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Back to All Legislative Reports Climate Emergency Legislative Report - Week of 1/27 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 Jump to a topic: Climate Priorities Natural and Working Lands Climate Emergency Legislative Environmental Caucus Climate Priorities There are now over 120 Environmental/Climate Legislative Bills posted or soon to be posted to OLIS in January and Early Feb. Some of these bills are just placeholders. At this point here are a few that have been identified as potential League policy and/or budget Climate priorities: Climate Priorities Public Hearing Posted – League will submit Testimony HB 2966 Establishes the State Public Bank Task Force (see 2023 HB2763 , vetoed by the governor) Representative Gamba, Senator Golden, Frederick, Representative Andersen, Evans 
, Jan 28 1PM, HC CCP, 2023 LWVOR Testimony Other Priorities Update to Greenhouse gas Emission Reduction Goals. Bringing back SB 1559 (2024)

 Natural and Working Lands ( OCAC NWL Report ) (see NWL LR below)
 SB 681 Treasury: Fossil Fuel investment moratorium 
 SB3170 Community Resilience Hubs and Networks 

 HB 2566 Stand-along Energy resilience Projects – Governor Tina Kotek
 SB583 Study/Task Force on public banking/financing ( 2024 HB 4155 )
- Sen Frederick
 SJR 28 Environmental Rights Constitutional Amendment Leg Referral
- Senator Golden, Representative Andersen, Gamba, Senator Manning Jr, Prozanski, Representative Tran 
 SB 682 Climate Super Fund, Sen Golden, Rep Andersen, Gamba, Sen Campos, Pham 
 SB 679 Climate Liability, Sen Golden SB 680 Climate Science / Greenwashing, Sen Golden and Manning SB 688 Public Utility Commission performance-based regulation of electric utilities, Sen Golden, Sen Pham, (Senate Energy and Environment - SEE) SB 827 Solar and Storage Rebate, Gov Kotek & DOE, SEE Carbon sequestration/storage see DOGAMI Agency Budget
(see NR LR) – Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Interactive Map | U.S. Geological Survey ( usgs.gov ) . Transportation package that prioritizes climate, equity, and wildlife: This package would build on the historic gains of HB 2017 (which included investments in public transit, Safe Routes to School, and vehicle electrification), to shift the focus to multimodal, safety, and climate-forward investments. This will create a system that saves money over time and builds a more resilient, equitable, and healthy future for all Oregonians. (see OCN Press Rel ) Energy Affordability and Utility Accountability Package* ( HB 3081 , SB 88 , LC 1547): Oregonians are struggling to keep up with skyrocketing utility bills in the face of ever-worsening climate impacts. HB 3081 would create an active navigator to help Oregonians access energy efficiency incentives all in one place. SB 88 limits the ability of utility companies to charge ratepayers for lobbying, litigation costs, fines, marketing, industry fees, and political spending. SB 553 LC 1547 ensures that large energy users (i.e. data centers) do not unfairly burden Oregon households. (*see OCN Press Rel ) Natural and Working Lands By Josie Koehne On Tuesday, Jan 21, the first meeting of the 2025 session in Senate Natural Resources & Wildfire Committee kicked off with an informational hearing on Farm and Forest Land Loss in Oregon presented by Hilary Foote, Farm/Forest Specialist at Department of Land Conservation and Development. She reported that although our land use laws were successful in preserving 97% of zoned farm and forest land since 1987, the figures do not reflect the many changes on the landscape. Two hundred sixty-seven farms - most of them small - were lost, and over 600,000 acres were lost from production. Between 1984 to 1913, 172,000 acres of forest land and 182,000 acres of agricultural land were lost. There were some conversions to residential areas through the gradual expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary over the years, from farm to Forest land and vice versa, corporate land for energy production including solar, and mining. Some of the land zoned exclusively for farm and forest is being used for non-resource use but is still being protected. As of 1994, 10,200 homes were approved in wildland forest areas representing a 7% decline in forestland; most were one-off exception requests that the counties approved. Jim Johnson from 1000 Friends of Oregon discussed the importance of Oregon’s largely specialty crop production to the state’s economy, roughly $326,039,000, or 19% of the state’s total traded sector exports. One out of eight jobs in Oregon (12%) are agricultural-related. Population pressures on nearby land have jacked up per-acre prices for agricultural land, making it very hard for new farm start-ups and causing farmers to consolidate, buying up neighboring farms that can’t keep up with rising costs. There are loopholes in existing natural resource laws, such as replacement dwellings on land zoned exclusively for forest and farm use; large mansions are replacing small dwellings. Some owners have only a small portion of their land in production, such as keeping a small herd of sheep, or working at home full-time, and yet they still get a farm or forest special assessment. Several bills have been introduced this session to close these loopholes or ensure that new dwellings do not encroach into sensitive areas or areas with high wildfire risk. Look out for SB 73, SB 77, SB 78 among others. Other bills put restrictions on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in wildland urban Interface (WUI). Thursday, Jan 23 was the second meeting for this committee. The first presentation outlined four priority areas for groundwater and water right transfer policy reforms. Current processes are long outdated with a huge backlog of permits needing completion, and are not processed in a timely, consistent or orderly manner across the state. Chandra Ferrari and Geoff Huntington, Governor Kotek’s natural resource policy advisors presented. Next, the former Senator Dembrow and the Chair of the all-volunteer Oregon Climate Action Commission (OCAC) (formerly the Global Warming Commission), Catherine MacDonald, spoke about the intent of the Natural Working Lands Fund. Catherine presented a report on the implementation of the bill which was funded by the omnibus bill HB 3409 in 2023. See our previous testimony here . LWVOR works with the Natural Climate Solutions Coalition (NCS) monitoring the implementation of the Natural Working Lands Fund. The legislature approved $10 million to implement the Climate Change and Carbon Plan (CCCP) which was approved by the Oregon Department of Forestry in 2021. The funds are coordinated and channeled through the Oregon Water Enhancement Board (OWEB) to the other Natural Resource agencies, the Dept of Agriculture, Oregon Fish & Wildlife and the Dept of Forestry (ODF) and are earmarked for grants for climate smart incentives. Each agency reported on their progress to date. Andrea Kreiner, Executive Director of Oregon Association of Conservation Districts ended the day’s session. Local Soil and Water Conservation districts and water boards are responsible for seeing that the grants and incentives provided by the fund are allocated to local natural working landowners and managers for various climate-smart projects and practices. She stressed the importance of the legislature appropriating continuous funds that landowners can plan for and rely upon for their work. See this video for more information. Climate Emergency This week, key state agencies presented invited testimony to the House Climate, Energy & Environment Committee to explain their missions, programs, funding, and upcoming issues facing the legislature. Following are some highlights. Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) View ODOE slide presentation ODOE by the Numbers This year is ODOE’s 50th anniversary – the agency was created in a time of energy transition not unlike the present. ODOE relishes its role as a “think tank,” publishes an annual recap of energy-related legislation and conducts studies to inform proposed legislation. ODOE’s Biennial Energy Report published in November 2024 presents “ Energy 101 ” reports related to upcoming bills. Some popular grant programs will have no funding going forward in 2025; these include the Solar + Storage Rebate grants, the Energy Efficient Wildfire Rebuilding program, and the Community Heat Pump Deployment program. The governor’s budget proposes to continue the Community Renewable Energy Grant program that, as of December 2024, had reserved or disbursed $41 million and had $23.7 million remaining. ODOE has awarded 94 projects in 28 counties and estimates that more than 20% of grant funds to date are serving Environmental Justice communities. ODOE’s one-stop online resource for the state’s many available incentive programs has gone live and is in beta testing. Federal dollars are a key funding source. ODOE draws down and monitors federal funds that now total $280 million. First-round awards of Grid Resilience grants to electric utilities in March will total $18.9 million to 13 utilities in 17 counties; Home Energy Rebate grants totaling $113 million for high-efficiency home improvements, especially for low-income households, should be available later this year. County resilience planning grants, created by HB 3630, provide up to $50,000 per county to develop those plans— HB 3170 (Marsh) would change some program requirements and appropriate $10 million of the state general fund (GF). The legislature has given ODOE a lot of new assignments in the past few years, bolstered by federal funds. The governor recommends an overall budget of $174.5 million with an operating budget of $60 million, funded by state GF, federal funds, fees from site certificate holders, and the Energy Supplier Assessment (ESA), charged to fuel providers and utilities. In 2024, ODOE assessed $7.9 m illion of ESA charges on $8.5 b illion of gross operating revenues, equating to $1.87 per Oregonian per year. The governor’s budget would raise the ESA by 18%, driven by cost-of-living adjustments for staff and increases in state government service charges that all agencies face, but utility bills won’t necessarily go up that much because rates depend on a multitude of factors. ODOE estimates that most customers’ bills would be about 4 cents higher. Incoming federal funds could displace some state funding and serve to lower the ESA. Rep. Anderson asked about the outlook for future federal funding in light of President Trump’s executive order freezing the disbursement of Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds, particularly for EV charging stations. ODOE Director Janine Benner said a large number of signed performance agreements are in place with investments targeted in many states both red and blue, making it difficult for the new administration to claw back that committed money. Benner said ODOE is cautiously optimistic that those investments will go forward as planned. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) View ODEQ slide presentation ODEQ’s presentation did not address the agency’s budget request; the currently approved budget totals $753 million in all funds, 860 FTEs. Much of ODEQ’s activity is determined by the federal government (delegated by U.S. EPA) but the agency also administers state programs that predate federal environmental law. Federal funding for these activities has been stagnant or declining over the years. DEQ also generates a lot of data for other agencies’ environmental programs. Air quality monitoring is gaining importance due to increasingly severe wildfires and the resulting particulate matter in the air. ODEQ monitors greenhouse gas emissions and has implemented oversight programs that include the Clean Fuels Program and the Climate Protection Program (CPP). ODEQ reran the entire CPP rulemaking in 2024 to reestablish the program’s goals and mandates. New elements include a direct connection between ODEQ and the Oregon Public Utility Commission to mitigate natural gas price increases. Key manufacturing industries are now directly regulated by ODEQ, per their preference, but are exempt from CPP rules for the next 3 years as ODEQ develops rules to regulate the industries according to their carbon intensity. ODEQ has adopted two sets of rules to implement the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act of 2021. The Producer Responsibility Organization program is expected to go live this year. Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) View OPUC slide presentation OPUC has three full-time commissioners, no more than two of whom may be of the same political party. Chair Megan Decker’s second and final term ends March 31, 2025, so the Senate will need to confirm a new commissioner in February. Gov. Kotek has nominated her natural resources advisor, Karin Power. OPUC determines utility rates, presides over quasi-judicial proceedings, and implements policy. OPUC receives no GF, but is funded by an assessment of 0.45% of utilities’ gross operating revenues. The commission regulates rates of investor-owned electric, natural gas, water, and telecom utilities, considering more than a thousand individual issues per year with a variety of opposing positions. OPUC sets rates to balance the interests of the utilities and their customers. Rates must be just and reasonable but must provide sufficient revenue for operating expenses and the capital costs of the business—otherwise the state may be argued to have taken utility property without compensation. Utilities almost never get as large a rate increase as they request—typically less than half. OPUC staff (142 FTEs) make specific recommendations to commissioners on how to resolve issues and provide expert analysis of utility proposals and rate filings. OPUC evaluates utility filings in three major categories: Rates (general rate cases and annual cost adjustments), planning (utilities’ Integrated Resource Plans, clean energy, wildfire mitigation, and distribution system plans), and programs such as net metering, community solar, EV charging, and demand response. Besides the regulated utilities, participants in OPUC decision-making can include the Citizens’ Utility Board, environmental and community organizations, trade associations, energy developers and others. HB 2475 (2021) expanded OPUC’s ratemaking authority with regard to low-income customers. Groups that represent low-income and environmental justice (EJ) communities can receive intervenor funding assistance of up to $500,000 per year. OPUC’s new online comment portal makes it easier for the public to comment. Staff consolidates public comment into the record of each judicial proceeding. OPUC’s role in climate policy has changed dramatically—the commission is much more focused on this than in the past and has staffed up to address it. Wildfire readiness has become a huge part of utility operations, overseen by OPUC’s Safety Division. Equity and energy burden is a new and important role, legislatively directed. Rep. Osborne asked about the rate process. What’s keep utilities from gaming the system by asking for a lot more than they need? Nolan Moser, OPUC’s executive director, replied: OPUC’s rates team understands which costs are justified and which are not, and can separate the wheat from the chaff in rate filings. Rep. Helm: The House CE&E Committee will be considering some OPUC bills with complex issues, including where the utilities’ clean energy plans stand. The committee needs to dig more deeply into OPUC’s approach before those bills