to affect both large and small communities in Oregon—not only the jobs they were hired to do, but economies with the loss of those employee wages to the communities. CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. T here are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL LWVOR is following SB 504 , related to shoreline stabilization. Our coastal partners have been working with the sponsor, and a -4 amendment has been filed that focuses on “non-structural nature-based solutions” instead of “bioengineering”. A work session is scheduled for Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire . The League is pleased to see the bill numbers for kelp and eel grass conservation (HB 3580) and protection of Rocky Habitat (HB 3587). The League signed on to letters of support for both bills. We asked for funding for a staffer in the Dept. of Land Development and Conservation budget to continue to address rocky habitat, an element of the Territorial Sea Plan which the League has supported. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League has signed on to a letter in opposition to HB 2642 . HB 2642 is a bill that seeks to divest the authority to administer vehicle emission testing away from the Department of Environmental Quality, to the private sector. Emissions testing in Oregon began in the mid-1970s as a method of reducing air pollution from trucks and cars in order to ensure compliance with the landmark federal Clean Air Act of 1970. The League has been a voice in support of this program, not only because of the need to reduce pollution, but by reducing vehicle pollution, we can support industries who provide employment in these areas where the testing is required. We are asking legislators to vote no on HB 2642 and support DEQ’s authority to protect air quality by preserving their power to implement vehicle emission testing. The League supports SB 830 , a bill that modifies provisions of the on-site septic system loan program to allow for grants. It also allows for the program to consider mobile home parks in need of septic upgrades. A work session is scheduled for Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire . HB 2947 had a public hearing in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water on Feb. 10th related to treated sewage being used on farms. OPB provided great coverage of the concerns related to this usage. See also the New York Times article about this issue cited in the Agriculture section. Here is the Onsite Wastewater Management Program 2025 Rulemaking webpage . Because of the League’s work on SB 391 (2021) and additional bills in 2023, a League member is serving on the rules advisory committee to address sewer availability and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) issues. There is a meeting set for Feb. 26. You are welcome to s ign up for email updates about this rulemaking via GovDelivery . The League will again serve on an annual rulemaking advisory committee on water quality fee increases. A meeting is scheduled for Feb. 25th. To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee you can view the rulemaking web page at: Water Quality Fees 2025 . DEPT. OF STATE LANDS (DSL) By Peggy Lynch The next State Land Board meeting is a special meeting in March (date still unknown), followed by a regular meeting April 8. See below for more information on the State Land Board. DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) By Peggy Lynch The League provided testimony in support of SB 836 , a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. See the agency’s presentation to understand the reasons for these increases. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) You can read the latest about the Elliott State Research Forest in their latest press release. Included is that t he Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is seeking comments on administrative rules for the Elliott State Research Forest. The comment period is open from February 3 - March 5 (closes at 5 p.m. Pacific). Then DSL is seeking comments on the proposed Elliott State Research Forest Operations Plan. Click here to view or download the proposed plan, project overview map, and appendices. Click here to view only the proposed plan (PDF) The 45-day comment period is open until 5 p.m. on March 31. Here is a more complete notice of the plan with opportunities for virtual public meetings. EMERGENCY SERVICES By Rebecca Gladstone HB 2581 : The League delivered oral and written testimony in support of a statute change, substituting the word “seismic” with “hazards”, to coordinate coverage efforts through the State Resiliency Officer. A work session was held on Feb 6 in the House Committee On Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans where the bill passed unanimously. It passed the House Floor (49/9/2) and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. FORESTRY (ODF) The Oregon Board of Forestry will hold a public meeting on March 5 at 8:30 a.m. The full agenda is available on the board’s webpage . See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. GOVERNANCE Because the League is often engaged in rulemaking, we often comment on legislation that would affect changes in Oregon’s current Administrative Rules. We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692 , a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures. On Feb. 19, the Governor provided expectations and guidance for state agencies related to rulemaking and customer service. LAND USE & HOUSING By Peggy Lynch 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. Bills we are following: On Feb. 10th the House Committee on Housing heard testimony on the first three bills that the League believes would allow housing outside of cities. Some could violate Goals 3 and 4 of our land use system so we will follow these bills as the session progresses. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. These lands are currently a variety of state-owned lands scattered around the state. HB 2400 : Allows the owner of property outside an urban growth boundary to site an additional dwelling on the property for occupancy by a relative of the owner. HB 2422 : Requires that lands zoned to allow density of one or fewer dwellings per acre to be considered a rural use. HB 3013 : Details the process by which a permit or zone change that is based on provisions of a comprehensive plan or land use regulation that fail to gain. acknowledgment is voided and any resulting improvements or uses are removed or revoked. LWVOR supports with -1 amendment. A public hearing was held Feb. 3rd. HB 3062 : Requires local governments to map sensitive uses as part of a comprehensive plan. A public hearing was held Feb. 20th. HB 2138 : Expands allowable middle housing and expands middle housing requirements to include urban unincorporated lands. LWVOR may have comments. Some provisions we support; others not so much. Amendments to the bill have not yet been posted on OLIS. We will wait to read them before making a decision on the bill. HB 3145 : Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to use Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program Fund monies for factory-built housing. LWVOR should support. HB 2347 : Authorizes the Department of Land Conservation and Development to provide planning assistance for housing production to federally recognized Indian tribes and makes other technical changes to laws relating to land use planning. The bill passed unanimously on Feb. 19 with the -2 amendment. HB 2950 : A bill to update Goal One and Public Participation is being sponsored by Oregon’s American Planning Association. The League is interested in the bill, but has some concerns. We understand there will be an amendment proffered. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . Because of the requirement to do rulemaking, the bill, if passing the Committee, will be sent to Ways and Means. SB 462 : Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to establish an education course for land use planners for local governments, special districts and state agencies. LWVOR supports educational efforts but there are other training opportunities, so this proposal might be redundant. A public hearing was held on Feb. 19 in the Senate Committee On Housing and Development . SB 525 : Amends expedited land division criteria and processes. LWVOR has concerns. May need to oppose. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. NATURAL RESOURCES HB 3173 : Establishing OregonFlora in statute. HB 3173 assed committee with a -3 amendment on Feb. 12th and was sent to Ways and Means. HB 3173 info sheet . The bill has widespread support statewide and the League hopes to see this program that supports many natural resource areas funded this session. OREGON WATERSHED ENHANCEMENT BOARD (OWEB) By Lucie La Bonte The Natural Resources Ways and Means Subcommittee will meet to discuss HB 5039 , the agency’s budget bill, and the 6-Year Limitation bill HB 5040 (limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) on Feb. 25th with a public hearing on Feb. 26th. RECYCLING On Feb. 21, the Dept. of Environmental Quality announced approval of the Producer Responsibility Organization program plan and advanced the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. The Act was supported by the League as it sees this as a major advancement to addressing plastic pollution in Oregon. STATE LAND BOARD (SLB) By Peggy Lynch The State Land Board will meet virtually on February 27 at 1 p.m . in a special 30-minute online meeting to discuss the Department of State Lands Director recruitment. Here is the meeting materials packet that includes information on how to provide testimony related to the job description. This agency and its director are extremely important to the League as the Board protects waters of the state and is responsible for the South Slough National Estuarine Reserve as well as the Elliott State Research Forest and Common School Fund lands. WATER By Peggy Lynch A major set of bills was heard on Feb. 19th in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . HB 3364 makes changes to the grants programs at the Water Resources Dept. Testimony provided comments and concerns with agreement that all parties would continue to work on finding agreement on an amendment. HB 3419 is the major broad set of water policy changes described by the various amendments posted since this is really a “gut and stuff” bill! The committee Co-Chairs announced that more amendments are expected. But reading the currently-filed amendments would be helpful in understanding the various purposes of elements of the to-be-amended bill. On Feb. 17 in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water two bills of interest to the League had a public hearing: HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3526 would require well water test reporting in property sales. The League supported this concept in past sessions and did again this session. As we address drinking water well issues, a state report indicates concerns in Crook County per this OPB article . Other water bills we are following: HB 2988 : Instructs the Water Resources Department to take certain actions related to aquifer recharge and aquifer storage and recovery. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th. HB 3108 : Requires the Water Resources Department to implement additional rules and requirements for the review of limited license applications for an aquifer storage and recovery permit HB 2803 : Increases certain fees related to water. LWVOR will support. Expect amendments. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. HB 2808 : Increases fees related to wells. LWVOR will support. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. HB 3106 : Oregon Water Data Portal funding. The Oregon Water Data Portal debuted Jan. 31st. The multi-agency effort to release a beta version of the pilot portal for the Oregon Water Data Portal project debuted on January 31. The pilot portal is accessible here . Users can provide feedback about the beta version of the pilot portal by completing a survey or emailing OWDP@deq.oregon.gov . We expect a hearing next week in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . The League supports. HB 3573 , a bill that addresses funding for a variety of water measurement strategies. We expect a hearing next week in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . The League supports. 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 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. Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” V isit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. WETLANDS The League testified in opposition to SB 511 , a perennial salmon tax credit bill filed by Sen. David Brock Smith that would create a new program to allow private property owners get a tax credit for salmon habitat on their property if allowed to be used by a developer to destroy wetlands in another area of Coos and Curry County. A bill of concern to the League related to our removal/fill program has been filed: SB 400 . As proposed, the League will oppose. Another wetlands-related bill we will be watching: HB 2054 . WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers The League learned on February 14, from the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), of the appointment of a new Fire Protection Division Chief, Michael Curran. He has been with the agency for 20 years, most recently in the West Oregon District. Kate Skinner, who was previously serving as Deputy Chief Forester, is now Interim Chief Forester, stepping in after the resignation of Cal Mukumoto following the devastating 2024 wildfire season. February 17, the Oregon Capital Chronicle wrote about how Governor Kotek and the Legislature are pausing any further action on appeals to the Wildfire Hazard Map in the face of, once again, significant public opposition. Readers of last week’s Legislative Report are likely not surprised by this news. This action casts doubt on the future of the map, which was to be used to help with prioritizing areas of the State for programs and funding for wildfire mitigation and more. And, it comes in the face of calls by some in the Legislature to withdraw the map altogether, again, or even completely “undo” SB 762 , the 2021 Wildfire Bill, which led to the creation of the map and other measures that broadly address the wildfire crisis. There was a Public Hearing on HB 3089 on February 18 before the House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection. This bill “opens a discussion” of an idea to try and address rising homeowners insurance rates by separating out wildfire insurance from regular homeowners fire coverage. The thought is this could be done much in the manner flood insurance is handled through a federal program. On February 19 and 20, the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety heard from Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple of the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal regarding their budget requests for the upcoming biennium. Her main presentation may be found here . There was much discussion around a reduction of the Governor’s proposed budget for fire season upstaffing grants. Chief Ruiz-Temple informed the Committee that the reduction would mean a reduction in firefighters by 288, and that this would negatively affect wildfire response for the upcoming season, on top of the layoff of 10% of the United States Forest Services personnel, including firefighters and others working on mitigation. You may read more about that development here . Look for information from the Wildfire Funding Group on their recommendations regarding wildfire funding officially in presentations on March 5 and 6. More next week. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Climate Emergency Legislative Report - Week of October 13 Climate Emergency Team Coordinator: Claudia Keith Coordinator: Claudia Keith Efficient and Resilient Buildings: vacant Energy Policy: Claudia Keith Environmental Justice: vacant Natural Climate Solution Forestry: Josie Koehne Agriculture: vacant Community Resilience & Emergency Management: see Governance LR: Rebecca Gladstone Transportation: see NR LR Joint Ways and Means - Budgets, Lawsuits, Green/Public Banking, Divestment/ESG: Claudia Keith Find additional Climate Change Advocacy volunteers in Natural Resources Please see Climate Emergency Overview here. Jump to a topic: Highlights Key Climate and Energy Issues Natural and Working Lands Recent National and State News Looking Ahead Climate Lawsuits and Our Children’s Trust Highlights It is not clear at this point what to expect for the 2026 short session. Likely leadership will continue to focus on challenging fiscal issues, Federal Executive Branch constitutional / overreach issues affecting fiscal and policy issues and the Governor’s on-going priorities. As in previous short sessions the League plans to work independently and with our coalition partners on critical pragmatic focused legislation. But they have not shared their climate/energy priorities for the 2026 session. Key climate and energy issues New legislation in effect in fall 2025 Several energy-related bills from the 2025 session became effective in late September 2025 (91 days after the session's conclusion on June 27). Key legislation includes: Microgrids: HB 2066 directs the Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) to establish a regulatory framework for microgrids. Grid enhancement: HB 3336 requires electric companies to plan for the deployment of grid-enhancing technologies (GETs). Investment reporting: HB 2081, the "Climate Resilience Investment Act," requires the State Treasury to analyze and report on climate change-related risks to the public employee retirement fund (PERS). Failed or stalled initiatives During the 2025 regular session, a number of significant climate and energy proposals did not pass but could be revisited in the future. These included: "Right to a clean environment": Senate Joint Resolution (SJR 28) , a proposed constitutional amendment, failed to pass. Climate Superfund: Bills ( SB 682, SB 1187 ) that would have established a climate superfund to cover the costs of climate change did not pass. Fossil fuel divestment: A bill ( SB 681 ) to prohibit fossil fuel investments by the State Treasury failed. Future policy discussions Policymakers and advocates have already set the stage for continued climate and energy debates: Oregon Energy Strategy: The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) solicited public feedback in September 2025 for a new energy strategy to help the state meet its climate goals. Ongoing debates: Issues such as utility costs for large users, transportation policy, and wildfire funding were discussed in the 2025 regular session and are expected to continue in future sessions. Looking ahead The interim work in September and October 2025, including the House Committee on Climate, Energy, and Environment (CEE) meetings, helped to shape the climate and energy policy agenda for future sessions. Further interim legislative days are planned for November, 2025 and January, 2026. In addition, potentially effecting 2026 session, SCEE Committee Hearing included Invited Speakers Only , which heard presentations regarding: Washington’s Climate Commitment Act Green Banking: Maine’s Blue Economy Task Force Impacts of Federal Actions on Oregon’s Solar Industry The House CEE heard presentations on the Impacts of Recent Federal Actions on Energy and Environment-Related Agency Operations and Renewable Energy Development in Oregon. Natural and Working Lands (NWL) By Josie Koehne The Oregon Climate Action Commission (OCAC) report from the Oregon Department of Forestry on the NWL Fund was very minimal and did not include how much of the Fund ODF has been spent-- repeating what the Fund wis intended to fund and just a little on the seed banking with no financials or timeframes. In addition, the recording of the Sept 3 was without any visuals, was completely inaudible and one presentation had not been posted. The League complained to Chair Kelly and now the presentation and a better recording have been posted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVuDrjTwZew&t=8066s listen around 1:45. Oregon Climate Equity Network Meeting Sept. 4, 2025 The long session largely focused on expensive issues other than climate. New leadership was not well-positioned to meet the moment. With 4,000+ bills there was a lack of clear, unified priorities among the Democratic supermajorities. Climate advocates were on constant defense to prevent stalling and weakening of bills. A number of Key learnings: Need to cultivate champions now more than ever. Utilities still hold a lot of power, but their constant opposition works against them. Legislator reputation and abilities can make or break a bill. Committee leadership matters – see above. Governor’s input (when offered) can be decisive. One-time funding should be avoided; advocates should not come back with requests year after year. Legislative Days, Sept. 29–Oct. 1: Need to fill Amy Schlusser’s seat on the Environmental Quality Commission with a climate advocate – she now works in Gov. Kotek’s office. One more EQC seat to fill as well. The President is trying to rescind all IRA investments, which would drastically impact our state budget. The budget reconciliation act accelerates phase-out of solar/wind tax credits; rescinds unobligated funding from EPA programs; implements FIAT restrictions that complicate supply chains for renewable energy; and provides selective support for nuclear, hydrogen, clean fuels. USDA is blocking siting of solar on “prime farm land.” ODOE Energy Strategy comments were due 9/22. . Major pathways include energy efficiency (buildings and transp.), strategic electrification, clean electricity, low-carbon fuels for hard-to-decarbonize applications, resilience. Feedback and themes from the Nine Tribes focused on energy independence, affordability, decision making, funding access, and consultation. Calls for 42 near-term actions. ODOE will get major pushback from O&G and utilities. 2026 session (Feb. 2-March 9) priorities: Building Resilience: electrification of homes and buildings, managed transition off Natural Gas, resilience to climate harms. Clean Grid Collaborative: Address statewide transmission restraints, continue to work toward a state transmission authority. Governor support would be key. Move Oregon Forward: Road usage charge fix – raise rate from 20 mph to 30 mph; transit funding – remove the 2028 sunset. Cap and Invest conversation. Legislators are facing a critical vote on the transportation package, and they are already being attacked. Industry is trying to persuade them that the “easy fix” is to divert money from the Climate Protection Program . DEQ CPP President Wagner said no to moving forward SJR 28 , the right to a healthy environment amendment. Concerns are that it would trigger a GOP walkout, issues with the title of the proposed amendment. Likely no action in short session but still a target for the next long session. Recent National and State News Oregon to accelerate siting of renewable energy projects to beat Trump’s incentive deadline | OPB “Today, Governor Tina Kotek signed Executive Order 25-25 to accelerate the pace of renewable wind and solar project development in the state ... Oregon officials decry Trump administration’s revocation of scientific finding on carbon emissions - OPB Oregon Lawmakers Pass Transportation Funding Stopgap, Leaving Critical Investments in Safety and Climate for Another Session | Climate Solutions Special Session Update: The Path Ahead for Transportation - Oregon Environmental Council How Oregon Can Leverage Its Nature for a Brighter Future | The Pew Charitable Trusts Oregon DOE September 2025 Newsletter — Energy Info Calendar Looking Ahead Oregon Climate Action Commission | October 10, 2025 | Via Webinar Energy Facility Siting Council | October 23-24, 2025 | Maupin and Via Webinar Current Rulemakings ( click to see details ) Other Stakeholder Groups ( click to see details ) 2025 CUB Energy Policy Conference | October 3, 2025 | ODOE Sponsoring + Presenting League of Oregon Cities 100th Annual Conference | October 2-4, 2025 | ODOE Sponsoring 2025 ACEEE National Conference on Energy Efficiency as a Resource | October 7, 2025 | ODOE Presenting Government-to-Government Summit | October 7, 2025 | ODOE Attending Regional Energy Symposium | October 9, 2025 | ODOE Presenting Can Oregon and Washington Price Carbon Pollution ? - The Climate Trust, Published: September 30, 2025, Ecosystem Marketplace's Carbon Program BPA will buy wave-energy power generated at Oregon coast test site. | Oregonian, (Related: LWVOR's Coastal study included a discussion of wave energy: 2012 – Coastal and Nearshore Oregon: Using and Protecting Our Natural Resources An overview of the complex, interconnected issues and challenges that must be addressed in making decisions to manage the natural resources of the coastline; reflects the economic, social, and cultural impacts of these management decisions with particular emphasis on marine reserves and ocean energy. Coastal and Nearshore Oregon (48 pgs; pdf) Executive Summary (5 pgs; pdf) Acronym List (2 pgs; pdf) Mapping the Dynamic Oregon Coast (pdf) Coastal Study Presentation (pdf) Links to additional Information (Word document) NPR for Oregonians Oregon is set to lose an additional $400 million in federal grants awarded for climate action along with a number of other states. Trump called climate change a ‘con jo b’ at the United Nations. Here are the facts and context | PBS News There are two major federal and global economic tax issues effecting CE: the US tariff program rolled out by the current admin and reaction to it and CBAM and CBAT, EU Carbon border tax. (Brookings) Climate Lawsuits and Our Children’s Trust Here is one example of how to track ODEQ Climate Protection Program cases. Basically, there are a number of active federal lawsuits , Climate Litigation Oct 3 Updates Another source: Columbia University Law - Sabin Climate DB lists 91 lawsuits , (active and dismissed) mentioning Oregon. Climate Lawsuit News October 03, 2025 Sabin Center for Climate Change Law & UNEP Release a New Climate Litigation Report October 03, 2025 Climate Litigation Updates (October 3, 2025) September 26, 2025 The Sabin Center and Climate Policy Radar Relaunch The Climate Litigation Database October 3, 2025 - Grist : The kids who sued America over climate change aren’t done yet September 29, 2025 - Inside Climate News : Climate Activists Thwarted in U.S. Courts Are Headed to an International Tribunal for Review September 29, 2025 - Rolling Stone : Inside the Fight Against Trump’s Alaskan Pipe Dream September 26, 2025 - E&E News: Juliana climate case arrives at international court VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Climate Emergency ? You can help. V olunteers are needed. The short legislative session begins in January of 2026. Many State Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of climate or natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, or Claudia Keith Climate Emergency at peggylynchor@gmail.com Or climatepolicy@lwvor.org . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Governance , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report section