arrive. Rep. Wallan asked what is OPUC doing to ensure grid reliability? Moser said reliability is a core part of OPUC’s mission and a major focus of the Safety Division. Standards are extremely high–utilities are expected to operate all the time in all conditions. Wildfires are happening all over the country and threatening reliability and safety. Costs will go up a lot if we can’t get our hands around this problem. OPUC Commissioner Letha Tawney is well regarded as a regional wildfire expert. Rep. Gamba asked how the utilities are doing toward meeting their HB 2021 clean energy targets. Moser: They are moving forward as best they can but have different constraints. PGE has restraints around ensuring they can procure resources in a cost-effective way. PacifiCorp is a multistate utility pulled in different policy directions—has almost the same size of Oregon’s load compared to Utah, where coal is still being used. OPUC interprets HB 2021 language as creating a role for the commission in ensuring that the utilities review all procurement options to meet legislative intent. OPUC believes it has the authority to require a utility to issue an RFP for renewable resources—PacifiCorp has challenged that position in court. Rep. Marsh: Huge energy load demands are coming our way. Does OPUC have the tools it needs to help utilities manage those loads without a huge rate impact on customers? Moser: OPUC needs to reevaluate that—“We’re at a moment when our previous assumptions need to be completely reimagined.” Legislative Environmental Caucus Climate Priorities Performance Based Regulation for Utilities (SB 688) Transmission package aiding the expedited buildout of the electrical grid and increase efficiencies in existing infrastructure Enabling Changes to Electricity Rates of Large Power User Microgrids (HB 2064, HB 2065, HB 2066) Hydrogen Oversight at the PUC (SB 685) Transportation : The Caucus supports a transportation package that includes increased funding for public transit, Safe Routes to School, an emphasis on sustaining and expanding infrastructure for multimodal transportation, and policies that align with our climate action goals, along with creating a safer transportation network for people and wildlife. Schools : These policies make schools safer and more resilient by leveraging federal funds to improve infrastructure and environmental health. Transitioning to Electric School Buses (HB 2945) Positions at ODE to Support Climate Resilient Schools (HB 2941) Climate Protections and Policies : The climate package includes bills that have broad and long-ranging protections for Oregon’s environment and natural resources. Make Polluters Pay (SB 682) Updating Oregon’s Emissions Reductions Goals (LC 1440) Environmental Rights Amendment (SJR 28) Treasury Divestment from Fossil Fuels (SB 681) Legislative Environmental Caucus Climate Priorities

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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: Education Gun Policy Housing Legislation Immigration Education By Jean Pierce On April 30, SB 1098 , the “Freedom to Read” bill, had a public hearing in the House Education Committee. The bill would prohibit banning a book simply because it concerns a group experiencing discrimination. As of the time of the hearing, they had received 1113 written testimonies, with 83 percent supporting the bill. LWVOR submitted testimony when the bill was in the Senate. Impact of Federal Actions on Education in Oregon Head Start Recently, Head Start has been the subject of a tug of war over federal funding. In March, the Administration announced that it was closing 5 regional offices, including one in Seattle which oversees funding for programs in Oregon. Nevertheless, programs did receive delayed funding in early April. But the office remains closed, jeopardizing funding of $196M for over 8000 students in Oregon. The proposed budget would totally eliminate funding for Head Start and Early Head Start. According to Education Week , on April 28, four state Head Start associations joined parent groups including Family Forward Oregon and the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit challenging the administration’s actions towards Head Start as unlawful and unconstitutional. The groups are calling for a court order that reverses recent layoffs and funding changes affecting Head Start. On Wednesday, seven Oregon school superintendents released a video describing the potential impact of federal cuts on Oregon children and schools. The video mentions that $7 M in federal funding for food banks has already been cut, causing 144,000 children to experience hunger. K-12 On March 28, a US Department of Education letter to State Departments of Education contended that “many states and school districts have enacted policies that presumechildren need protection from their parents.” And that “schools are routinelyhiding information about the mental and physical health of their students from parents.” The letter insisted that this was being done to hide schools’ indoctrination of gender ideology. This week, Charlene Williams, director of Oregon’s Department of Education, responded , assuring the federal government that Oregon is complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and that this has been required in the in state statutes dating back to 1996. Higher Education All 13 international students at the University of Oregon whose visas had been revoked in April have had them reinstated. Oregon State University officials also reported that seven international students had their visas reinstated as well, out of a total of 13 students with revoked visas. Gun Policy By Marge Easley Although we remain hopeful that the omnibus bill SB 243 A will soon be voted out of Senate Rules and move to the Senate floor, two other bills related to gun policy (HB 3075, HB 3076) are in serious jeopardy as legislators grapple with the state budget crisis. League members have been asked to contact legislators to urge passage of SB 243 A, which bans rapid-fire devices, mandates a 72-hour waiting period between a background check approval and the transfer of a firearm, and expands the public areas that are designated as “gun free zones.” Bad news arrived at the end of April with the announcement that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is terminating grants to Multnomah County and four nonprofit organizations for existing gun violence prevention programs, resulting in a loss of $6 million in funding. SB 1015 was introduced to provide state funding to compensate for the expected loss of federal dollars, but it is highly unlikely the bill will move out of Ways and Means. Nationwide, the DOJ is terminating $811 million in grants for community safety programs. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona 5,000 Unit Housing Challenge On May 1, Governor Kotek announced the partnership with Portland Mayor, Keith Wilson on a new initiative to develop 5,000 new housing units in Portland. If passed by the Portland City Council, the System Development Charges (SDCs) would temporally be waived until 5,000 housing units are built or three years have passed. By waiving these fees, stalled housing projects could be made available to bolster the city’s housing supply. Mayor Wilson has estimated that developers are ready to build over 4,000 homes in Portland, but because of costs, waiving SDCs can reduce the cost of thousands of needed to build homes, which would be affordable and market rate. Status of Housing Bills LWVOR has submitted testimony on a number of housing-related bills during the session. Following is a status report on the bills we have supported that have passed or are in the review process. Bill Passed by the Senate and House SB 973 : Requires landlords of publicly supported housing to notify applicants when the affordability contract will expire. Also extends from 20 months to 30 months the minimum notice landlords must give tenants when affordability restrictions will expire. LWV testimony supports passage of this bill. The bill passed the Senate on April 2. The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness held a public hearing on April 23 and the bill passed unanimously during a work session on 4/30. Bills in Process SB 814 A : Expands eligibility for Oregon Housing and Community Services long-term rent assistance program to youth under the age of 25 exiting Oregon Youth Authority or childcare facility. League testimony supports passage of the bill. It passed the Senate 30 – 0 on March 6. A public hearing was held in House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 16, and on April 21 it was referred to Housing and Development. A public hearing is scheduled for May 7. HB 3054 A seeks to limit rent increases for homeowners experiencing escalating rents and other practices by landlords that can threaten their ability to stay in their homes. This bill with the -2 amendment establishes the maximum annual rent increase percentage for homeowners in a home park or marina with more than 30 spaces to 6% from the current level of 7% plus consumer price index (CPI) changes. League testimony supports passage of this bill. On April 16 the bill passed the house, and on May 7 a public hearing is scheduled by the Senate Housing and Development Committee. HB 2964 : Requires Oregon Housing and Community Development to award loans to non-profit affordable housing developers to cover pre-development costs of developing new housing. LWV testimony supports passage of the bill. The bill passed the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 15, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. The Senate had its first reading on April 16, and the bill was referred to the Housing and Development on April 21. Immigration By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith Highlights - News 5/1 Oregonians rally on May Day to protest Trump admin, defend immigrant right s • Oregon Capital Chronicle 5/1 Oregon lawsuit seeks to block immigration enforcemen t at churches, schools - OPB 4/24. Feds Threaten Oregon Transportation Funding Over DEI and Driver’s License Policies - Oregon is one of many states that offer licenses to undocumented immigrants. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy disapproves. Click Scroll Bar on Bottom of Table to View All Columns Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments SB 149 Immigration Study JWM waiting for Fiscal Y Sen Jama -3 amendment SB 599A Immig status: discrimnation in RealEstate transactions H Judiciary Sen Campos SB 611 Food for All Oregonians - for undocumented JWM 8 Sen Campos Rep Ruiz amendment -1 SB 703 a bipartisan immigration status update funding bill JWM 6 Sen Reynolds, Rep Neron, Ruiz, Smith G Testimony HB 2548 Agricultural Workforce Labor Standards Board. H Rules PC: No recommen dation Rep Valderrama, Nelson , Munoz League Testimony HB 2976 funding for interpretation of indigenous languages. JWM 1.5 Rep Hartman HB2788 funding to nonprofits to assist w lawful permanent resident status / legal aid - HC ECHS - JWM dead Rep Neron, Ruiz, Sen Reynolds * likely end of session Reconcilation Bill HB 2586 A nonresident tuition exemption for asylum seekers. Sen Ed RepHudson, SenCampos WS 5/7 HB 2543 Funds for universal representation and gives funds to Oregon State Bar for legal immigration matters HC Jud ? 15 Rep Valderrama, Sen Manning Jr, Rep Walters, Andersen, McLain, Sen Campos DAS - see sb 703 HB3193A Farm Worker Relief Fund JWM 10 Rep Marsh, SenPham, RepValderrama OHA HB 5002 Oregon Worker Relief Fund / JWM-GG ? 7 Das Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Governance , and Natural Resources , and Revenue report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 2/10 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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: Privacy and Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence Election Policy Access Government Ethics Privacy and Cybersecurity By Becky Gladstone Bills addressed: SB 470 League testimony was submitted and presented in support of this privacy bill. We respect to necessarily comprehensive legal rosters describing the terms used, we simplified the gist to : If you are staying in a motel, the folks there may not take an audio or video of you, any place where you would expect privacy. And you can sue, if they do. There was a thoughtful discussion, and the bill may be amended. HB 2570 League testimony was submitted and presented in support of this privacy bill. It would make a new [non]disclosure law to keep PII (personally identifiable information) confidential for employees working with OSHA investigations or inspections. Thoughtful discussion included concern for retribution impeding communications, both from fearful employees and employers. HB 2581 League testimony was submitted and presented in support of this bill to coordinate resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO). It would replace the word “seismic” with hazards, to include storms with flooding and slides, COVID, and wildfires, in 2024 expanding to extreme heat, further drought, the fentanyl crisis, and a tsunami warning. The SRO testified and included the importance of cybersecurity in protecting our infrastructure. HB 2341 League testimony was submitted and presented in support of this bill to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information in providing services. These would be covered by the same privacy protocols as other personal information and could help to efficiently expedite services. We are researching these upcoming bills for when public hearings are scheduled: SB 826 was brought by the Oregon Dept of Emergency Management, to make sure that public safety systems are compatible. Artificial Intelligence We are watching for AI and further cybersecurity and privacy bills, welcoming two new volunteers who will have AI bill reports soon. Note this from the National Conference of State Legislatures: AI 2024 Legislation . In 2024 legislative sessions, at least 45 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C., introduced AI bills, and 31 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands adopted resolutions or enacted legislation. We are watching numerous other bills that haven’t yet been scheduled for hearing. Election Policy We have been invited to collaborate on HJR 9 , a referral for recall timing. HB 3012 would allow 16- or 17-year-olds, who are registered to vote, to vote in school board elections. HB 3384 League testimony was written and held for discussion for this election bill. It would require that initiative and referendum petitions not be processed from 75 days before an election until 35 days afterwards. It was submitted at the request of the Oregon County Clerks Association. We will consider supporting this bill at a future hearing. Access HB 5017 is the State Library budget bill. We are asking for more specific information. HB 3382 , brought to House Rules by Oregon Business and Industries, asks the Secretary of State to make an online system about administrative rules, telling state agencies to make most rules data accessible online. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey HB 2727 further limits what lobbying a legislator can do after leaving office. It will be heard in House Rules Feb. 10. The League will likely support this bill. HB 3130 would allow district school board members, who are not paid, to not file statements of economic interest (SEIs) with the Government Ethics Commission. It will be heard in House Rules Feb. 10. The League will likely oppose this bill.