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 1/16 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Transparency By Rebecca Gladstone Two major bills that passed unanimously from committees in 2022 and failed to progress will now be moving in 2023. SB 2052 is the AG’s Oregon Data Broker Registry bill, heard in House Business and Labor. We called attention in our League testimony in support to data brokers influencing elections. We urge ongoing legislative attention to privacy, transparency, and cybersecurity issues because they evolve quickly. Other testimony spoke to biometrics revealing pregnancy since hips widen and gait recognition may perceive changes. Gait recognition may be a more reliable individual identifier than other biometric measurements. Data brokers can market geolocation information, also a privacy issue if they sell geolocation tracking information, for example to health clinics. Chair Holvey called our attention to the companion SB 619, not yet scheduled for public hearing. The Joint Committee for Information Management and Technology has three committee bills, none scheduled for hearings yet. The committee is introducing concepts and agency staff to new committee members. HB 2049 We will continue to support his cybersecurity omnibus committee bill. SB 625 We will be examining this IT procurement pilot program bill. SB 680 We may address this committee broadband development bill for the southern Oregon coast. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/10 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Air Quality Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Dept. of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Department of State Lands (DSL) Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) Emergency Services Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) Water Wetlands Wildfire AIR QUALITY 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. LWVOR supports. The public hearing on this bill was held Feb. 24 in the Senate Committee On Energy and Environment . We wait to see if it will get a work session. HB 3244 : Replaces the requirement that an owner or operator of a municipal solid waste incinerator conduct continuous monitoring or sampling of specified air contaminants with a requirement that the monitoring or sampling be conducted annually. LWVOR would oppose. The bill relates to the Reworld facility out of Keiser and League members have testified of their concerns in past years. AGRICULTURE By Sandra Bishop The following Senate bills had public hearings in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire on March 6 : SB 78 – Replacement dwelling bill and SB 77 – home occupation reform bill which the League supports. And SB 788 , a bill that would exempt some Eastern Oregon counties from certain land use laws, which we opposed. LWVOR testified in support of SB 77 and SB 78 , and in opposition to SB 788 . LWVOR will watch and may support SB 73 – Spot zoning reform; and SB 79 – which prohibits certain dwellings on resource lands with our strong positions on protection of Oregon’s valuable agricultural lands. Also, we are watching HB 3158 relating to photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use. Allows certain photovoltaic solar power generation facilities on lands zoned for exclusive farm use to operate alongside farm or allowed nonfarm uses on a tract. LWVOR is watching this one before taking a position. The League was invited to participate in a panel at the Board of Agriculture related to the 2025 legislative session. We were unable to attend, but sent a copy of our 2025 Priorities with a short note of thanks for the invitation and acknowledging the League’s support of agriculture—Oregon’s most stable industry. BUDGETS/REVENUE By Peggy Lynch 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. OPB published an article to explain: If approved, the proposed spending would reduce the money lawmakers have left at the end of the 2023-25 budget by $425.6 million. The state’s top budget writers, state Rep. Tawna Sanchez, D-Portland, and state Sen. Kate Lieber, D-Portland, said much of the spending was already accounted for in a revenue forecast delivered last week. That forecast suggested lawmakers can count on $350 million more than previously expected as they build the next two-year budget. Senate President Rob Wagner provided a press release with a list of the major additional funding proposed. Expect the Full Ways and Means to take action on March 14 and then 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. The Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Capital Construction will next meet on March 21st when they will receive a report from the State Treasurer, including the 2025 bonding capacity, and from the Dept. of Administrative Services (DAS) on behalf of the Governor. Following are the budget bills we are watching in Natural Resources: Dept. of Agriculture: SB 5502 tentative 3rd week of March; Dept. of Agriculture Fees: SB 5503 tentative 3rd week of March; Columbia River Gorge Commission: SB 5508 Info mtg. and public hearing March 13 DEQ: SB 5520 . Governor’s budget DEQ Fact Sheet tentative info mtgs. April 7-9, public hearing April 10 Oregon Dept. of Energy: SB 5518 info hearing 2/10, Meeting Materials , public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Energy Fees: SB 5519 info hearing 2/10, public hearing 2/11 Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: HB 5009 , tentative public hearings Mar. 31 & Apr. 1-2; Oregon Dept. of Forestry: SB 5521 . info hearing March 10 & 11. Public hearing March 12. Meeting Materials (See Wildfire section for more information.) Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: HB 5010 Public hearing Feb. 5-6; Meeting materials LWVOR testimony Aggregate industry testified against the staffing and fee increases. LWVOR points out that KPM #4 , mine inspections has consistently NOT met the small 20% target so, if staffing is needed to meet that target AND fees increased to pay for them, we will continue to support. LWVOR supports SB 836 . Dept. of Land Conservation and Development: SB 5528 Governor’s budget DLCD Fact Sheet Public hearing Feb. 3-4; LCDC 1/24 presentation ; Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony Land Use Board of Appeals: SB 5529 Public hearing Feb. 27 LWVOR testimony . SB 817 is a bill to request a minor fee increase (Work Session held Mar. 4 in Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire where it passed unanimously ) Oregon State Marine Board: HB 5021 Public hearing Feb. 17 Meeting Materials **Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.: HB 5026 info hearings March 3-4, public hearing March 5. Meeting Materials LWVOR testimony . OPRD will need additional revenue sources for the 2027-29 biennium. Dept. of State Lands: SB 5539 tentative hearings March 17-18, public hearing on March 19. Water Resources Dept.: SB 5543 Governor’s budget WRD Fact Sheet Here is a summary of the Governor’s budget. Governor's Budget and Agency Request Budget documents are available online here . Info Mtg. & Public hearing Feb. 18-20. Meeting Materials . LWVOR testimony . And the fee bills: support HB 2808 and HB 2803 . Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: HB 5039 . Info mtg. & P ublic hearing Feb. 25-27 LWVOR testimony . Meeting Materials Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board 6-Year Limitation: HB 5040 (Limits expenditures of lottery funds from the Watershed Conservation Grant Fund for local grant expenditures by the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for a six-year period beginning July 1, 2025.) Info mtg. & P ublic hearing Feb. 25-26 Oregon Business Development Dept.: HB 5024 Oregon Dept. of Emergency Management: SB 5517 Office of the Governor: SB 5523 Oregon State Fire Marshal: SB 5538 info hearing 2/19, public hearing 2/20. Dept. of Transportation: SB 5541 info hearing 3/03-6, public hearing 3/11 Dept. of Administrative Services: HB 5002 info hearings 3/03-5, public hearing 3/06. Meeting Materials Legislative Administration Committee, Legislative Assembly, Legislative Counsel Committee, Legislative Fiscal Officer, Legislative Revenue Officer, Commission on Indian Services and Legislative Policy and Research Committee: HB 5016 Lottery Bonds: SB 5531 : an average debt capacity of $564 million in each Biennium Emergency Board: HB 5006 This bill will be a vehicle to accept testimony from the public during six community meetings around the state from March 22 ending April 25 on the public’s priorities for the 2025-27 budget. General Obligation Bonds, etc.: SB 5505 : an average debt capacity of $2.22 billion per Biennium Six-Year Limitation/Bonds: SB 5506 (Limits for the six-year period beginning July 1, 2025, payment of expenses from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by various state agencies for capital construction.) CLIMATE By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. T here are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL A public hearing was held on March 4 for the Eelgrass Action Bill (HB 3580) , a bill for kelp and eel grass conservation. The League signed on to a letter in support. Also heard was a bill to protect Rocky Habitat ( HB 3587 ). Here is a one-pager: Rocky Habitat Stewardship Bill (HB 3587) . The League also signed on to a letter in support. We asked for funding for a staffer in the Dept. of Land Development and Conservation budget to continue to address rocky habitat, an element of the Territorial Sea Plan which the League has supported as elements were added and updated over the years. A bill League is following is SB 504 related to shoreline stabilization. Our coastal partners have been working with the sponsor and a -4 amendment has been filed that focuses on “non-structural nature-based solutions” instead of “bioengineering”. A work session was held. The -4 amendment was adopted unanimously on Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire and the bill has been sent to Ways and Means. DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) By Peggy Lynch The League supports SB 830 , a bill that m odifies provisions of the on-site septic system loan program to allow for grants. It also allows for the program to consider mobile home parks in need of septic upgrades. A work session was held on Feb. 25 in the Senate Committee On Natural Resources and Wildfire where it passed unanimously. Passed the full Senate March 6 . The League has signed on to a letter in opposition to HB 2642 which would privatize emissions testing. . Emissions testing in Oregon began in the mid-1970s as a method of reducing air pollution from trucks and cars in order to ensure compliance with the landmark federal Clean Air Act of 1970. A public hearing was held on Feb. 18 in the Joint Committee On Transportation . Here is the Onsite Wastewater Management Program 2025 Rulemaking webpage . Because of the League’s work on SB 391 (2021) and additional bills in 2023, a League member served on the rules advisory committee to address sewer availability and accessory dwelling unit (ADU) issues. On Feb. 26 the advisory committee approved the Fiscal Impact Statement. A public comment period is expected in May. You are welcome to Sign up for email updates about this rulemaking via GovDelivery . The League again served on an annual rulemaking advisory committee on water quality fee increases. A meeting was held on Feb. 25th where the committee agreed to forward their recommendation for the allowed annual 3% fee increase to the DEQ Director. To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee you can view the rulemaking web page at: Water Quality Fees 2025 . DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) By Joan Fryxell On March 6th the Technical Review Team (TRT) met on the Calico Resources proposed Grassy Mountain gold mine near Vale in Malheur County. The TRT discussed Best Available Practicable and Necessary Technology (BAPNT). Information will be available online . The League provided testimony in support of SB 836 , a bill that would significantly increase permit fees for mining related activities. See the agency’s presentation to understand the reasons for these increases. DEPT. OF STATE LANDS (DSL) DSL is seeking comments on a proposed sale of state-owned land located on the south shore of the western side of Hayden Island in Multnomah County. The 45-day comment period is open from March 5 – April 19. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) The Dept. of State Lands is seeking comments on the proposed Elliott State Research Forest Operations Plan. Click here to view or download the proposed plan, project overview map, and appendices. Click here to view only the proposed plan (PDF) The 45-day comment period is open until 5 p.m. on March 31. Here is a more complete notice of the plan with opportunities for virtual public meetings. EMERGENCY SERVICES By Rebecca Gladstone The League spoke and filed testimony on HB 2581 in support of a statute change, substituting the word “seismic” with “hazards”, to coordinate coverage efforts through the State Resiliency Officer. The bill has passed the House. The Senate Committee On Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs held a public hearing on March 6th and now has a work session scheduled March 18th. FORESTRY (ODF) By Josie Koehne The newest member to the 7-member Board of Forestry joined the Board for the first time at their March 5th meeting. Alexi Lovechio , of Ashland is Forests and Ecosystem Services Program Manager with Ecotrust, has a background in forest and climate policy, and has worked previously on botany surveys for the USDA Forest Service. Ben Deumling and Heath Curtis will continue to serve on the Board for 4 more years. The March 5th Board meeting focused primarily on internal governance issues, including the role of the chair, each member's top priorities for future Board discussions, a proposal for adding a rotating vice chair, edits to Board Policies Manual, and a presentation on the Dept of Forestry's Demographics and Workforce Trends. The Board has made progress on increasing women and DEI representation in ODF employment, but more work needs to be done since the agency staff are approximately 75% white male. The Board discussed sending a letter to the Legislature supporting full funding for the Private Forest Accord . Since one member declined to sign on and the letter would therefore not be unanimous, the letter will not be sent. The Legislature has charged the Board with developing rulemaking for tethered logging. There was an excellent presentation on the scientific research on tethered logging for protecting soils and improving logger safety. Private timber companies have been using and improving equipment and practices for many years now, and are very happy with its use for logging steep slopes. SB 1051 assigned to the Senate Rules Committee was discussed at length. The bill transfers the authority to appoint a State Forester from the State Board of Forestry to the Governor. The bill states that the State Forester or Deputy State Forester must be "a practical forester familiar with western conditions and experienced in organization for the prevention of forest fire." Most members oppose this bill on the grounds that the long-term appointment of the State Forester should not be subject to changes in the Governorship or subject to political influence. All agreed that a strong natural resources background should be a requirement in selecting a State Forester. The Board has already developed their list of desired attributes to guide them in the selection process. HB 3103 , a bill that would d irect the State Forester to establish “sustainable” harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and develop a timber inventory model to inform sustainable harvest levels while ignoring the court affirmed “greatest permanent value” was heard on March 3rd in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . The League OPPOSED . See also the Wildfire section of this report below and the separate Climate section. GOVERNANCE Our partners in the Oregon Conservation Network alerted us to a series of bills related to rulemaking which we might oppose: HB 2255 , HB 2303 , HB 2402 and HB 2427 . We are also concerned with HB 3382 , since the requirements of the Secretary of State to gather ALL the state agencies’ rulemaking, including all materials would be overwhelming. Individual state agencies provide that information on their rulemaking websites. We may sign on to a letter explaining our concerns to legislative leadership. Because the League is often engaged in rulemaking, we regularly comment on legislation that would affect changes in Oregon’s current Administrative Rules. We have provided testimony in opposition to HB 2692 , a bill that would create complicated and burdensome processes for agencies to implement legislation with their rulemaking procedures . On Feb. 19, the Governor provided expectations and guidance for state agencies related to rulemaking and customer service. Upon outreach to the Governor’s Office, the League has been invited to participate in a series of discussions of rulemaking processes and committee membership selection. LAND USE & HOUSING By Peggy Lynch The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and the Oregon Department of Emergency Management (OEM) invite comments on a draft of the 2025 update to the Oregon Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (NHMP). The Plan is now available for comment through March 20; Webinars: Tuesday, March 11 and Friday, March 14. Business Oregon’s Infrastructure bill, HB 3031 , with a -1 amendment to clarity the criteria to be used to access the proposed $100 million fund had 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 supports this important funding bill. LWVOR testimony . Governor’s news release . Bills we are following: HB 2138 : Expands allowable middle housing and expands middle housing requirements to include urban unincorporated lands, filed at the request of the Governor. A public hearing was held on March 3rd in House Committee On Housing and Homelessness where a -1 amendment is posted as a “gut and stuff” for the bill. The Governor testified in support of the bill, but received concerns about the provision to allow for easier demolition of historic buildings and has stated that such a provision will be removed in the next amendment. Also not included was a provision that the League had objected to that would have exempted courtyards from cottage cluster development. At this time, the League is not planning to testify on this bill. HB 3145 : Allows the Housing and Community Services Department to use Local Innovation and Fast Track Housing Program Fund moneys for factory-built housing. LWVOR should support. Public hearing is set for March 10. HB 2950 A bill to update Goal One and Public Participation is being sponsored by Oregon’s American Planning Association. The League is interested in the bill, but has some concerns. We understand there will be an amendment proffered. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . Because of the requirement to do rulemaking, the bill, if passed by the Committee, will be sent to Ways and Means. HB 3013 : Details the process by which a permit or zone change that is based on provisions of a comprehensive plan or land use regulation that fail to gain acknowledgment is voided and any resulting improvements or uses are removed or revoked. LWVOR supports with -1 amendment. A public hearing was held Feb. 3rd. HB 2316 : Allows designation of Home Start Lands to be used for housing. These lands are currently a variety of state-owned lands scattered around the state. A public hearing was held Feb. 10. HB 2400 : Allows the owner of property outside an urban growth boundary to site an additional dwelling on the property for occupancy by a relative of the owner. A public hearing was held Feb. 10. HB 2422 : Requires that lands zoned to allow density of one or fewer dwellings per acre to be considered a rural use. A public hearing was held Feb. 10. HB 3062 : Requires local governments to map sensitive uses as part of a comprehensive plan. A public hearing was held Feb. 20th. SB 462 : Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to establish an education course for land use planners for local governments, special districts and state agencies. LWVOR supports educational efforts but there are other training opportunities so this proposal might be redundant. A public hearing was held on Feb. 19 in the Senate Committee On Housing and Development . SB 525 : Amends expedited land division criteria and processes. LWVOR has concerns. May need to oppose. See also the Agriculture section of this report and the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT (OPRD) The OPRD budget ( HB 5026 ) was heard March 3-5. The League provided testimony in part to address comments by the Legislative Fiscal Office notes regarding concerns for the long-term sustainability of OPRD’s operational funding. The Department asserted that the largest known challenge for the 2025-27 biennium is addressing the gap between projected operational revenues and anticipated expenditures. Throughout this biennium as well as the next, OPRD’s operational budget is dependent on an existing beginning balance. This means the current level of expenditures, given projected revenues, is unsustainable for the long-term. While the dedicated programs remain sustainable, operational expenditures are outpacing Lottery Funds and non-dedicated Other Funds revenues used to support agency operations. WATER By Peggy Lynch The League continues to follow the concerns of residents of the Lower Umatilla basin. Here is the latest article from the Oregon Capitol Chronicle. We have received notice of the tentative public hearing dates for select water bills in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water : 3/10: Voluntary Agreements on Groundwater ( HB 3801 ) 3/10: Harney Basin Groundwater Management ( HB 3800 ) 3/12: Deschutes Basin Water Bank Authority ( HB 3806 ) 3/12: Water Right Process Improvements ( HB 3342 ) 3/12: Contested Case Process Improvements ( HB 3544 ) 3/17: LCIS Natural Resources Capacity ( HB 3531 ) 3/19: Place-Based Water Planning ( HB 3116 ) League supports. 3/19: Chewaucan Basin Collaborative ( HB 3114 ) 3/19: Certified Water Right Examiners ( HB 3502 ) 3/24: Water Conservation, Efficiency, and Partial Forfeiture Protection (TBD) 3/31: Water Right, Dam Safety, and Well Related Fees ( HB 2803 , HB 2808 ) League supports. Needed to provide current service level staffing at WRD. 4/2: Water Rights and Public Interest ( HB 3501 ) Other water bills we are following: HB 3525 is related to tenants’ right to well water testing. The League submitted testimony in support. HB 3526 would require well water test reporting in property sales. The League supported this concept in past sessions and did again this session. A public hearing was held Feb. 17. HB 3364 makes changes to the grants programs at the Water Resources Dept. Testimony provided comments and concerns with agreement that all parties would continue to work on finding agreement on an amendment. A public hearing was held Feb. 19. HB 3419 is the major broad set of water policy changes that is now described by the various amendments posted since this is really a “gut and stuff” bill! The committee Co-Chairs announced that more amendments are expected. Per Rep. Owens: the -2 and -3 amendments on HB 3419 will NOT move. HB 2988 : Instructs the Water Resources Department to take certain actions related to aquifer recharge and aquifer storage and recovery. A public hearing was held Feb. 12th. HB 3108 : Requires the Water Resources Department to implement additional rules and requirements for the review of limited license applications for an aquifer storage and recovery permit HB 3573 , a bill that addresses funding for a variety of water measurement strategies. The League supports. In 2024 the Water Caucus requested research support from the Legislative Policy Research Office (LPRO) to better understand the groundwater management policies of different agencies in Oregon. The Report on Groundwater Management is now available. Supreme Court weakens Clean Water Act: In an article from the Guardian: The US supreme court has weakened rules on the discharge of raw sewage into water supplies in a 5-4 ruling that undermines the 1972 Clean Water Act. The CWA is the principal law governing pollution control and water quality of the nation’s waterways. The court ruled on Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot employ generic, water body-focused pollution discharge limits to Clean Water Act permit holders, and must provide specific limitations to pollution permittees. The ruling is a win for San Francisco , which challenged nonspecific, or “narrative,” wastewater permits that the EPA issues to protect the quality of surface water sources like rivers and streams relied upon for drinking water. A work session was held on Mar. 3rd on HB 3341 in the House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water . It appropriates $5 million to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board for the Community Drinking Water Enhancement and Protection Fund. The League supported the establishment of this fund in past years. The bill passed and was referred to Ways and Means. LWV Deschutes County submitted a letter in support of SB 427 , a water rights transfer bill meant to protect instream water flows. HB 3106 is the Oregon Water Data Portal funding bill for which the League provided testimony in support. The Oregon Water Data Portal debuted Jan. 31st. The multi-agency effort to release a beta version of the pilot portal for the Oregon Water Data Portal project debuted on January 31. The pilot portal is accessible at https://www.oregonwaterdata.org/ . Users can provide feedback about the beta version of the pilot portal by completing a survey or emailing OWDP@deq.oregon.gov . A public hearing was held on Feb. 26th in House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water where a -1 amendment was shared that would create an entire multi-agency system for gathering the water data needed for good decision making. The League has yet to determine if this new proposal is good for Oregon. See the following Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board presentation and the Internet of Water Coalition presentation . The League has not weighed in on the amendment. 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. Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” V isit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. House Bill 3314 , sponsored by state Reps. Rob Nosse and Mark Gamba, would direct about $1 million to Oregon State University to finish designing a channel that would cut through Ross Island. See coverage here. WETLANDS A new Rulemaking Advisory Committee has been formed related to Permitting and Mitigation in Oregon's Wetlands and Waters. WILDFIRE By Carolyn Mayers In the wake of a tumultuous year for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), Governor Kotek recently announced she was seeking the authority to choose the next State Forester, who had previously been chosen by the Board of Forestry. Kotek has proposed Senate Bill 1051 , which was sponsored by Sen. Kayse Jama, and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Rules. More details may be found in this OPB article . The wildfire related work this week began with a March 4th Public Hearing on SB 82 -1 , before the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire. This bill makes changes to a grant process which funds the Oregon Conservation Corps and their training. It requires the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) which handles the process to consult with the Department of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM), and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), to ensure different aspects of the wildfire mitigation work they perform meet the goals of those agencies. Later that same day, the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans held a Public Hearing on HB 3077 , a bill which would allow local government employees to volunteer for up to 30 days in a year to serve as volunteers in wildland fire suppression in emergency situations. The League monitored a meeting of the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety on March 5th, and the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources on March 6, where the long-awaited report of the Wildfire Funding Workgroup was heard. The Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State Fire Marshal were tasked by the legislature through Senate Bill 5701 (2024) to convene this workgroup to identify solutions for sustainable wildfire mitigation and suppression funding to address the growing wildfire crisis, and this was a report on that work. Presenting were Travis Medema, Deputy Chief Fire Marshal for OSFM; Kyle Williams, Deputy Director of Fire Operations for ODF; and Doug Grafe, Wildfire and Military Advisor to Governor Kotek. They detailed the foundational shared principles that grounded the work of the workgroup, singing the praises of the collaborative teamwork of the group and staff support over the summer during an extremely challenging wildfire season, and outlined the 6 Alternative Funding Strategies the group arrived at. More details may be found here . Kyle Williams stated that the “floor” for the investment needed is likely north of $300 million. We expect to see legislation on one or more of the six alternatives as well as other legislative proposals before the end of session. Also, on March 5, the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment held a Work Session on HB 3666 which would require an electric public utility to apply for a wildfire safety certification, and allow a consumer-owned utility to apply for a wildfire safety certification. It was passed without recommendation as to passage and referred to Judiciary. This article from the Oregon Capital Chronicle gives more detail on the objections of some to the bill, worrying that it would relieve electric utilities of responsibility for wildfire damages. Next was a Public Hearing before Senate Judiciary on SB 926 would prohibit the recovery of certain costs and expenses from customers that an electric company incurs as a result of allegations of a wildfire resulting from the negligence or fault on the part of the electric company. Finally, on March 6th, the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment held a Public Hearing on HB 3172 . This bill directs OSFM to establish a grant program to facilitate the retrofitting of dwellings and accessory structures (aka home hardening), to reduce vulnerability to wildfire. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

Kermit graduated from Denison University with a B.A. in Economics, and from Harvard Business School with an MBA. He has over 35 years of business experience including senior marketing leadership at technology companies Hewlett-Packard and Tektronix, and chief executive leadership at startups Pi Systems, iMove and Massini Group. Kermit retired from full-time employment in 2009 but continued to be active as a consultant for small businesses with Altus Alliance, as an adjunct professor teaching in the MBA program at Portland State University, and as an investor in early-stage start-ups with the Oregon Entrepreneurial Network and Angel Oregon. Kermit and Diane moved to Bend full-time in 2012 where Kermit became involved in volunteer organizations including as a coach / board member / Treasurer for an age group swimming team, a facilitator with Opportunity Knocks (small business mentoring) and board member / Treasurer for Oregon Masters Swimming. Kermit became involved with Common Cause and the League of Women of Oregon in 2020, serving as the Budget Chair for the LWVOR in 2021 and 2022, and for the LWVDC in 2022. Kermit Yensen Treasurer Kermit graduated from Denison University with a B.A. in Economics, and from Harvard Business School with an MBA. He has over 35 years of business experience including senior marketing leadership at technology companies Hewlett-Packard and Tektronix, and chief executive leadership at startups Pi Systems, iMove and Massini Group. Kermit retired from full-time employment in 2009 but continued to be active as a consultant for small businesses with Altus Alliance, as an adjunct professor teaching in the MBA program at Portland State University, and as an investor in early-stage start-ups with the Oregon Entrepreneurial Network and Angel Oregon. Kermit and Diane moved to Bend full-time in 2012 where Kermit became involved in volunteer organizations including as a coach / board member / Treasurer for an age group swimming team, a facilitator with Opportunity Knocks (small business mentoring) and board member / Treasurer for Oregon Masters Swimming. Kermit became involved with Common Cause and the League of Women of Oregon in 2020, serving as the Budget Chair for the LWVOR in 2021 and 2022, and for the LWVDC in 2022.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/6 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Campaign Finance Redistricting Election Methods Cybersecurity Rights of Incarcerated People By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing. However, the Oregonian has published a good article explaining that Oregon Democrats say they’re serious about capping political donations, but their proposals include loopholes . Redistricting There has been no movement on redistricting in the legislature. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 19 petitions downloadable from its website. Election Methods By Barbara Klein A Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) bill is scheduled for a hearing, currently planned for March 16 in House Rules. The bill, HB 2004, is sponsored by Rep Rayfield, Fahey, Reynolds, Marsh, Senator Sollman; and regular sponsors Rep. Pham K, Senator Dembrow and Golden. Based on LWVOR positions supporting RCV, the League has decided to endorse this bill (and allowed the use of our logo). LWVOR is represented on the steering committee for HB 2004 led by the Coalition of Communities of Color and Oregon RCV. We have encouraged members (as individuals) to write their legislators in support. Regarding the cost of implementing RCV in Oregon, transitioning to a new system will incur modest costs (for instance updating voting equipment, software and voter education). Supporters point to the advantage that in the 2021 Regular Session, SB 5538 allocated $2 million for grants to counties to modernize their election offices, technology and equipment (including updating voting machines and purchasing new processing equipment). If there are situations in which RCV eliminates the current need for a runoff in non-partisan elections, it will actually save money (and time) on taxpayer-funded elections. Cybersecurity and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone Two major bills passing unanimously in 2022 committees, failing to progress, are moving in 2023. SB 619, for Consumer Data Privacy had a public hearing and the cyber bill, HB 2049 , is in W&Ms. Public records, judiciary, and privacy bills are moving. SB 619 : This major bill, a comprehensive protection of consumers’ personal data, had a March 7 public hearing. We encourage you to see the ( video ). LWVOR strongly supports ( our testimony ), based on our privacy and cybersecurity work . We particularly agree with Section 1 (6) (b) Consent: “The consumer’s inaction does not constitute consent.” This protects consumer data privacy rights and holds those who control and process the data responsible. Critical consumer protections include: · Right to KNOW what’s being collected · Right to Correct inaccuracies · Right to opt-out · Heightened opt-in requirements for sensitive information · Special protections for children, adding ages 13-15 HB 2052 : The data broker registry bill, which we also support ( League testimony ) relates to SB 619 and it has been sent by the Speaker to JW&Ms. HB 2112 A : This public records bill updates technical and inclusive terms, particularly for our tribes. Rules were suspended for this bill passing unanimously from the House after passing unanimously from House Rules, for a public hearing in Senate Rules, March 7. The League supports ( our testimony ). HB 2490 : This bill had a public hearing on March 9 to address Oregon’s growing cybersecurity vulnerability, by protecting our defense plans, devices, and systems from public disclosure, also echoing our call to balance public records disclosure transparency and privacy. This warrants citing the League position to promote maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake. The League supports ( our testimony ). HB 5032 will fund the PRAC (Public Records Advisory Council) and Advocate. See League testimony in support, citing League work since 1993 and linking to our public records advocacy in 2017 and 2020. SB 417 : The public records request fee bill Task Force convening at Sen. Rules Chair Lieber’s request, has met twice, reviewing technicalities. We will probably meet a few more times before making amendment recommendations, to be inviting legislative counsel next time. See League testimony in support. SB 5512 , representing the Oregon Judicial Department budget, will have had a public hearing on March 9. The League testimony supports funding the cost of judicial services. The shortage of public defenders is dire, as covered earlier here. Chief Justice Wallace Carson, interviewed for our 2007 Overview of the Oregon Judiciary , encouraged us to work to improve pay for our judicial system workers. Fully funding these positions and supporting the system could solve our judicial labor shortage and improve many of Oregon’s judicial problems. This bill addresses costs of HB 2224, to increase juror pay, below. HB 2224 A : This bill, that would increase juror pay, passed uniformly with one excused vote from House Judiciary to JW&Ms by prior reference. See League testimony in support. HB 2049 A : This magnum opus cyber bill was sent to W&Ms by the Speaker last week. See League testimony in support. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley SB 579 , which restores the right to vote for over 13,000 incarcerated adults in Oregon, is on track to pass out of Senate Judiciary on March 9, with a subsequent referral to Ways and Means. This is the third try to pass this legislation, and although Republicans are united in their opposition, there is optimism that this time an even broader coalition of supporters under the umbrella of Guaranteeing the Right to Vote will achieve success. Endorsers include Oregon Justice Resource Center, ACLU of Oregon, Next Up Oregon, The Sentencing Project, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, and over 45 other organizations and individuals. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org .