Back to All Legislative Reports Climate Emergency Legislative Report - Week of 5/22 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 Jump to a topic: Climate Emergency Priority Bills I-5 Bridge Project Oregon Economic Analysis Oregon Treasury Climate Related Lawsuits: Oregon and… Oregon Global Warming Commission ** Action Needed: Please contact your State Senator and Representative to encourage them to support the following Climate, Energy and Environmental Justice related Bills. Funds are available, the recent May revenue forecast provides historical funding opportunities across all policy areas. ** Climate Priority Bills By Claudia Keith The Republican walkout put most of these bills at risk. The CE priority bills had minimal activity in the last month. Most have already moved to JW&Ms. Find additional background in previous LR (report)s on the six CE priorities. 1. Resilient Buildings (RB) policy package: Bills are now in JW&M. The League is an active RB coalition partner. Link to League testimonies: SB 868 , 869 , 870 and 871 . · SB 868 A staff measure summary , Fiscal and Follow-up Questions · SB 869 A staff measure summary , Fiscal and Follow-up Questions · SB 870 A Staff measure summary , Fiscal and Follow-up Questions · SB 871 A staff measure summary , Fiscal and Follow-up Questions 2. SB 530A : Natural and Working Lands is in JW&Ms. The League continues to be an active coalition member. Fiscal . Staff Measure Summary 3. Environmental Justice (EJ) 2023 bills: SB 907 A ‘Right to Refuse Dangerous work’ currently House Desk - Third Reading. The committee public hearing was on May 10 in House B&L. The work session was 5/17, bill moved to House Desk with 6,0,5,0 do pass vote. Here is the May 9 LWVOR testimony . The Bill has Minimal Fiscal Impact. The League joined the Worker Advocate Coalition on 2/13. SB 593 is one of two bills the League will follow and support. SB 907 amendment -6 staff measure summary. 4/4 work session, moved to the floor with do pass with amendments, a unanimous vote. SB 907 Coalition Letter - LWVOR one of many organizations. 4. Oregon Climate Action Commission (currently Oregon Global Warming Commission): Roadmap , SB 522 A staff measure summary , fisca l, 4/4 Work Session moved, with 4/1 vote to JW&Ms. 5. Other Governor Climate / Carbon Policy Topics: See 20-04 Executive Order topics . This area includes other GHG emission mitigation/reductions (DEQ) and new clean renewable energy (DEQ & DOE), OHA public health, and ODOT (Dept of Transportation) policy and funding bills including state agency budget bills. (POPS and current service level spending). 6. CE related total 2023-2025 biennium budget: The governor’s budget * was published January 31; Kotek’s budget priorities . On May 17 the Governor's budget / May forecast press release did not mention the Climate Package topic. There is still some discussion concerning using available funds versus issuing additional state bonds for capital construction projects. We provided testimony on the Oregon Dept. of Energy (ODOE) budget ( HB 5016 ) and will add climate items to (DEQ) HB 5018 League 3/30 testimony . In both cases, our testimony requested additional agency requests not included in the Governor’s January budget. Other CE Bills that are still alive By Claudia Keith and Greg Martin The House passed HB 3550A by a vote of 34-23. It would require all light-duty vehicles a state agency buys or leases after 1/1/2025 to be Zero Emissions Vehicles unless the agency finds that a ZEV is not feasible for the vehicle's specific use. This includes police and fire vehicles among others exempted by current law. It also would require the Office of Administrative Services to replace diesel with biofuel or biofuel-derived electricity in all generation facilities or machinery the agency installs or operates, to the maximum extent economically feasible. Senate E&E passed HB 3179-A 7, 3-0 (Lieber excused, Hayden absent) to the Senate floor with a do pass recommendation on 5/18. The bill would double the maximum allowable acreage for solar photovoltaic power generation facility siting in the context of county land-use planning, allowing counties to approve more and larger solar projects while preserving existing protections for land use and wildlife. The -A7 requires a land use permit applicant for a renewable energy facility to provide a decommissioning plan to restore the site to "a useful, nonhazardous condition," assured by bonding or other security. HB 2763 A Creates a State Public Bank Task Force, League Testimony . Like the 2022 session RB task force, a 23-member Task Force is required to recommend no later than January 2024. “ The report must include a recommendation for a governing structure for a public bank.” This policy topic will likely have a bill in the 2024 session -1 staff measure summary . Moved on 3/14 with recommendation to JW&Ms with - 1 amendment. Fiscal HB 3016 A , community green infrastructure, moved to JW&Ms unanimously. Legislative -2 Staff Measure Summary . HB 3196A – Fees from Community Climate Investment funds -– League support HB 3166 A — Whole-home Retrofits and High-efficiency Electric Home Rebates –– League support HB 3056 A –– Extends Residential Heat Pump Fund until to January 2, 2026 –– League support HB3181 A — Energy Siting process. Fisca l. Staff Summary Currently in JWM. HB2990A Resilience Community Hubs, Fiscal , Staff Summary Interstate 5 (I-5) Bridge Project By Claudia Keith R’s have an issue with I-5 bridge funding recommendation, see recent Rep Boshart-Davis newsletter. A new I-5 bridge bill is in progress. HB 2098 had amendments posted on 5/17 but this bill is likely dead. (See Joint Transportation committee) Oregon Economic Analysis By Claudia Keith The Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast was released May 17. The JW&M-recommended budget will use the May forecast to balance the budget. The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis has continued to ignore the recommended SEC Climate Risk disclosure proposed rule. Analysis: SEC.gov | Remarks at the 2023 SEC Municipal Securities Disclosure Conference , The Need for Climate Risk Disclosures: Emerging trends in ESG governance for 2023 | Harvard. See supportive SEC disclosure LWVOR-initiated LWVUS Testimony , June 2022. Oregon Treasury By Claudia Keith It is unclear how Oregon Treasury/Treasurer Tobias Read will assist with addressing the IRA $27B Federal funds, contingent on formation of an Oregon Green Bank. Up To $27B Available for NPO Clean Energy Activities . | TNPT. Oregon Pers Performance : Returns for periods ending MAR-2023 Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund. The Oregon Investment Council will meet May 31, agenda and meeting materials not yet posted. The Council met April 19; see meeting packet ; no 4/19 minutes posted yet. The April packet includes the March meeting minutes. ESG investing continues to be addressed. Climate Related Lawsuits: Oregon and… By Claudia Keith Numerous lawsuits are challenging Oregon’s DEQ CPP regulations. Here is one example of how to track them. Basically, there are a number of active state and federal lawsuits , (May 2023 update) some of which could assist in meeting Oregon's Net Zero GHG Emissions before 2050 targets and other lawsuits, which challenge current Oregon DEQ CPP policy, which would limit the use of fossil fuels, including diesel, natural gas, and propane over time. Another source: Columbia University Law - Sabin Climate DB lists 64 lawsuits , mentioning OREGON. Youth lawsuit challenging Montana's pro-fossil fuel policies is heading to trial | AP News. The challenges and promises of climate lawsuits | KnowableMag.org . Supreme Court deals blow to oil companies by turning away climate cases | NBC News Oregon Global Warming Commission By Greg Martin ODOE's legislative update touched on known points, including speculation about a special budget session in the event the Senate doesn't reconvene, and a possible omnibus climate bill. Other updates: ODOE's electric grid resilience open house s (in person and virtual) were held May 23 and 24. OHA began rulemaking on its Healthy Homes grant program in April and hopes to issue grants to eligible third-party organizations by the end of this year. The program was created by HB 2842 in 2021, with LWVOR’s support, to help low-income households repair and rehabilitate their dwellings to address climate and other environmental hazards. This program is an important pathway to leverage state funds to complement available federal funds. ODOE staff outlined upcoming work on the Climate Pollution Reduction Planning Grant program – $5 billion funding opportunity created by the IRA to help states, local governments, tribes, and territories develop plans for reducing GHG emissions and other harmful air pollution. Phase 1, development of state planning grants = $250 million ($3 million per state plus $1 million for each major MSA, $TBD for tribal governments). Phase 2 = $4.6 billion (competitive) for implementing state plans. Oregon has applied for planning funds, must submit its Priority Climate Action Plan by 3/1/2024 and Comprehensive Climate Action Plan by summer-fall 2025. Critical brief window in March 2024 — states will have 1 month to submit applications for implementation grants per EPA solicitation (RFP). OGWC’s Roadmap to 2030, already developed, may give OR a leg up on most other states — will build on that with input from across state government, local governments, community organizations, and tribes. Environmental Quality Commission Meeting By Greg Martin At the May 18 meeting, DEQ staff updated the commission on various legislative and regulatory topics. Link to Meeting agenda and materials Climate and resilience-related highlights follow. Air quality/GHG emissions: • EPA has posted its proposed new emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles and held public hearings. Written comments are due July 5. The standards starting with model year 2027 are expected to align more closely with California standards that Oregon recently adopted. • In March, DEQ launched a pre-approval process for the Charge Ahead program of ZEV rebates. Low- and moderate-income Oregonians who prequalify can present vouchers for ZEV purchases at auto dealerships. Unfortunately, the program has been suspended because funding to continue it ( HB 2613 ) is stalled in the Joint Transportation Committee. Legislative and budget updates: Legislators will have more money to work with than they thought but the backlog of bills in W&M is very large. DEQ staff expressed optimism that their bills will begin to emerge from W&M though not necessarily at the requested funding levels. Item C: Budget and Legislative Updates (Informational) DEQ will provide updates on the 2023 Legislative Session, including bills under consideration, and DEQ’s budget process. Item C presentation slides ) Fuel tank seismic stability rulemaking: SB 1567 , enacted in 2022 and supported by LWVOR , requires EQC to adopt rules for fuel terminal owners along the Willamette River to retrofit their facilities to withstand a magnitude 9 earthquake. Owners must develop individual risk mitigation plans, and DEQ must develop a risk mitigation implementation program through rulemaking. RAC meetings ended in April with approval of draft rules and impact statements. DEQ will post the rules for public comment in June and expects to propose final draft rules for EQC consideration in September. Implementation is to be completed in 10 years. ( Item D: Fuel Tank Seismic Stability rulemaking (Informational) DEQ will provide updates regarding a rulemaking under development for seismic stability, as directed in legislation regarding fuel tank seismic stability requirements. The commission will be asked to take action on a proposed rulemaking later in 2023. Item D presentation slides ) Volunteers Urgently Needed By Claudia Keith Request to Local Leagues; please let us know your climate, resilience, or sustainability advocacy actions. Please consider joining the CE portfolio team; we lack volunteers in these critical policy areas: · Natural and Working lands, specifically Agriculture/ODA · Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation and Renewable Energy · Climate Related Lawsuits/Our Children’s Trust · Public Health Climate Adaptation (OHA) · Regional Solutions / Infrastructure (with NR team) · State Procurement Practices (DAS: Dept. of Admin. Services) · CE Portfolio State Agency and Commission Budgets · Oregon Treasury: ESG investing/Fossil Fuel divestment We collaborate with Natural Resource Action members on many Climate Change mitigation and adaptation policy topics. Volunteers are needed: CE Coordinator. Orientation to Legislative and State Agency advocacy processes is available.