Back to Legislative Report Revenue Legislative Report - Week of 5/19 Revenue Team Coordinator: Josie Koehne Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Revenue Updates Revenue Updates By Natalie Briggs https://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/pages/forecastecorev.aspx https://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/Documents/OEA-Forecast-0525.pdf https://www.oregon.gov/das/oea/Documents/OEA-Forecast-slides-0525.pdf The May 14th economic forecast highlights sluggish growth in the U.S. and Oregon economies, with an elevated risk of recession. Oregon’s GDP growth is forecasted to slow to 0.9% in 2025, marking a decline from previous estimates. However, stronger growth is projected for 2027, in anticipation of trade negotiations and a federal tax cut package. Additionally, Oregon’s revenue outlook has weakened, with General Fund revenues for 2023-25 revised down by $165.2 million due to slower economic growth. Projections for personal and corporate tax collections have fallen by $144.8 million and $77.3 million, respectively, from Q1 estimates. General Fund revenues for 2025-27 are expected to decline by $334.2 million, with personal income taxes experiencing the largest downward adjustment of $529 million. As a result, total available resources are now $755.7 million lower than the prior forecast. Budgetary reserves remain substantial, with total reserves estimated at $5.1 billion at the end of 2023-25. General Fund revenue growth is forecasted to reach 12% in the 2025-2027 biennium, driven by anticipated recovery in personal and corporate income, as well as higher estate tax collections. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to Legislative Report Revenue Legislative Report - Week of October 13 Revenue Team Coordinator: Josie Koehne Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Revenue Updates Revenue Updates By Peggy Lynch The legislature received the Aug. 27th Revenue Forecast by the Office of Economic Analysis and a Revenue Summary from the Legislative Revenue Office. Bottom line: The revenue forecasted in May is now down due to many factors, including federal actions. It is expected to continue to decrease unless federal actions around tariffs and budgets change. The personal kicker has also reduced to $1,410.4 million—to show as a credit on your 2025 Oregon taxes. Final calculations on the kicker will be done by November. Federal actions may mean that Oregon will likely bring in fewer tax dollars, spend more money on administrative tasks and receive billions less in federal funding. Per an Oct. 7 Town Hall by Rep. Owens, as of now, legislators will need to address what is a $915 million shortfall. Agencies are being asked to provide a 5% cut to their budgets. These budgets will go before each Ways and Means Subcommittee during the short session. This means people need to be engaging to help agencies when choosing their cuts list. Rep. Gomberg provided some concerning information about the potential loss of federal funding here in Oregon: Thrown into uncertainty was the Oregon Health Plan. State figures show 33.5% of Oregonians are on the state’s Medicaid program. About 14% of Oregon’s annual education budget comes from the federal government, amounting to more than $1 billion each year. And 17,500 preschool children are enrolled in Head Start . A March 28 th press release from Senate President Wagner shared more data on federal losses. Planning for 2026: The co-chairs left unspent about 22% of general obligation bond capacity and 15% of lottery revenue bonds, which theoretically leaves some flexibility for lawmakers to make investments in next year’s short session. However, any reduction in General Fund and/or Lottery Funds will mean this capacity will need to be adjusted down. During Interim Legislative Days, many legislative committees provided information on both the revenue and costs side of H.R.1., also known as “The Big Beautiful Bill” passed by Congress. Both Revenue Committees heard the revenue impacts to Oregon because of our rolling connection to the federal tax code. A tax disconnect bill passed the Oregon House but not the Senate in 2025. Currently, Oregon tax code mirrors the federal code, so if something is tax exempt at the federal level, it is at the state level as well. Expect a conversation around the loss of revenue and the additional costs Oregon might incur due to changes in federal programs. It IS possible to target disconnect provisions, and that may be politically easier than a full disconnect. It MAY be the topic for another Special Session before the 2026 session. Because any bill that “raises revenue” cannot have an Emergency Clause, it would not take effect for 90 days after passage to allow for a public referral/referendum so a Special Session on this matter is not likely. The Legislature COULD delay the April 15 filing date should they decide to address the disconnect in the 2026 session. They have taken that action in the past. The next Revenue Forecast is Nov. 19. We know that both the Legislative Revenue Office and Legislative Fiscal Office are having discussions with legislators in anticipation of further revenue reductions. Pay attention to both General Funds and Lottery Funds since natural resource agencies also rely heavily on Lottery Funds. Oregon is better suited to address a significant downturn in the economy than the last major downturn because of Oregon’s Rainy Day and Education Stability Funds. But there are criteria that must be addressed in order to access those funds. On top of all that, Congress was unable to agree on funding the federal government for the Oct. 2025-Sept. 2026 fiscal year. Jefferson Public Radio did a good job of covering potential consequences to Oregon. As of Oct. 7 th , the shutdown continues. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 2/19 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Parks and Recreation Department: Jim Buck Oregon Dept. of Transportation: Janice Thompson Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Jump to a topic: Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Dept. of State Lands (DSL) Elliott State Research Forest Forestry Land Use and Housing Reduce/Recycle Water Wildfire Volunteers Needed By Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, and Team Budgets/Revenue By Peggy Lynch SB 5701 is the 2024 omnibus budget bill. It is currently populated with the items approved during the November and January Legislative Days. Budget requests are being considered as the Co-Chairs determine the money to be spent or saved. It has been reported that the cost for behavior health and community safety will be between $180 and $235 million. The main housing bills are expected to cost about $350 million. Legislators have shared that there may be another $1-2 billion funding requests to consider, but not enough revenue to allocate. Look for bills sent to Ways and Means (W&Ms) to be considered in their Subcommittees ONLY when they have been approved by the W&Ms Co-Chairs and Senate and House Leadership. We should see those bills posted to those Subcommittees this week and next. Many bills sent to W&Ms will still be there at the end of session. HB 5201 and HB 5202 are the bonding bills. Like General Fund requests, there are more bonding requests than money to allocate. The Feb. 16 public hearing in W&Ms Capital Construction was evidence of that fact. Like the budget bill, these bills will reflect changes and possible additions to the 2025 approved bonds. Bonding capacity remains the same: $65.8 million in remaining general obligation bond capacity and $27.4 million in remaining lottery bond capacity for the 2023-25 biennium. SB 5702 will be populated with new or increased fees adopted by state agencies since the 2025 session. HB 5203 and HB 5204 were also filed. One will be the “program change bill” to address miscellaneous changes to agency programs. The other is held in case it is needed. It may be used for containing revenue requests due to Measure 110 changes. SB 1562 with the -1 amendment has passed Senate Finance and Revenue. It increases the limit for making contributions into the Rainy Day Fund from 7.5% to 12.5% of General Fund revenue but leaves the contribution cap unchanged at 1% of General Fund appropriations. The Joint W&Ms met Feb. 23rd and approved a list of grant requests and reports. The agency budget process for 2025-27 is beginning. Look for presentations to agency Boards and Commissions soon. Quarterly revenue forecasts will be provided on May 29 and August 28. Then the November 20 th forecast will be the basis of the Governor’s Recommended Budget to be presented on December 1 st . One concern is that mediocre returns and rapidly inflating payrolls are causing actuaries to predict that PERS will need about $6 billion in 2025-2027, hundreds of millions more than in the current biennium. Personal income taxpayers can determine their kicker amount using a “What’s My Kicker?” calculator on Revenue Online . Climate By Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section for overlaps. We encourage you to read both sections. Coastal Issues By Christine Moffitt/Peggy Lynch HB 4080 A was moved to Ways and Means on Feb. 14 th related to offshore wind energy. Important to the League will be financing the public engagement in the Dept. of Land Conservation and Development’s (DLCD) Coastal Program as required by the bill. The League provided comments on HB 4080-1 and continues to advocate for funding for public engagement and staff at DLCD. On Feb. 22nd, “the Oregon Legislative Coastal Caucus has issued a resounding call for the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to address significant concerns before advancing offshore wind projects off the coast of Oregon. In a letter to BOEM Director Heidi Klein, the Caucus expressed extreme disappointment with BOEM's decision to finalize two Wind Energy Areas (WEAs) without adequately addressing the concerns of coastal communities, industries, and tribes.” The League signed on to a letter in support of HB 4132 , Marine Reserves. Currently there is a fiscal request of just under $900 M for this biennium. The bill is scheduled for a Feb. 26 th work session in W&Ms Natural Resources. Oregon’s Coos Bay Estuary is reported to be a “blue carbon”source that will help Oregon address climate change. That is no news to our local Coos Bay League who continue to advocate for this largest of Oregon’s estuaries. Dept. of State Lands (DSL) By Peggy Lynch The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is working with DSL to identify In Lieu lands (part of the 1,400 acres of lands owed the State of Oregon on statehood that have not yet been allotted to Oregon). Click here to view the BLM Proposed Classification Decision , and a public notice that two forestland properties in Linn County that have been identified to meet the criteria for some of those In Lieu lands. Learn more and provide public comment through April 9, 2024. Elliott State Research Forest (ESRF) By Peggy Lynch The League supports the $4.1 million that had been set aside in 2023 for the former proposed separate ESRF state agency to instead be added to the DSL budget as the managers of the ESRF. The League encourages you to listen to the one-hour Feb. 19 th Ways and Means Natural Resources Subcommittee meeting where a diverse set of groups provided testimony. LWVOR has been engaged in the Elliott discussion since 2014. Work is continuing on eventual adoption of a Habitat Conservation Plan and a Forest Management Plan for the forest. Visit DSL's Elliott webpage to learn more . A recommendation with structural governance may be before the State Land Board on April 9. If approved, look for appointments to the new ESRF Board at their June 11 tth meeting. Forestry (ODF) The Oregon Dept. of Forestry is holding the last of their community conversations on February 28th as they do strategic planning. The public is encouraged to participate. On Feb. 23 rd the Board of Forestry had a special meeting on Post-Disturbance Harvest Rulemaking. A number of bills this session are around funding wildfire. For information on the various bills, see the Wildfire section of this report below. Land Use & Housing By Peggy Lynch The major housing bills, SB 1537 and SB 1530 A , have been scheduled for a Work Session in the Ways and Means SubCommittee on Transportation and Economic Development. We understand that there may be some “technical fixes” in SB 1537 in W&Mw. A news release by the Senate President explains the elements of both bills. Also on the agenda is League supported HB 4134 -A that includes a list of infrastructure projects in small towns around Oregon to be funded with a promise of new housing. We may see elements of HB 4128 A . The League is concerned that HB 4128A lists monetary grant awards to certain cities for water infrastructure without clarity on what projects will be funded. We are hopeful that, if some of those projects are added to HB 4134, the criteria in HB 4134 will apply. The Citizen Involvement Advisory Committee is recruiting a new member from Oregon’s Third Congressional District. Applications are due by March 18, 9 a.m. Follow the Oregon Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA) Rulemaking Committee on the Housing Rulemaking webpage . And watch their meetings on the department’s YouTube channel. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. Reduce/Recycle By Camille Freitag The League weighed in again this year on a Right to Repair bill, SB 1596 . We joined others in support of the bill. The bill passed the Senate Chamber on Feb. 19 th and is headed to the House Committee on Business and Labor for a Feb. 26 th Public Hearing and Work Session. DEQ is conducting rulemaking to clarify and implement HB 3220 (2023) , which updates and makes necessary changes to the statewide electronics recycling program, Oregon E-Cycles. DEQ is holding its first meeting for the Oregon E-Cycles Rulemaking Advisory Committee on March 7 at 9 a.m. – noon. To attend this virtual meeting, please pre-register via the Zoom online platform . To learn more about this rulemaking and the advisory committee please visit the Oregon E-Cycles rulemaking web page . Water By Peggy Lynch The amended HB 4128 sent to Ways and Means includes a $3 million allocation to be added to the Water Well Abandonment, Repair and Replacement Fund . The League was engaged in helping create this fund in 2021 and supports this allocation. On Feb. 27, there will be an Informational Meeting on “Needs of Very Small Community Water Systems”. The League continues to advocate for clean, safe drinking water for all and the issues of trained staff as well as cost of repairs and upgrades are very real. On Feb. 22, in the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness, Rep. Hartman presented concepts to be considered in 2025, including a number of water related programs, many of which the League has advocated for in the past. We hope Leaguers will engage with the Oregon Water Resources Dept. as they consider changes to Oregon’s groundwater rules. This slide deck was presented at their last rules advisory committee meeting. A written public comment period will be open March 1 st - June 1 st . Regional meetings will be held April 4 th in Bend, April 18 in La Grande, May 16 in Central Point and May 21 st in Salem, with the Salem meeting available on the internet as well as in person. The Department of State Lands is creating a new statewide program (Abandoned and Derelict Vessels) to address hazardous vessels across Oregon. They want your feedback on the proposed program framework. Share your input by March 8th! See the proposed framework for the ADV program here (PDF). The League has supported creation of this program and the funding needed to remove these hazardous vessels from Oregon’s waterways. OWRD anticipates releasing a draft of the updated Integrated Water Resources Strategy (IWRS) for public review and comment starting March 5th. An updated draft is then anticipated to be available for a second public comment opportunity in May. The Oregon Water Resources Commission will hear public testimony and consider adoption of the 2024 IWRS at their September meeting. For more information about this process, please visit the IWRS page . The League hopes members will engage since we were actively engaged in the original legislation and in the first two IWRS documents. We understand this new draft takes an entirely new slant from the current IWRS. It will be important that the original documents not be invalidated but instead enhanced by this proposal. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms. “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Governor Kotek has signed drought declarations under ORS 536 for the counties of Crook, Jefferson, Grant, Deschutes, Wasco, Harney, Sherman, Lake, Jackson, Gilliam, Douglas, Lincoln and Morrow counties. Wildfire By Carolyn Mayers The week began with some welcome progress on at least one of the wildfire funding bills the League has been following. On February 19, the House Climate and Energy met and voted to send Rep Marsh’s omnibus wildfire bill, HB 4016-1 , on home hardening and prescribed fire liability, to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. The amendment removed the portion of this bill set up to fund wildfire smoke programs, eliminating the need to refer the bill to Ways and Means. It subsequently passed the House on Feb 21, referred to Senate Natural Resources and Wildfire, for Feb. 27 public hearing and Feb. 29 th work session. Next up was a Sen Vets, etc. mtg on emergency preparedness. Chief Mariana Ruiz-Temple, Dept of the State Fire Marshal (DFSM) gave a “State of the State” presentation on Oregon fire service and challenges faced. She referred to the fire service “crisis”. Among challenges are a decreasing volunteer pool, recruitment and retention problems, increasing homeless impacts including tent fires, growing wildfire event intensity and size, and firefighter behavioral health issues due to trauma and stress associated with job demands. A KTVZ study report recently released by Oregon State University reinforces current and future increase in wildfires, both geographically and in intensity, trending towards more fire on the “Westside”, west of the Cascades. The bad news is these fires have the capacity to become mega-fires due to the very factors that make them less frequent - seasonal moisture combined with lots of vegetative growth, which accumulates fuel for fires. Chief Ruiz-Temple was followed by the Row River Fire Response. This is a Rural Fire District established by community members in response to having NO fire protection DURING a fire that occurred in a neighborhood that burned 5 homes. They believe their successful public/private partnership could serve as a model for other communities around Oregon. A slide show describing their inspiring journey is worth a look, revealing a fire protection system gap. The League is following two bills, SB 1520 -2 and HB 4007 , relating to an income tax subtraction for settlements or judgments received by wildfire damage victims. Subtle differences between the two bills are being worked out in Sen Finance and Revenue and House Revenue. The impetus is that legal settlement and judgment proceeds are taxed at 70%, with the remaining 30% also being taxable income, and legal fees paid are not deductible. This results in homeowners hoping to rebuild being left with a small fraction of the initial reward, sometimes a little as 15%. California has passed similar legislation. To complicate things, Federal tax law in this area is also under review and the outcome will affect the final details of how these bills are implemented, since there is some overlap. On February 22, Sen Finance and Revenue adopted the SB 1520-2 amendment, which fixed some problems identified during public testimony, and sent it to the floor with a do pass recommendation. At this meeting, a SB 1545 work session was held, which would allow counties to offer a property tax break (using assessment from ’20-21) to owners of destroyed homes rebuilt after the 2020 wildfires. A Feb 26 work session is scheduled before the same Committee. The League has also observed some limited movement on the various wildfire funding bills. A good summary of their various stages may be found in this excellent Capital Chronicle Feb 22nd overview . Rep Evans’ public safety and wildfire funding bills, HJR 201 and HB 4075 , are “effectively dead”, according to the article, having received over 1,400 written comments, 99% opposing. Sen Golden’s wildfire funding bill, SB 1593 with amendment , would fund a study of the use of a severance tax to fund wildfire programs. (A severance tax applies to the value of trees harvested. A forest products harvest tax which Oregon currently has is levied on the volume of harvested timber.) That bill has a Feb. 28 th public hearing before Sen Finance and Revenue. The League will provide testimony in support of the proposed amendment. Sen. Steiner is also scheduled to share “Funding Wildfire Mitigation and Suppression” information. We can assume she will be discussing her HB 4133-3 bill, still in House Revenue. Last but certainly not least, the latest version of Rep Marsh and Sen Steiner’s bill, HB 4133 -3, was heard on Feb 22 before House Revenue. Sen Steiner and Doug Grafe, the Governor’s Wildfire and Military Advisor explained explained several bill changes. The first change relates to a split of funds raised by the measure between the General Fund and the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) Large Fire Fund, which this bill would establish. The second, in a needed attempt to broaden the conversation, directs ODF and DSFM to work with stakeholders to develop options for sustainable funding for wildfire suppression and mitigation. It was noted that Rep Marsh and SenGolden, and various fire agencies, would most likely be at the table. This is, at least in part, in response to opposition/reservations voiced by several State firefighter organizations. Toward that end, Senator Steiner submitted this letter to presiding officers. The final change relates to a land reclassification moratorium which affects the rates landowners pay for fire protection while details continue to be ironed out. Ironically, several members of the Committee expressed their difficulties in understanding this complex bill which was, in theory, designed to make the wildfire funding model less complex. A Work Session was scheduled for February 26 before this Committee. The League is so concerned with wildfire funding needs that we signed on to a budget request for additional monies to the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Dept. of Forestry to address Community Wildfire Protection and Landscape Resiliency. On Feb 28, there will be an informational meeting on the Wildfire Hazard Map in the House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment. Volunteers Needed What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. The long legislative session begins in January of 2025. Natural Resource Agency Boards and Commissions meet regularly year-round and need monitoring. If any area of natural resources is of interest to you, please contact Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator, at peggylynchor@gmail.com . Training will be offered.