Find Board and member resources here. Learn more. / Resources /

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 4/3 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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: Rights of Incarcerated People Cybersecurity and Public Records Government Ethics Campaign Finance Redistricting Election Methods Governance By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley Two bills that promote more humane treatment of those in correctional institutions passed out of the House Judiciary on April 4. HB 2890 directs the Department of Corrections (DOC) to ensure all incarcerated people have access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment throughout their term of incarceration. This is in keeping with the directive from HB 2257 (2019) to treat addiction as a chronic disease and provide appropriate treatment. The adopted -1 amendment removed a provision in the original bill that all incarcerated people must have access to personal electronic devices. The bill passed with a do-pass recommendation and a subsequent referral to Ways and Means. HB 2345 passed with amendments with a do-pass recommendation. It directs DOC to share aggregate data on the department’s website about the use of segregated housing in Oregon’s correctional institutions. The goal is to be transparent in fulfilling DOC’s objective of minimizing the use of segregated housing as a disciplinary tool. Budgets, Cybersecurity, DC Statehood & TikTok By Rebecca Gladstone We spoke to the SoS’s budget bill this week. We’re following the progress of numerous cybersecurity and public records bills. The SB 417 Task Force continues to meet, now into next week. We’ve added two bills, planning to speak to a broadly supported “TikTok” bill and a DC statehood resolution. HB 5035 : We support this Secretary of State budget bill ( our testimony ), repeating our calls since 2017 to replace and unify separate outdated OCVR and ORESTAR elections’ software systems, for efficiency. Note SoS Dennis Richardson’s 2018 Newsroom report “ ORESTAR Batch Transactions Processing Error ” and from May 2022, ORESTAR affected by C&E Systems ransomware . It is overtime already. We urged for Risk-Limiting Audit support, with extensive information linked in testimony. The bill presents a conservative pilot program to educate elections officials and the public. We see in these hearings that education is clearly needed. We support the numerous cybersecurity efforts in the bill. We noted omission of voter registration expansion and geospatial districting and urged that these be retained and supported. HB 2490 was quickly referred to Senate Vets, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs after no opposition from the House, read in the Senate on March 27. It addresses 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. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). SJM 6 : Catching up with this, to urge Congress to grant statehood to the District of Columbia, supported by LWV as a national position. We will submit testimony for the next public hearing. Taxation without representation is a fundamental democratic value and we will support this. SJM 6 passed from Senate Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs on firmly partisan lines, with a do adopt recommendation. Sen. Thatcher prefers residents not be taxed and DC not be admitted as a state. Sen. Linthicum referred to Greater Idaho and focused on government problems. Sen. Woods invoked Taxation without Representation; DC residents pay taxes and this resolution lacks teeth but shows we understand and support them. Sen. Manning urged belief that when the DC area was included in the constitution, it omitted many who looked like him. We must correct the ills of the past at some point. This SJM may not pack power but sends a signal that Oregon recognizes and must correct ills of previous laws. He’s hopeful at some point we recognize all citizens. Not long ago we had a segregated military, now more diverse, agile and stronger. To “Greater Idaho”, imagine if every community wanted to pull up stakes. At the end of the Civil War, in 1865, we were looking for a greater, brighter future. This does send a message that Oregon will support. SB 619 : LWVOR strongly supports this AG’s consumer privacy bill, now with a - 1 amendment ( our testimony ). It passed from Senate Judiciary on Apr. 3 with a Do Pass recommendation to W&Ms. HB 3127 A : We will research this “TikTok bill”, prohibiting installing or downloading certain “covered products” onto state information technology assets, and testify in the next public hearing. It passed 52 to 4 from the House floor, not on strictly partisan lines. Note, it does not address personal use. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey HB 5021 : Budget of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, in Joint General Government, reported out with amendments, returned to full committee; 4/7: Joint W&M work session scheduled. Limits biennial expenditures from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts and reimbursements from federal service agreements, but excluding lottery funds and other federal funds, collected or received. SB 168 A : Senate Rules reported out with -1 amendment 3/31 and recommended Do Pass with Amendments; Senate floor carried over to 4/5 by unanimous consent. Expressly prohibits public employees, while on job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity, from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination or election of public officials. SB 207 : Senate passed with ayes 21, nays 8 on 3/23; referred to House Rules; 4/4: public hearing scheduled. Authorizes Oregon Government Ethics Commission to proceed on its own motion to review and investigate, if the commission has reason to believe that the public body conducted meetings in executive session that were not in compliance with laws authorizing executive sessions. SB 292 A : Senate Rules; A2, A5 amendments on OLIS; 4/6: work session scheduled. Narrows applicability of requirement that district school board members must file verified statement of economic interest to only those members of districts with specified number of students or districts that are sponsors of virtual public charter schools. SB 661 A : Senate Rules adopted -2 amendment, Do Pass as amended; Senate floor carried over by unanimous consent. Prohibits lobbyist from serving as chair of interim committee, legislative work group or legislative task force. Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing. Redistricting There has been no movement on redistricting in the legislature. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 14 petitions downloadable from its website. Election Methods By Barbara Klein No further developments this week. 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 .

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 Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 1/15 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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 Jump to topic: Housing Public Safety Reports Summer Learning Housing By Nancy Donovan, Beth Jacobi, Debbie Aiona Homelessness State of Emergency: Governor Kotek declared a homelessness state of emergency a year ago and set targets for local jurisdictions. Based on preliminary data, the state and local partners have exceeded those targets. They created 1,032 low-barrier shelter beds, exceeding the original goal by 432; rehoused 1,293 unsheltered households, exceeding the goal by 93; and prevented 8,886 households from experiencing homelessness, exceeding the goal by 136. LWVOR supported funding this effort. To meet these goals, the Legislature allocated $155 million early in the 2023 session for homelessness prevention, rehousing, and shelter capacity expansion. They went on to budget $316 million for the same purpose in the 2023-25 biennium. The 2023 Point in Time annual count showed that as of last January an estimated 20,100 people were experiencing homelessness. About 62% were unsheltered. In recognition of the fact that Oregon has a long way to go before it can claim success, Governor Kotek issued Executive Order 24-02 on January 9. 2024, to extend the 2023 Executive Order and continue the state’s focus on addressing the homelessness crisis. In 2024, Governor Kotek is proposing $65 million for homeless shelter operations. The funds will be used primarily to prevent closure of state and locally funded shelters and invest in re-housing focused services at shelters to improve exits into permanent housing. Rent Assistance: The Governor’s legislative budget is also requesting $33 million for rent assistance to help keep Oregonians from losing their homes. Affordable Housing : Our League of Women Voters of Oregon actively partnered with a number of other organizations to inform legislators prior to the session on What we need to build more affordable housing . Oregon is in short supply of approximately 140,000 homes for people with low- and moderate-incomes. Housing Production : Also, with League support, the Housing Alliance sent a letter on January 4, encouraging state leaders to introduce housing production bills in the 2024 session in line with principles outlined in the letter. Housing Alliance Membership Meeting : On Tuesday, January 23, the League will participate in the Housing Alliance’s Membership Meeting to vote on bill endorsements, via Zoom. Monday, January 29 is the voting deadline for bill endorsements, via an online form. House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness held an informational meeting on 1/11. H ousing and homeless representatives made presentations on the topics below. Note that Legislative Concepts (LCs) are being assigned to certain bills. When available, LC drafts will be posted on committee OLIS pages. · Financing affordable/moderate income housing · Committee Legislative Concepts Technical fix omnibus, LC 40 · Member Housing-Related Legislative Concepts Individual Development Account Funding , LC 151 · Oregon Housing and Community Services Legislation Implementation Updates , Shelter Operations Funding · Modular Housing The Senate Interim Committee on Housing and Development held an informational meeting on 1/10/2024. These housing topics were discussed. · Committee Budget Bill ( LC 158): Shelter Operation Needs · Recovery Housing · Affordable Housing Land Acquisition Revolving Loan Program · Emergency Rental Assistance Program · Public Safety Reports – 1-11-24 Public Safety Reports The Joint Addiction Committee discussed the Secretary of State Audit of the Ballot Measure 110 process at the January 10 hearing. The grants totaled $209.3 million awarded to Behavioral Health Networks to provide access to services. The reports listed harm reduction as the highest service followed by peer support and mentors. Other services were low barrier treatment, screening, needs assessments, supported housing and supported employment. Problems were reported: hiring staff for behavioral health services, providing housing costs and documenting poor usage of the hotline. Funding Medicaid services was the highest priority. The committee heard presentations on youth substance abuse and prevention plans through the Oregon Social Learning Center in Eugene. Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission leaders talked about prevention efforts in the counties and tribal areas. Treatment access with mobile units, sobering centers and residential programs were needed. Specialty Courts are operational within the Oregon Judicial System with the Lincoln County Court spot lighted as an example. The Criminal Justice Commission provides program funding and supervision. The Public Safety Subcommittee of Ways and Means discussed one of the primary needs for defense attorneys: for those in custody prior to hearings to determine release conditions and future hearings. Lack of defenders has delayed many cases and clogged court processes. The most urgent Oregon Public Defense Commission need was to provide funds for unrepresented cases (132 in custody). They cited 4,289 unrepresented cases of which 2,324 were pretrial, 268 parole or probation violations not in custody, and 1,365 on warrants. The Committee considered extending a Temporary Hourly Increase Program for six months through the end of June. This program was created to ensure that persons in custody have representation by public defenders in a timely fashion. In the meantime, it is anticipated that sufficient contract providers will be found so that people charged with crimes do not need to wait an inordinate period of time. Summer Learning By Katie Riley Different groups are working on a proposal for funding summer learning to be submitted by Rep. Susan McLain. The Governor’s office is working with the Department of Education. Another group with ODE representatives is working with a group of afterschool and summer providers called EASE. EASE has subgroups including data gathering and measurement, logistics, and professional development. These groups will provide input to the final bill. A key action to be required for the bill to succeed is for parents to come forward to testify about why care is needed for them to be able to work.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 2/12 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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: Senate and House Rules Committees House Rules Committee Senate Committee on Education Elections, Campaign Finance, and In Memoriam for Alice Bartelt By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Senate Rules Committee SB 1538 is an election law clean-up bill that makes many changes, was amended in several details and passed out of the Senate Rules Committee on 2/15. The amendments concerned translating voters’ pamphlets; removing the redundant vote tally machine certification just before tallying begins; reducing the number of voter registration cards to 500 that could be obtained, issuing a certificate of ascertainment of presidential electors; increasing the upper limits for a candidate not to be required to file campaign finance reports; and allowing campaign contributions to be used to pay civil penalties for campaign violations. House Rules Committee HB 4021 , which requires the Governor to fill a vacancy in the office of U.S. Senator by appointment within 30 days until a special election can fill the vacancy, had a public hearing. HB 4031 , which requires the Public Records Advisory Council to study public records, passed out of committee without recommendation and was sent to the Revenue Committee. 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. HB 4117 , which authorizes the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to issue advisory opinions on the application of the public meetings law, and which provides a technical fix to a bill passed in 2023 session, passed out of committee to 2 nd reading, the rules of the House were suspended, and the bill was passed immediately and unanimously. Senate Committee on Education 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 passed out of committee and was referred to Ways and Means. Elections, Campaign Finance, and In Memoriam for Alice Bartelt By Rebecca Gladstone Three bills that received League testimony passed from committees this week. News swirls for others, and we are poised to act on them. These two bills were heard in Senate Rules and both passed, with League support: Increase Voters’ Pamphlet Languages SB 1533 : This bill would increase the number of languages other than English for State Voters’ Pamphlets, adjusted for predominating languages by county. We provided written testimony . As well as virtual League testimony starts at 1:25) . The bill passed unanimously, with one excused. Synthetic Media in Campaign Ads, aka Deep Fakes SB 1571 -1 : League testimony was quickly revised for the -1 amendment and our verbal testimony, (video starting at 50 minutes ), was targeted to issues raised during the public hearing. The -1 amendment replaced “artificial intelligence” with the applied term “synthetic media”. The bill passed unanimously, with four more amendments filed. See Oregon lawmakers consider regulating use of AI in campaign ads , OPB, 14 Feb, 2024. A third bill, from sponsor Sen. Manning, was heard in Senate Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs Committee: Automatic Voter Registration for students SB 1577 -3 : The original bill would have automatically registered students from their college applications via the Dept of Revenue. The amended bill would have Elections and County Elections departments study the feasibility of registering student citizen voters. The clear emphasis on eligible voters, with only citizens being eligible, was not clear to many who sent testimony. It passed from committee on partisan lines, with supportive League testimony (video starting at 1:19), and on the record . Campaign Finance: LWVOR supports IP 9 and is actively collecting signatures, as part of the Honest Elections Coalition . LWVOR and Common Cause are the good government groups mentioned in OPB this week: Democrats and Republicans often clash on the subject, but are hoping to avoid a messy ballot fight . A placeholder bill, HB 4024 , could be pressed into service from unusual partners, labor and business, who are otherwise promoting IP 42, against IP 9. This is presumably hoping to forestall the impending faceoff between the two competing campaign finance petitions. Campaign work for IP 9 is in high gear with discussions between Honest Elections, legislative members, top state leadership, and the press. Senate Commemorative Resolution, In Memoriam: Alice Bartelt, 1947-2023 , SCR 203: We understand from staff that the bill sponsor, Senate President Wagner, has moved the hearing date to Feb. 22, 3pm. It is not yet posted on OLIS. Staff requests that anyone wishing to testify please contact their office at carol.suzuki@oregonlegislature.gov , so that timing can be arranged.

Natural Resources Overview The League of Women Voters of Oregon is actively working on a number of natural resource issues including water, wildfire preparedness, energy conservation, air quality, and more. Read More Natural Resources Reports Mar 9, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 3/9 Done! The 2026 legislative short session closed before 5p on March 6. But the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) is a year-round system so you can use it to review the bills, read testimony, find votes, and watch recorded committee hearings. We encourage you to e-Subscribe to committees of interest. Read More Mar 2, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of March 2 The end is near! Policy Committees, except for Rules, Revenue and some Joint Committees are now closed for the session. The focus is on some contentious bills and those all-important budget decisions. Read More Feb 23, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/23 The Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources continues to receive reports as they grapple with balancing the budget. Read More Feb 16, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/16 The Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources continues to receive reports as they grapple with balancing the budget. Read More Feb 9, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/9 Information on the 2026 session is live! Bills are posted and committee agendas are beginning to be posted. We encourage you to e-Subscribe to the bills you want to follow and the committees of interest. Read More Feb 2, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/2 The Full Ways and Means Committee will hold a public hearing from 5-8p on Feb. 3rd. Individual League members are encouraged to participate, but remember that only our League President can speak on behalf of the League. Read More Jan 26, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of January 26 The Natural Resource agencies have been implementing legislation passed in 2025 and previous legislative sessions. Read More Dec 1, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of December 1 The League again supported federal legislation to expand the Smith River Recreation Area. The North Fork of the Smith River has scenic, historic and recreational values. We have supported this effort in the past with approval from LWVUS. Read More Oct 13, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of October 13 Governor Kotek signed Executive Order 25-25 on Oct. 6 to accelerate the pace of renewable wind and solar project development in the state of Oregon before the clock runs out on critical federal clean energy tax credits. Read More Aug 11, 2025 Legislative Report - Sine Die - Week of August 11 This legislative report summarizes the Natural Resources portfolio work that took place over the 2025 Legislative Session. Read More Jun 30, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/30 The big wildfire funding bill HB 3940 B that the Wildfire 35 workgroup worked on for one year had four of its six funding recommendations included in the B engrossed bill that passed on a party line vote 3-2 on June 25th Read More Jun 23, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/23 The proposed HB 2025 Transportation package, if not agreed upon by the legislature in a truly bipartisan manner, is expected to be taken to the voters by a new political action committee “No Gas Hikes’ per an OPB article. But the bill must pass the legislature before it can be referred to voters. Read More Jun 16, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/16 HB 2025 is the comprehensive Transportation ReInvestment Package (TRIP) which is being worked in a new committee: Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment. The League signed on to a letter in support of increased transit funding. Rep. McLain, Co-Chair, said she would share information by the first of the coming week. Written testimony was taken through Saturday. Read More Jun 9, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/9 The latest transportation funding proposal was revealed June 4th by a group of Democratic lawmakers. Per the Oregonian article, it would “significantly boost funding for public transit and climate-friendly pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.” June 6, the House and Senate Republicans released their legislative concept (bill) to fund the transportation budget for 2025. Read More Jun 2, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/2 The omnibus bottle bill SB 992 A, a conglomeration of several bills introduced this session to address problems with beverage container redemption in the Portland area, is now awaiting the Governor’s signature. Read More May 26, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/26 Along with the transportation package, wildfire funding has been a challenge for the legislature. The Governor has weighed in on the concept of taking at least a part of the “kicker” to fund wildfire: lawmakers have an option if they can agree on a better use for the kicker money. With a two-thirds supermajority vote in each chamber, they can opt to suspend the refund. That’s happened once since the policy was enacted in the late 70s. Read More May 19, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/19 With $756 million LESS General Fund revenue for state services in 2025-27 and $34 million LESS Lottery Fund revenue, our Natural Resource agencies will be hard hit unless the requested various fee increases in these agencies are approved. Read More May 12, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/12 Another very difficult wildfire season looks to be on tap for 2025. It is expected, currently, that conditions will deteriorate to the point that all of Oregon will be at high risk for large wildfires by August 1, with the Eastside reaching that state by July 1. Coupled with a slowdown in getting staffing in place due to the current federal funding landscape, the season is likely to be extremely challenging not only for Oregon but the entire Northwestern United States. Read More May 5, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/5 The Co-Chairs of Ways and Means provided their framework for the 2025-27 state budget. Note on the last page the potential effect of federal budget cuts. On Friday President Trump published a general outline of his proposed budget for the federal government (Oct. 1, 2025 to Sept. 30, 2026). The document assumes much of the funding for this fiscal year that he has held back will continue and a 22% additional cut in “discretionary spending”. We now need to see what our May 14th state revenue forecast will be. Then our legislators need to decide how much, if any of those federal cuts will be backfilled by state monies. Read More Apr 28, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/28 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. Read More Apr 21, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/21 OPRD is working on a Land Disposition Policy, which they have never really had. This started out as a means to “reducing expenses,” but is turning into something much better, a properly worded policy document that hopefully gives OPRD another tool without encouraging giveaways. It is meant to be a part of, and to mirror, the existing policy on acquisitions. The Parks Commission is adopting the new policy at their meeting. Read More Apr 14, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/14 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. Read More Apr 7, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/7 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. Read More Mar 31, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/31 At this time in the session when bills are being considered to move forward, agendas will be changed related to the ability of Legislative Counsel to provide amendments and the Legislative Fiscal Office to provide fiscal impact statements to calculate the cost of these bills. Be sure to check the bills you might be following to confirm when a public hearing or work session is actually happening! Read More Mar 24, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/24 The Oregon Legislature began its 2025 session with a record number of bills filed before the session opened, at least in the 25 years that the Legislature’s Office of Legislative Counsel has been counting. The record-breaking continued this week, with 3,391 bills filed as of Wednesday. That’s nearly 100 more than the previous modern-day record set in 2001. This from an Oregonlive news article. Read More Mar 17, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/17 The Joint Committee On Ways and Means took action on March 14 on five bills to rebalance the 2023-25 budget. The bills go to the respective chambers for a vote where they should pass and be sent to the Governor for her signature. The legislature will then focus on the 2025-27 budgets. Read More Mar 10, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/10 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. Read More Mar 3, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/3 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. Read More Feb 24, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/24 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. Read More Feb 17, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/17 Our state agencies often receive reimbursable grants where the agencies do the work required in the grant and apply to reimbursement. With the uncertainty of that reimbursement, many projects that were planned by agencies are on hold. Read More Feb 10, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/10 As we all hear news daily from the federal government, Rep. Gomberg provided some concerning information about the potential loss of federal funding here in Oregon: Thrown into uncertainty was the Oregon Health Plan. Read More Feb 3, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/3 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. Read More Jan 27, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 1/27 How to protect productive agricultural ground and forests by determining what uses should and shouldn’t be allowed on private agricultural and forest land in the state is top of mind as the 2025 session of the Oregon Legislature gets underway. Read More Jan 20, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 1/20 A League member attended virtually the Dec. 18-19 Board of Agriculture meeting. Peter Kenagy, Albany area farmer, announced the reactivation of the Ag for Oregon group who will be advocating for agricultural land use protections and address the expansion of agri-tourism. Read More Dec 20, 2024 Legislative Report - December Interim 2024 Look for a new lobbying group to Keep Oregon Farming by advocating for MORE uses on farmland. A separate group will be advocating for reducing the current number of uses on farmland. Read More Oct 1, 2024 Legislative Report - September Legislative Days During the Sept. Interim Days, there were many presentations related to the importance of agricultural lands. Agriculture is the second most important and most stable industry in Oregon. Read More Jun 10, 2024 Legislative Report - Interim Week 6/10 We have begun to work on legislation and budgets for 2025. With your help, we can continue to make a difference. Join us and volunteer! Read More Apr 22, 2024 Legislative Report - Sine Die 2024 The League provided comments to the Board of Agriculture as the 2024 session began. Oregon agriculture is the second most important and most stable industry in Oregon because of the hundreds of “crops” grown here. Read More Mar 4, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 3/4 SB 5701, the omnibus budget bill for 2024 was amended at the end of the session. The League was pleased with the breadth of programs funded as well as the policy bills that were also funded. But there were disappointments, too. Read More Feb 26, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/26 SB 5701 is the omnibus budget bill for 2024. It is currently populated with the items approved during the November and January Legislative Days. Read More Feb 19, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/19 SB 5701 is the 2024 omnibus budget bill. It is currently populated with the items approved during the November and January Legislative Days. Read More Feb 12, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/12 The Dept. of Environmental Quality presented information on the status of our Title V air quality program fees after the significant increase adopted in 2023. Read More Feb 5, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/5 The 2024 short session runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. Bills in most committees must be scheduled for a work session by Feb. 12 and acted on by Feb. 19th in the first chamber. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website. Read More Jan 15, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 1/15 The 2024 short session runs Feb. 5 through March 10th. The legislative calendar is posted on the Oregon Legislature website. Bills will be posted soon on OLIS. Committee bills were introduced during the January 10-12 Legislative Days. Read More Nov 13, 2023 Legislative Report - November Interim Volunteers are still needed to cover important issues like Air Quality, Recycling and Toxics. The League needs your voices! Training provided. Read More Oct 2, 2023 Legislative Report - September Interim We hope you read the October 1st LWVOR All-Member Newsletter with the list of volunteers needed for the League’s Natural Resources Team. The League depends on YOU to help advocate—using our adopted positions. Read More Aug 18, 2023 Legislative Report - Sine Die The League’s Natural Resources Team added volunteers Paula Grisafi (Toxics) and Carolyn Mayers (Wildfire) and sadly lost a member, Kathy Moyd, who worked on both Climate and Natural Resource issues and was a valuable former NASA engineer with a variety of expertise and willingness to attend meetings virtually, provide written and verbal League testimony using League positions and personal expertise. Read More Jun 26, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/26 In spite of the drama, the 2023 legislative session had more success than failure as you will see below. We hope you wait for our Sine Die Report in August—after the Governor has signed the bills—or not, for a more complete report on the bills we worked on and their outcome. HCR 38 was passed and set the process for the February 2024 short session. Read More Jun 12, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/12 LWVOR joined with others in support of HB 3229. The bill would increase federal air quality (Title V) operating permit program fees that have not been increased for many years. The bill is in the W&M Capital Construction Subcommittee where amendments are being discussed. Read More Jun 5, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/5 The end of the session may be seen soon, although the official sine die is June 25th... (Oops! “Sine die” doesn’t pass the reading test…it’s "end of the session" I should use.) Bills are stacking up in the Senate as there is still no quorum to be able to vote on those bills—policies and budgets. If there is no resolution by the 25, look for a special session before the Sept. 15t deadline when many agencies will be unfunded. Read More