Rhyen enger (they/them) enjoys people and has a talent for bringing out the best in others.They are a life-long learner and are particularly interested in the intersection of environmental issues, social justice, and the money system. Rhyen advocates for a better world for all and aspires to be an agent of change in their communities locally and beyond. Rhyen was an active board member for PRIDE for their alma mater, Illinois State University. They then worked as a program manager for group homes for adults with disabilities in Chicago. Rhyen moved to Portland in 2021 and joined the League of Women Voters of Portland (LWVPDX). They started out in a Discussion Unit and joined the Board as the Discussion Units Coordinator. Rhyen now serves as the LWVPDX Office Manager. rhyen enger DEIJ Chair Rhyen enger (they/them) enjoys people and has a talent for bringing out the best in others.They are a life-long learner and are particularly interested in the intersection of environmental issues, social justice, and the money system. Rhyen advocates for a better world for all and aspires to be an agent of change in their communities locally and beyond. Rhyen was an active board member for PRIDE for their alma mater, Illinois State University. They then worked as a program manager for group homes for adults with disabilities in Chicago. Rhyen moved to Portland in 2021 and joined the League of Women Voters of Portland (LWVPDX). They started out in a Discussion Unit and joined the Board as the Discussion Units Coordinator. Rhyen now serves as the LWVPDX Office Manager.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of December 1 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone Artificial Intelligence: Lindsey Washburn Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill Conflicts of Interest/Legislative Ethics: Chris Cobey CEI - Critical Energy Infrastructure : Nikki Mandell and Laura Rogers Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone Election Systems: Barbara Klein Emergency Preparedness: Cate Arnold Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum: Claudia Keith Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey State Audit Working Group: Sheila Golden Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Cybersecurity/Privacy/Transparency Elections Campaign Finance Immigration, Refugee, and Asylum Voting Rights for Adults in Custody Our “Governance” advocacy umbrella now has 13 volunteers, but more are always welcome. We particularly seek volunteers who will help track and report on Revenue issues. Contact advocacy@lwvor.org Cybersecurity/Privacy/Transparency Artificial Intelligence. This extremely useful tool has demonstrated value and instances of abuse. Thanks to Lindsey Washburn, our AI expert, for establishing an LWVOR AI policy and working on legislation anticipated by the Joint Information Management and Technology Committee. Automatic license plate readers . The AG, DAs, and police gave examples in Sen Judiciary: Fighting against organized crime rings in Oregon included stopping a $20M catalytic converter theft ring, by reading a plate in Beaverton. They made an arrest and later convicted an out of state suspect within hours of a carjacking, after violent assaults in Salem. On the down side, a police chief was tracking a former girlfriend. Tracking immigrants is a concern. We need laws on who has access and under what authority. Sen Judiciary Chair Prozanski mentioned the need to define privacy and sanctions against misuse. We were impressed with his consumer protections’ bill last session, building on AG Rosenblum’s consumer data privacy work. Contact advocacy@lwvor.org to connect with Stephanie Haycock for cybersecurity and Rebecca Gladstone to work on these privacy and transparency issues. Election Reforms By Barbara Klein The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill the LWVOR has agreed to support. The ‘recommended’ draft of the Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act bill (adapted to Oregon’s existing election code) is here (with sections of explanation). As background, Oregon already requires presidential electors to take a pledge [ORS 248.355]; this legislation ensures that the pledge is binding. Further, complying with Oregon law requiring that the Secretary of State has a duty to ensure our elections are free and fair, the bill defines specifically what that means with regards to presidential electors. See the excellent presentation from David A. Weinberg, national group policy strategist for Protect Democracy, to the Judiciary Committee. Scroll to approximately 1 hour, 29 minutes. We understand that Senator Jama, Senate Rules Chair, may secure a committee sponsorship for the bill. Legislators are discussing open primaries. The League supports the concept but not as currently presented. Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill and Rebecca Gladstone The Secretary of State (SoS) addressed Interim House Rules. He may request a bill next session to correct HB 4024 (2024) ambiguities. The SoS has been slow in implementing those campaign finance reforms. ORESTAR . This 20 year-old candidate registration and campaign finance software has long-needed replacement.The Honest Elections group supports these efforts.Speaking to House Rules, the SoS listed obstacles: extremely tight election cycle timing, and high cost. The Elections Division now feels they can’t write code in-house, but it is unclear if they have posted for outside software bids yet. A purchasing delay will probably increase the cost, amid heavy competition for slim funds. We spoke with Elections Division and County Clerk heads, both concerned about funding software changes. Election timing is tight and the adoption process needs time to implement transitions, train staff, and educate voters, is not underway yet. Contact l Rebecca Gladstone through advocacy@lwvor.org to help. Rebecca Gladstone Elections Audits. Elections are under partisan attack for “voter fraud”, observed at fewer than 1 in a million votes . Use advocacy@lwvor.org to contact our new volunteer,Sheila Golden, about her work with the States Audits Working Group, which wants to boost Oregon’s enviable elections audit program. Open primary and a Northwest regional presidential primary. This could transfer some election administration responsibility from counties to the state. The League supports open primaries, but not as currently proposed. See Barbara Klein and Norman Turrill. Vote-by-mail (VBM) legislation will probably be up again this session. LWVOR has been working on this since 1981 in Oregon, where Vote by Mail started. The SoS answered concerns/attacks in House Rules, including for US Postal Service delivery timing. We’d like to think the SoS used League testimony for historic VBM context. See Chris Cobey through advocacy@lwvor.org to help. Immigration Refugee and Asylum By Claudia Keith It is too soon to know but it appears in 2026, Oregon will not consider new, comprehensive immigration legislation. Upcoming debates will likely focus on existing issues such as sanctuary state laws, license plate data sharing, as well as legal aid and other support for immigrants. Proposed and debated legislation Automated License Plate Readers: A bill to regulate the use of license plate scanning software is being considered due to concerns about data sharing with federal immigration authorities, License plate recognition, wrongful conviction among 2026 priorities for Oregon lawmakers | Oregon Capital Chronicle Other initiatives and legislative priorities Sanctuary Law : Oregon is a sanctuary state, meaning local law enforcement cannot assist federal immigration enforcement without a warrant, notes this Oregon Legislative Support for immigrants: as in 2025 session it is likely Some groups will advocate for legislation to expand funding for services for immigrants, such as legal aid and other crucial supports for refugees and newcomers, State-level initiatives: The state's Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement is working on various initiatives, including developing a welcome guide, establishing grant programs for new arrivals, and creating partnerships to support integration, as seen on Oregon.gov . It is likely a number of Legislature Bipoc Caucus 2025 priorities will return in 2026. Federal context Federal legislation: While Oregon has been considering its own legislation, there have also been efforts at the federal level to pass immigration-related bills, such as the CLEAR Act , which would impact state and local law enforcement. Details can be found on Congress.gov . Source, updates and other news License plate recognition, wrongful conviction among 2026 priorities for Oregon lawmakers | Oregon Capital Chronic Oregon Criminal Justice Commission: Sanctuary Promise Dashboard | Tableau Public Oregon attorney general, district attorneys warn feds to stop using excessive force | Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon lawmaker floats legislative special session in response to Trump immigration crackdown | Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon immigrant advocates ask court for class action status in suit against feds | Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement OIRA November 2025 Update s Oregon’s lawsuits against Trump cost a fraction of what state has saved | Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon Legislative Bipoc Caucus 2025 Recap Attacks on Asian Americans were mentioned in Sen Judiciary. ryhen enger [RG1] is following the Coalition Against Hate Crimes and immigration issues. Litigation LWVOR has a hand in LWV litigation, and Governance is observing. Naturalization ceremony voter registration. LWVUS with 5 state Leagues , is suing USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal officials for abruptly banning voter registration by nonpartisan civic engagement groups. Watch for coverage from Chris Cobey for LWVPDX naturalization ceremonies and ryhen enger for immigration. Protecting our voter roll privacy. LWVOR and the ACLU-OR filed amicus briefs on November 24, in the US District Court of Oregon, to protect voter privacy in the case of the US v the state of Oregon and Tobias Read as Secretary of State. Voting Rights for Adults in Custody By Marge Easley The topic of granting voting rights to adults in custody in Oregon was once again in the public eye during the House Rules hearing on November 17 that included testimony from Rep. Farrah Chaichi, Common Cause and the Oregon Justice Resource Center. Although a bill will not be introduced until 2027, it is important to keep this issue in the forefront of legislators’ minds, following prior efforts in 2023 (SB 579) and 2025 (HB 3785) that were derailed due to cost considerations. In keeping with the League’s belief in a citizen’s right to vote, we look forward to voicing our support for passage in 2027. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.