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/6 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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 3/9 Revenue Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch REVENUE Patricia Garner, Josie Koehne, Peggy Lynch The short session is over. The Governor still has to decide if she’s signing the legislation. And the work is not done. There was not enough revenue to fund the 2025-27 budget without cuts and new legislation as shared below. The Feb. 4 Revenue Forecast guided the spending for the 2026 legislative session. Carl Ricidonna, Oregon’s State Economist, provided his report, along with Michael Kennedy, Senior Economist. See pages 17 and 20 for the important numbers. And the Legislative Revenue Office’s Forecast Summary . LWVOR participated with several other volunteer and non-profit organizations in the unofficial Oregon Revenue Coalition that worked together to find ways to preserve Oregon revenue in the light of lost federal income from Congress’s passage of H.R.1 which would cut major sources of funding for Medicaid, SNAP and many other services. ( Signed on to letter in January.) We focused on a bill to limit the damage caused by Oregon’s rolling connection to federal income tax law, since legislation to disconnect from the federal law failed in the 2025 long session. This session SB 1507 A passed (Senate (17-13) on Feb. 16 and House (34/21/4/1) on Feb. 25 ) that disconnected from certain sections of the federal code that the Legislative Revenue Office (LRO) reported would save Oregon $311.6 million in revenue this biennium and $313.9 million in the 2027-29 biennium, while providing increased funding for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) at a cost of $26.2 and $52.7 million per biennium respectively. The League has long supported an increase in the EITC. Summaries of the 44-page bill and its amendments can be found here . LWVOR testimony in support. At least one legislator is considering collecting signatures to place portions of the bill on the ballot per this Oregonlive article. Of concern is that the referral process allows petitioners to select parts of the bill. In this case, they could leave off the increase in the EITC while only asking voters to stop the disconnect—which, in part, is expected to pay for that EITC increase. HB 5204 is the final bill that balances the budget as required by state law. In the bill, the legislature made over $128 million in cuts , mostly in agency services and supplies and by not filling vacancies and shifting remaining funds around to fill in some gaps. This was fewer cuts than anticipated at the start of the session. But they also funded or rebalanced some agency programs and staff. The -2 amendment was adopted . See the 4 Analysis documents for the budget additions and reductions, Budget Notes and final LFO recommendation. Passed the House and Senate Mar. 6. Oregonlive article and the Oregon Capital Chronicle addressed the 2025-27 budget rebalance. The Oregonian did a final budget review . SB 1601 was the Program Change bill. The -3 amendment was adopted and includes rebalance of ODOT’s programs in Section 11-23 and clarifies the 1% of lottery monies for county fair upgrades and repairs. Passed the Senate and House Mar 6. SB 5701 amends the limits established during the 2025 legislative session for the maximum amount of bonds and other financing agreements that state agencies may issue. The proceeds from the issuance of bonds are included as revenues in agency budgets. The -2 amendment and the LFO Recommendation includes increases in general obligation and lottery revenue bonds authorized. Bond sales are not anticipated until the spring of 2027. Passed the Senate and House Mar. 6. SB 5702 : Establishes and modifies limits on payment of expenses from specified funds by certain state for capital construction . Capital Construction 6-year limitation. -1 amendment LFO Recommendation Mar. 5 passed Senate. Mar. 6 passed House. SB 5703 : Modifies amounts allocated from the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund, Veterans' Services Fund, Criminal Fine Account, Oregon Marijuana Account and Fund for Student Success. Mar. 5 passed Senate. Mar. 6 passed House. HB 5203 : Approves certain new or increased fees adopted by state agencies. The bill includes the Dept. of State Lands Wetlands processing fees set forth during rulemaking for which the League engaged. Fee Ratification. LFO Recommendation Mar. 6 Passed the House and Senate. SB 1510 : Updates the terminology used to describe certain income earned by multinational corporations to reflect a change in the term used in federal law a bill. This omnibus bill, with amendments, would provide an opportunity to explore additional tax policy for consideration in the 2027 session. It is easier to understand the many provisions of SB 1510 by reviewing the summary provided by the Legislative Revenue Office of the bill and its -4 amendments . Feb. 24: Passed the Senate (28/1/1). Passed the House Mar. 4. HB 4014 : Establishes the Task Force on Taxation of International Income with the amendments. -2 amendment replaced the “study” bill. Staff Measure Summary . Due to this complicated tax policy, parties agreed to use the interim to consider impacts on this federal tax policy on Oregon revenue. Passed the House floor (32/26/2). On to the Senate floor at adjournment. Business interests want to have this conversation behind closed doors rather than an open public Task Force. The bill died but the conversation will continue. SB 1511 : A bill modifying the estate tax that would have increased the $1 million exemption to the estate tax to $2.5 million failed this session. The tax rates would have been greatly increased for the highest valued estates but fewer estates would pay an estate tax. For the first biennium, the revenue would have been about the same as our current estate tax SB 1511 . The revenue staff provided this analysis on the A -3 amendment that was approved by the Senate) with no expected revenue loss for this biennium, but $35 million by 2029-31. The bill did not pass out of House Revenue by end of session, but may be back in the long session. Two bills focused on increasing tax incentives for economic development faced intense debate and scrutiny, and one , SB 1586 , was withdrawn on March 3 due to much public outcry about tax breaks for data centers and the expansion of the Metro’s Urban Growth Boundary into land zoned as rural agricultural land, in violation of the 2014 Grand Bargain. OPB provided an article on this contentious bill. LWVOR testimony in opposition to the bill and additional testimony opposing the -7 amendment . The bill remained in Senate Finance and Revenue at the end of session, but is likely back in some form in 2027. The other economic development bill, HB 4084 A introduced by Governor Kotek, would fast track the permitting process for certain new business development t o be completed within 120 days, by means of a specially appointed Joint Permitting Council to oversee the each permitting agency’s permitting process. This section of the bill aligns with a federal program: Permitting Council’s FAST-41 Assistance for States. In addition, in the bill as introduced, all local property taxes abatements for Enterprise Zones were to be extended. This bill was also controversial because of these extensions since it would allow data centers which are hotly contested throughout the US, and which are the primary recipients of these tax credits, to not pay local property taxes for many years. After several amendments, three were incorporated into the final bill. LWVOR comments . The final bill included these provisions as summarized by LRO: Removes the $40 million General Fund appropriation to OBDD for deposit into the Industrial Site Loan Fund. (However, HB 5204 included $10 million for the Regional Infrastructure Fund, $5 million to support horse racing events at county fairgrounds, $5 million cash and $10 million bonds into the Industrial Site Loan Fund, and $10 million in lottery bond funds. The bonding bill provided targeted investments in sewer and water projects statewide to help with increased housing development demands.) Modifies SB 1507 (2026) to limit the tax credit for job creation to certain specified qualified industries. To qualify for the tax credit, a taxpayer must receive an attestation-based certification from Business Oregon, who will develop the tax credit application process, establish job creation determination methodology, and further define the term “qualified industry” through rulemaking. Excludes any qualified property of an authorized business in an enterprise zone with an operating data center from entering into a written agreement with the enterprise zone sponsor to 1) extend the period during which the qualified property is exempt from taxation beyond the allowable three years; 2) agree to flexible hiring timelines; and 3) approve alternative performance criteria. Prohibits data center properties from authorization as an eligible business firm prior to 90 days after the adjournment of the 2027 legislative session. An amendment was added at the end that puts this one-year moratorium on all new data center development certifications by Business Oregon, starting three months after the close of session. This allows the Governor’s Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee time to consider the various impacts of data center development on Oregon, and to report back to the Legislature with their recommendations. It also limits the existing Standard Enterprise (for urban areas) tax break to three years, but allows all other currently operating data centers, including those in rural areas of the state, to continue to receive tax breaks through the extended time periods as outlined in the bill. Oregonlive provided a great analysis of the impact of data centers. Oregonlive update on data centers in this legislation. Oregon data center operators will save nearly a half-billion dollars in local property taxes this year through three different incentive programs. Kotek’s legislation, House Bill 4084 , would expand the fastest growing of those three programs. HB 4148 : Allows city and county services for which net local transient lodging tax revenue may be used to be provided either directly by the city or county or indirectly by a special district. The -7 amendment adopted that changes the percentage to 50/50 and passed the House floor Feb. 25 (40/12/4/4). Mar. 5 Passed the Senate (23/6/1). SJR 201 : Kicker Reform: Proposed an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to require a portion of surplus revenue that would otherwise be returned to personal income taxpayers to be used for funding public kindergarten through grade 12 education, community colleges and wildfire prevention and suppression, if surplus revenue exceeds a certain threshold. OPB covered a story about the bill . T he League has long supported kicker reform but we also note that, with our new state economist, another kicker is not expected in the near term. The bill did not get a Work Session. HB 4136 : Disallows, for purposes of personal income taxation, a mortgage interest deduction for a residence other than the taxpayer’s principal residence , unless the taxpayer sells the residence or actively markets the residence for sale. The bill had one public hearing on Feb. 16 and died in committee. The League is hopeful that a version of this bill will return in 2027. HB 4125 : Prescribes methodology for the preparation of revenue estimates used in the budgeting process and as applicable to the surplus revenue refund process — potential kicker reform. Public Hearing Feb. 2. The bill died in Committee . On Feb. 20, the US Supreme Court declared that President Trump does not have authority to impose widespread tariffs under a specific federal statute. Oregon’s Attorney General, Dan Rayfield, led the coalition of states arguing that the President did not have this authority. HB 4061 B passed that provides monies to help Oregon businesses hurt by these tariffs. Budget Report . The bill passed the House on Mar. 3 and passed the Senate Mar. 6. On Thursday Mar. 5, Rayfield and officials from 23 other states filed a lawsuit against the new tariff at the U.S. Court of International Trade, with Oregon again leading the way. “Budget aftershocks from the Trump cuts to Medicaid and SNAP will keep hitting Oregon in future years,” said Senator Jama. “Oregon lawmakers must continue working together to make resources stretch and to help families thrive.” As we await the May 20th Revenue Forecast, we watch for data that may change the forecast. Oregonlive reports that Oregon exports are down. Then we now have a war with Iran that, so far, has increased gas and diesel prices. That increases costs to state agencies, local governments, Oregon businesses and individuals. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — supply more than a third of the world’s urea, an important nitrogen fertilizer, and nearly a quarter of another one, ammonia. And they all use the Strait of Hormuz to export their products. So that means less food production and an increase in food prices. The February national jobs report was not good (loss of almost 100,000 jobs) and the national unemployment rate rose to 4.4%. (In Oregon, we’re at 5.2%.) As we watch the U.S. and Oregon’s economy, we note the Oregon Capital Chronicle Jobs Report article , of special concern as Oregon is an income tax state. According to this Oregonlive article , Oregonians are working the fewest hours since 2010. Oregon workers are spending less time on the job, another indication that the state’s labor market continues to sag. The average Oregonian worked less than 33 hours a week in December, according to federal data. That’s the lowest number since 2010, when the state was still digging out from the Great Recession — even worse than the sharp decline that accompanied the pandemic. As we continue to be concerned about the economy, we note a study related to AI: Brookings Institution study on AI job losses and adaptability points out metros most at risk – Portland Business Journal Roughly 30% of workers displaced by artificial intelligence will struggle to find new jobs, according to a new report from the National Bureau of Economic Research and Brookings Institution. While 70% of highly AI-exposed workers would likely be able to transition to another job, the rest may have trouble adapting “due to limited savings, advanced age, scarce local opportunities, and/or narrow skill sets. ”What’s more, of the displaced workers in low-adaptive jobs, 86% are women. The League will continue to work with the Oregon Revenue Coalition and others as we address the need for increased revenue to pay for the services Oregonians need. The Ways and Means Co-Chairs warn of increased demand and federal funding cuts for the 2027-29 and 2029-31 biennia. It's time to work with state agencies as they develop their 2027-29 budgets. Here’s some budget guidance that agencies have received: 2027-29 Budget Guidance: Governor's Letter and CFO 2027-29 Budget POP Guidance . Bottom line: The Governor has asked state agencies to provide a “neutral” budget. If they want to add a program or staff, they need to find a program or staff to remove from their budget request. You can contact the agency you want to engage with as they work to provide proposals to the Governor around June. See other sections of the Legislative Report for information about specific agencies or areas of concern.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of March 2 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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: Child Care Criminal Justice Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Immigration Reproductive Healthcare Summer Learning Child Care By Katie Riley The Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on Education held a work session regarding SB 1535 A related to the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) lack of funding to meet the needs of their extensive waitlist. It would make it optional to give TANF recipients priority and the bill would establish a work group to study the cost and availability of liability insurance as well as other liability issues affecting child care providers. The work group is to provide a report by November 1, 2027. The Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) also has a surplus of approximately $78 million due to a lack of use of the Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten (Oregon Head Start) and Preschool Promise federal funds. The possibility was discussed to have the surplus be used to help address the ERDC deficit of approximately $80 million. It was recommended that the existing programs be reviewed for possible changes. The two programs with surpluses may have lower enrollments due to their partial day coverage for enrollees vs the ERDC coverage for all day care. A “do-pass” recommendation was approved. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley & Sharron Noone Immigration Bills Several key House bills related to Oregon’s pushback on federal law enforcement and immigration actions have successfully passed Senate Judiciary and await a vote on the Senate floor. These include HB 4114A (allows civil suits for warrantless actions), HB 4138 A (establishes police ID policies and rules for public employee when interacting with federal and out-of-state law enforcement), HB 4111 A (prevents immigration status from being admissible in a civil proceeding), and HB 4091 (establishes mobilization rules for Oregon National Guard). The following Senate bills are still alive but sit in Rules Committee, where session deadlines do not apply: SJR 203 A (forbids secret police in Oregon), SB 1563 (allows for civil action against law enforcement officer who violates constitutional rights), and SB 1594 (establishes immigration policies for schools, health facilities, and other public bodies). See the League Action Alert for HB 4114A and HB 4138. Other Criminal Justice Bills The League is also closely following HB 4045 A (requires communication responders to respond quickly to a search warrant when related to domestic violence), which passed Senate Judiciary on 2/25, and SB 1515 A (modifies provisions for wrongful convictions), which unanimously passed the Senate on 2/24 and is scheduled for a hearing in House Rules on 3/2. Education By Jean Pierce HB 4079 A requires public schools to inform parents, students, and community members when ICE is present on the campus. This would assure immigrants that they have accurate information to base decisions to protect their children. The Senate Education committee is giving a DO PASS recommendation to the version that was passed in the House. The League submitted testimony in support of the bill. SB 1538 A creates a new protected class in educational antidiscrimination law (schools cannot discriminate based on immigration or citizenship status), and guarantees admission to Oregon school districts’ instructional programs The bill passed both chambers, The League submitted testimony in support. Thank you for all who responded to our Action Alert. HB 4149 directs school districts to enroll and provide services for homeless students. The bill codifies provisions of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in Oregon law. LWVOR submitted testimony in support. The Senate Education committee is giving a DO PASS recommendation to the version that was passed in the House. Please see the League’s Action Alert. Gun Policy By Marge Easley The League is very pleased to report that HB 4145 A successfully passed the House on 2/25 on a party-line vote of 33 to 19, despite a contentious floor vote and several days of delay. The bill provides much-needed implementation details for Measure 114 (2022). According to a 2/25 press release from Representatives Finger McDonald, Tran, Grayber, and Dobson, “HB 4145 responds to unresolved legal and implementation issues by clarifying statutory language, adjusting timelines and procedures, and delaying the permit-to-purchase requirement to allow for orderly implementation once court proceedings conclude.” The bill had a hearing in Senate Rules on 2/27. Please see the Action Alert . Healthcare Christa Danielson SB 1527 classifies colposcopy as a preventive screening procedure, eliminating patient cost-sharing. The bill advances preventive care access and removes financial barriers to early detection. It passed the House unanimously following an emotional bill presentation by Rep. E. Levy, who reminded legislators that the Chief Sponsor, Rep. Hartman, is currently in the hospital fighting cervical cancer. The League wrote testimony . Housing Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Senate Committee on Housing and Development SB 1523 Enrolled The House and Senate both passed this bill, and it’s awaiting the Governor’s signature. The bill requires landlords to provide tenants and prospective tenants with non-electronic means of conducting business. Tenants will have the option of submitting rental applications on paper rather than through a tenant portal. SB 1523 also requires landlords to provide access to common areas other than software loaded onto smartphones, such as keys, access codes, fob, etc. SB 1576 A this bill would require two state agencies to set rules for making housing easier to access and use for people with disabilities. The Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services and the Housing and Community Services Department are to adopt rules to conform to the state building code so that it aligns with federal fair housing accessibility requirements and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. It requires the Housing and Community Services Department to meet specified accessibility standards when funding new subsidized rental housing developments. The Senate passed this bill on February 19. The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness gave a do-pass recommendation. It is on the Senate floor House Committee on Housing and Homelessness HB 4123 A would add clear provisions to Oregon’s Landlord Tenant law regarding the disclosure of confidential information on certain personally identifying, financially sensitive and other private information. On February 17, the House passed this bill. The Senate Committee on Housing and Development held a public hearing and work session on February 24 and was sent to the full Senate with a do-pass recommendation. The third reading is scheduled for March 2. The amendments would allow landlords to share tenant contact information with repair and maintenance workers and release confidential information if required by an administrative or judicial warrant. (See also the Privacy and Protections Section of the Governance Legislative Report.) Subcommittee on Capital Construction HB 4036 A would establish a Housing Opportunity, Longevity and Durability (HOLD) Fund to support the preservation of affordable housing that is at risk of loss. It would authorize the use of $100 million in Article XI-Q general obligation bonds into the fund. Money could be used for acquiring, constructing, remodeling, repairing, equipping, or furnishing affordable housing that is or will be operated by the state. Preserving existing low-income housing is a cost-effective and efficient way to maintain our supply. On February 25, the bill was assigned to the Subcommittee on Capital Construction. Immigration By Claudia Keith News and Resources - Portland advances plan to cover legal services for immigrants and refugees - OPB - Oregon launches multi-agency effort to protect state’s immigrants and refugees - OPB - Senate Majority Office PR - February 24, 2026 Experiences of I mmigrant and Refugee Oregonians Will Inform State Responses to Federal Immigration Practices Senate Bill 1594 directs the Oregon Department of Justice to consult with Office of Immigrant and Refugee Advancement - 2026 Immigrant Justice Package – Oregon Worker Relief Bills with League testimony SJR 203 Oregon Constitutional Amendment Prohibiting Secret Police See Criminal Justice SB 1538 Public schools educate immigrants See Education SB 1570 Where ICE can go in hospitals See Healthcare HB 4079 Public schools must inform about ICE presence See Education HB 4091 Oregon National Guard Activation & Authority See Governance: Privacy & Protections HB 4114 Rules for Operations of Federal Agents or Agents from Another State in Oregon See Criminal Justice HB 4138 Requires ID and prohibits face coverings for law enforcement agents See Criminal Justice Other Bills Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments HB 4117 Universal ( legal) Representation & worker relief Funding H Judiciary PH 2/18 10 16 Likely end of session reconciliation bill SB1505 Establish Workforce Standards Board S Rules PH 2/4 Not posted Sen Interim Committee on Rules Home and community based services - SB 1581A School Meals JWM Ws 2/10 to JWM Not posted yet 11 SMS HB 4089A Wage theft Senate 1 st Reading 3/2 WS 2/24 HOUSE 2/27 Minimal 6 SMS House vote 33, 9 Not yet posted Refugee Emergency Response JWM See Gov public statements 4.5 Likely end of session JWM reconciliation bill Reproductive Health Trish Garner HB 4088A Engrossed declares that it is Oregon’s policy to ensure that people are allowed to get reproductive health care and gender identity treatment services. Several protections are given to providers of these services, including directing public bodies not to cooperate with investigations into reproductive and gender affirming care and a ban on extradition by the Governor related to a person’s engagement with these activities. Disclosure of public records regarding providers of these services is expanded from a person’s name, and home or professional address to also include images and home telephone numbers. The League provided testimony . After consideration of amendments which would have denied the protections to providers when patients were under the age of 18 or would have forced providers to honor a criminal investigation of another state for an action that is considered legal in Oregon, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to recommend DO PASS the version passed by the House. Please see the League’s Action Alert. Summer Learning By Katie Riley The Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on Education held an information session regarding the report from the Oregon Department of Education on the results of implementation of the 2025 legislative session SB 2007 which provided funding over three summers for summer school care (2025-2027). The results have received praise both in print and from legislators in the committee, although there were many questions in the hearing asking for more detail on findings and a separate article asked if the expenditure was worthwhile. Approximately 74% of the recipients reported meeting their literacy-based goals and an additional 24% reported partially meeting them. The goals were set by each recipient and were not the same across the board. This issue will be addressed by ODE in the future. Representative Wright recommended that the programs should be available to all students who need them. Currently ODE is soliciting proposals for the 2026 allocations which will be competitive. There is no explicit mention of the participation of students in after school hours programs although some community-based organizations administered the grants. Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 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 Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 2/3 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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 Jump to topic: After School and Child Care Behavioral Health Education Healthcare Housing Reproductive Rights DEIJ After School and Child Care By Katie Riley The final report for the 2024's session report on HB 4082 includes a request of $50 million per year for the biennium ($100 million total). It is not clear how that fits with the Governor's budget proposal of $78.5 million for 2025 summer learning (summer school). The summer funding includes partnerships with community partners for care after summer school scheduled periods. No funding was recommended by the HB 4082 task force or the Governor for afterschool programs. SB 896 has been introduced to provide grants for afterschool and summer programs. It will be heard in the Senate Education Committee on Monday, February 3. It does not have a proposed budget amount attached to the bill. Behavioral Health By Stephanie Aller SB 538 will have a public hearing before the Senate Committee on Health Care on February 4. The bill would require the Oregon Department of Human Services to pay parents for attendant care services for minor children with developmental disabilities who have high behavioral health or medical needs. HB 2596 , the School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact bill, will have a public hearing before the House Committee on Education on February 3. Proponents of the bill believe it would increase access to school psychological services by streamlining the licensure process for school psychologists coming from other states. Education By Jean Pierce Over 65% of the education budget comes from general funds. It represents 17% of the state’s total fund budget and 40% of their general fund/lottery fund budget. Approximately $2M for the biennium comes from federal funding. This includes block grants (e.g. for childcare development), title funds, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Every Student Succeeds Act funding, and specialty grants. The budget breakdown is as follows: 51% - State school fund 25% - Department of Education (includes student nutrition, special education, STEM programming, Career and Technical Education, etc.) 17% - Higher Education 7% - Department of Early Learning and Care Less than 1% - Teacher Standards and Practices Commission Pre-K – 12 Education LWVOR submitted testimony in support of HB2811 , which would provide funding for the Imagination Library of Oregon. The premise is that children from ages 0 to 5 receive an age- appropriate book each month at absolutely no cost to their parents. This program is made possible through the largesse of the Dolly Parton Foundation, which provides 50% of the funding. Higher Education The House higher education committee heard testimony that the number one concern of faculty and staff is the need for stable, dedicated public funding for higher education. Oregon ranks 44th in the nation in per Full Time Equivalency funding for four-year public institutions. Because of the low level of state funding for higher education, in-state tuition and fees for four-year institutions in Oregon are the 12th highest in the nation, and for 2-year institutions Oregon ranks 5th in the nation. Related to the high cost of tuition and fees, is the fact that students need help meeting basic needs of food, housing, transportation, and child care. A 2023 survey of Portland Community College students revealed that 43% were facing food insecurity and 56% were dealing with housing insecurity. (See also the Housing Legislative Report) In addition, a single textbook can cost up to $600, so a 2018 survey of 21,000 students revealed that over 64% of them had not purchased at least one textbook because of the costs. LWVOR has submitted testimony for HB2550 which would make Oregon Promise Grants available to a broader range of community college students. Another concern is that Oregon is the only west coast state where public records laws do not apply to public university foundations. Finally, serious concerns were expressed that approximately 70% of all higher education classes in Oregon are taught by temporary and part-time faculty. LWVOR has plans to submit testimony for · HB3182 , which would provide funding for grants to programs meeting students’ basic needs for housing (Hearing Feb. 13) · HB3183 , which would provide funding to the Open Education Resources program, which makes textbooks affordable. (Hearing Feb. 13) Healthcare By Christa Danielson LWVOR is tracking HB 3225 -This bill is the culmination of multiple work groups and work done within Representative Bowman’s office to ensure that decisions about patients’ medical care are not decided by corporations. The new bill specifies the qualifications for the MD who is among the majority of shareholders or directors of a professional corporation organized for the purpose of practicing medicine. The MD needs to live in Oregon, be actively involved in the corporation and licensed to practice medicine in the state of Oregon. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona The PSU Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative presented information to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development in January. They reported that the estimated number of people experiencing homelessness, including sheltered, unsheltered, and doubled-up, was 43,670 in 2022. People of color often experience disproportionately higher rates of homelessness than their percentage in the general population. In 2023–24, 22,072 students across Oregon experienced some form of homelessness (unsheltered, sheltered, or doubled-up). At four percent of the student population, it is the highest recorded rate in Oregon to date. Of those, 2,980 were unsheltered and 2,438 were sheltered. (See also the Higher Education Legislative Report) The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness heard an agency overview from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). Homelessness in 2023 is the worst it has been since the Great Depression. Eviction filings in 2023 are at the highest level since 2011. The OHCS plans for preservation of existing affordable housing include financing the purchase of publicly-supported housing with expiring affordability contracts and acquisition and rehab of manufactured home parks that will be owned by non-profits and resident-owned cooperatives. Between Jan. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024, OHCS funding rehoused 3,257 households, prevented 17,569 households from becoming homeless, and funded 6,147 beds across 136 shelters. LWVOR is a member of the Oregon Housing Alliance that includes nearly 100 organizations across the state. We take action to shape policy, submit testimony for upcoming hearings on bills that promote affordable housing, prevent homelessness, and expand homeownership opportunities for all Oregonians. The Housing Alliance, with member input, recently issued its priorities for the 2025 legislative session. Here are the highlights: Build and preserve affordable housing · New production of affordable rental homes: LIFT program plus permanent supportive housing, $685M in general obligation bonds · Preservation and operations support for existing affordable rental housing: $260M in lottery-backed and/or general obligation bonds · Manufactured housing park preservation: $25M in lottery-backed bonds · Permanent supportive housing operations and resident services: $11M in general funds · Governor’s housing infrastructure program: $100M in lottery bonds Homelessness prevention and response · Emergency rent assistance: $109M in general funds · Homelessness prevention services: $63.5M in general funds · Shelter operations and housing navigation: $217M in general funds · Strengthen notice requirements and supports for residents of expiring affordable housing · SB 722 : Reduce the new-construction exemption from rent stabilization from 15 years to 7 years; prohibit landlords’ use of price-fixing algorithms to set rents Expand access to affordable homeownership · Improve access to fair-market mortgages for immigrant Oregonians Unlocking Homeownership Agenda · Build new homes for homeownership (LIFT program): $100M in general obligation bonds · Homeownership Development Incubator Program: $50M in general funds · Down payment assistance: $45M in general funds · Individual Development Accounts (IDAs): $20M Reproductive Rights By Trish Garner Abortion-related bills which are being proposed this term in the legislature reflect a change in approach from straight-out abortion bans to more complex models. There are nearly identical House and Senate “Born-Alive Infants Protection Act” bills ( HB 2372 , SB 384 ) which essentially require practitioners to exercise the same degree of care to any child born of the same gestational age and if this standard is not met, a health care practitioner present at the time of the birth or a health clinic employee shall “immediately” report it to law enforcement. There are a number of additional provisions which contain some rather nuanced differences between the bills, including, for example, different provisions regarding civil liability. The Senate bill says a violation of the act can't be charged against a person whose pregnancy was terminated, but the House bill does not provide this protection . HB 2381 doesn’t technically ban or limit abortions but rather requires OHA to set up a Pregnancy Launch Program and accompanying staffed hotline that will encourage “healthy” childbirth, support childbirth as an alternative to abortion, promote family formation, and more. All persons seeking abortion services will be automatically connected to services provided through the Pregnancy Launch Program. HB 3249 and SB 66 are identical and are directly aimed at abortions. At the same time they also adopt a different approach than in times past and impose a duty on health care providers to determine gestational age. Unless it’s a medical emergency, abortion is prohibited unless the provider determines the unborn child is less than 15 weeks, the pregnant person presents a medical emergency or the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Interestingly, providers must supply OHA with detailed data regarding an abortion procedure, and if they fail to do so can be sued by the pregnant person or the person responsible for fertilization. HB 3330 not only deals with abortion but also gender-affirming treatment. It prohibits employers from discriminating against employees who object to abortion, fetal transplants, gender-affirming treatment or assisted suicide. In a related vein- SB 918 provides that school curricula would be required to include information about human development from conception to birth. DEIJ HB 2439 seeks to remove the word “gender identity” from statutes.

Barbara Keirnes-Young Director

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 4/7 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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 Rulemaking Legislation for which the League testified Elections Initiatives SJR 30 : Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to require petition signatures for initiative laws to contain at least eight percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected divided equally among the congressional districts of this state. Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to require petition signatures for initiative amendments to the Oregon Constitution to contain at least ten percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected divided equally among the congressional districts of this state. League written testimony here . Public hearing April 2 in Senate Rules . Rulemaking By Peggy Lynch 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. Separately, the League was invited to a conversation among state agency rules staff on addressing concerns of the Governor and 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. The League will continue to be engaged with potential meetings in May and June. 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 . Legislation for which the League testified By Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey SJR 30 : Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to require petition signatures for initiative laws to contain at least eight percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected divided equally among the congressional districts of this state. Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to require petition signatures for initiative amendments to the Oregon Constitution to contain at least ten percent of the total votes cast for all candidates for Governor at the last general election at which a Governor was elected divided equally among the congressional districts of this state. League written testimony here . Public hearing April 2 in Senate Rules . SB 224 : Prohibits the Secretary of State from publishing the residence address of certain individuals who are affiliated with a candidate's principal campaign committee on the electronic filing system maintained by the secretary. Previous League written testimony . Work session: April 2; do pass as amended by -3 ; 5-0-0-0 SB 1014, to allow political party statement translations in online voters’ pamphlets, was heard in Sen Rules; League testimony , written and presented, was among four speaking to the bill. SB 1046 to expand automatic voter registration (AVR) from DMV & OHA to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), was heard in Senate Rules, League testimony , comments with cautions, in support of the concept. AVR was put on hold for an audit after non-citizen voter registrations were discovered OPB , October 7, 2024. The ODFW feels unprepared to determine citizenship, as the Dept of Revenue did when AVR expansion via tax filings was suggested with HB 2499 A (2021), League testimony. We supported HB 2177 Enrolled (2015), well-known as Oregon’s MotorVoter law, League testimony . SB 952 , for interim US Senator appointments, League testimony presented and submitted in support, was heard in Senate Rules. The crux, the bill would give Oregon a Senator’s voice during interim months that might be lacking, in case of an unexpected vacancy. Elections would be held as prescribed and voters would still have a say. Appointment by the Governor would maintain party representation. SB 473 -2 League testimony, to create a crime of threatening a public official, passed unanimously from Sen Judiciary. Bill we are watching: SB 1121 creates a new crime of unlawful private data disclosure, punishable by a maximum of six months' imprisonment, $2,500 fine, or both. A public hearing and possible work session are slated for April 8 in Senate Judiciary, at the request of the Oregon Judiciary. Elections By Barbara Klein SB 210 . Effort to Repeal Vote-By-Mail (VBM) was heard by Senate Rules with a great deal of public input. OLIS experienced technical issues on 3/31/2025 due to the overwhelming number of SB 210 testimony submissions (both written and requests to speak). Testimony was heated at times, with oppose and support views near equal in number during the hearing, despite the unequal written statements. Complaints about VBM included concerns about fraud, lack of responsibility on the part of voters and the erroneously belief that there are online connections to ballots. Senator David Brock Smith the main sponsor of the bill (joined later by Senator Kim Thatcher) repeatedly explained that they just want voters to “reaffirm” their wishes to keep VBM or not. SB 210 is a ballot referral to the voters. There was no discussion of monies needed to support or oppose the ballot measure. While more testimony continued to pour in for the 48 hours after the hearing adjourned, shortly after the hearing there were more than 11,000 written testimonies submitted. Over 85% of those were opposed to the bill and in favor of keeping VBM. The League submitted written testimony and delivered verbal testimony (at 1 hour, 26 minutes, 20 second mark). HB 3908 was heard on 3/31/2025. HB 3908, related to party membership and registration requirements, was filed by the Rules Committee at the request of the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO). It may surprise readers (as it did some legislators) why a minor party would be requesting an increase in the percentage of voters from 5% to 10% for a party to be determined a major political party. Registration levels of the IPO have fluctuated between qualifying as a minor and major party. IPO spokespersons said they’re on the brink of major party status once again and would like a “longer runway” or more time to adjust to different (and more stringent) major party requirements. In both2017 and 2019 they requested the legislature remove some of the more stringent requirements, but had no remedy. They believe major party status now would destroy their party and instead wish to maintain their minor party status. When questioned as to whether this would make it more difficult for other minor parties, the witnesses gave data showing other parties are years off from major party status (based on their numbers). While LWVOR supports a diverse group of voices, it has not planned to address HB3908. SB 1054 , introduced by sole sponsor Senator Daniel Bonham, is scheduled for a hearing April 7th in Senate Rules. It requires “each county clerk in this state to provide a live video feed to be made available to the public through the Internet of rooms in which ballots are tallied and official ballot drop sites” These feeds would have to be recorded and made available to the public through the Internet for at least two years following the election at which the live video feed was provided. Issues at play include ballot security vs transparency, and costs. The League has not provided testimony. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - December Interim 2024 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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 Jump to topic: Afterschool and Summer Behavioral Health Education Higher Education Gun Policy Healthcare Housing Public Safety Workplace Age Discrimination Social Policy By Jean Pierce, Social Policy Coordinator and Team Afterschool and Summer By Katie Riley The Governor’s budget includes $80 million for summer school but it is not clear whether that includes summer child care. The HB4082 task force that was formed from last session held a follow up meeting on November 20 from their August summit to gather more community input. Final recommendations have not come out yet and no reports from ODE were scheduled for Legislative Days for either the House or Senate Education Committees. Behavioral Health By Stephanie Aller The House Interim Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care met on 12/11/2024. The Oregon Health Authority (OHA), presented an update on the findings of the Behavioral Health Workforce Workgroup created by HB 2235 (2023). The Workgroup is studying recruitment and retention issues facing behavioral health workers. According to the Workgroup, key problems include: Low reimbursement rates and pay Administrative burdens/paperwork Shortage of providers with advanced degrees, especially in rural areas Licensing barriers Lack of career pathways/workforce development Extra burdens facing cultural and linguistically specific providers Extra burdens for CMHP and COA organizations The Workgroup’s recommendations include more support for workers through paid professional development, loan repayment, zero cost training programs, paid internships, childcare, and housing support. They also recommended increased wellness and safety support. The Workgroup’s first report is due in January 2025 and a second report focusing on legislative actions is due in December 2025. Chair Rob Nosse noted that he believes bills about licensure compacts are coming and asked if the Workgroup discussed this topic. Although the Workgroup discussed compacts, there was no consensus. The Workgroup plans to address licensure, staffing ratios, and pay increases in the December 2025 report. Education By Anne Nesse House Education Summary of LC’s for the coming 2025 Session: 1) Bills to address the inadequacy of funding, especially for special education students. 2) Improvements in the transparency, and efficiency of the functioning of the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), all summarized here. Senate Education Summary of LC’s for coming 2025 Session: 1) LC 776 moves the staffing responsibility for the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) into the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), while maintaining TSPC as an independent commission. 2) A number of placeholder, and other bills relating to higher education and K-12 education: including financial budgets, the State School Fund current service level, chronic absenteeism, substitute teachers, statewide collective bargaining, ESD contracting, and raising the cap on the percentage of children with disabilities to allow more equitable funding between districts. 3) LC 941 directs ODE to develop and implement a standardized method for electronic student data. Higher Education By Jean Pierce According to a report from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Oregon has the highest average resident tuition and fees in the region at our public four-year institutions and the second highest at two-year institutions. From the Senate Education Committee meeting : Oregon has a disproportionately high ratio of individuals with some college but no credential. In 2025, the legislature will be asked to consider participating in the Re-up program, which works to re-enroll former students so that they earn a credential. This program is currently being used in 31 other states. From the House Higher Education Committee Meeting: In 2025, there will be legislation which supports the Oregon Community Table on Postsecondary Education and Training (OCTPET) in providing financial aid to help meet basic needs (e.g. food, housing, childcare, transportation) of traditionally under-served students (e.g. rural communities, low-income, students with disabilities, undocumented, as well as racial and ethnic minorities). Through the Education Champions Program, OCTPET students receive civic education teaching them how to make their voices heard in government. Similarly, there will be legislation requesting additional funds for tribal student grants which offset the cost of attending higher education. Like the Oregon Opportunity Grant, this money can go to private, non-profit institutions. Gun Policy By Marge Easley Organizations working on gun policy legislation in Oregon have reconvened as a coalition under a new name, “Alliance for a Safe Oregon”. LWVOR has joined this alliance, and we endorse their priorities for 2025, including: Funding community violence intervention programs Banning rapid-fire devices (aka “bump stocks”) Strengthening protection orders that will ensure compliance when a court mandates weapon surrender Ensuring effective implementation of Measure 114 if the Oregon Court of Appeals issues a favorable ruling to allow the measure to go into effect State licensing of firearm dealers and instituting a dealer code of conduct Increasing use of Oregon’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law Raising the age from 18 to 21 for purchase of semi-automatic rifles Thus far OLIS lists two Legislative Concepts (LCs) related to firearms. LC 3066 directs the Department of State Police to study whether the process for conducting criminal background checks for firearm transfers can be made more efficient. LC 3062 directs the Judicial Department to study the number of extreme risk protection petitions that are filed and orders issued each year. Updates on previous legislation: Oregon’s 2023 law banning ghost guns went into effect on September 1, 2024. The first-time penalty for possessing firearms and firearm parts without serial numbers is a fine up to $1000, with repeat offenses resulting in higher fines or prison time. Measure 114 (2022), which requires a permit to purchase a firearm and bans high-capacity magazines, continues to wend its way through the appellate courts. The most recent hearing was before the Oregon Court of Appeals on October 29, with LWVOR joining an amicus brief on the case. We await the court’s ruling, which hopefully will allow the measure to go into effect during the appeals process. Healthcare By Christa Danielson The Senate and House healthcare committees heard reports from task forces that had been formed over the last several years - specifically HB 3610 which had studied alcohol addiction and prevention and HB 3396 which had studied hospital discharge. Based on their findings, we can expect bills that help fund alcohol rehabilitation from wine and beer, not just hard liquor, and up to eight recommendations for bills to help the discharge process from the hospital. Also discussed were improvements to eligibility verification for OHP patients as an audit from the Secretary of State found significant errors. As these errors accounted for up to $445 million (from 2019-2022) we can expect changes that support improved supervision in the eligibility process. Housing By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona State of the State’s Housing Report Oregon Housing and Community Services recently released its first State of the State’s Housing report. It paints a grim picture of the situation facing Oregonians in need of a safe and stable place to call home. Following is some of the key information from the report: Homelessness When adjusted for population size, Oregon ranks third in the nation for people experiencing homelessness, behind only New York
and Vermont. Oregon ranks first in the nation for unsheltered homelessness among families with children. The number of children experiencing unsheltered homelessness in Oregon is 14 times higher than the national average. Rental housing Cost burden for renters (spending more than 30 percent of income on housing costs) increased by 11 percent between 2019 and 2022. The increase predominantly affects households making between $45,000 and $75,000, whose representation among cost-burdened renters grew from just 18 percent in 2001 to 44 percent in 2022. More than 27 percent of
all renters are severely cost-burdened, meaning they spend 50 percent or more of their income on housing. The number of eviction cases filed in 2023 was the highest Oregon has seen since 2011. Homeownership For every dollar Oregonians earned in wage increases between 2013 and 2022, the median
sales price of a home increased by $7.10. BIPOC communities, which have historically been excluded from homeownership, continue to face significantly lower homeownership
rates (49 percent) compared to their white counterparts (66 percent). 
 2025 Legislative Session Housing Bills Legislative committees met recently to explore ideas for bills they may consider in the 2025 session. Possible proposals include: Imposing rent control on manufactured home parks and marinas at a rate no greater than inflation, Limiting landlords’ ability to pocket deposits from tenants applying to secure an apartment They would be required to refund the deposit if they failed to provide a lease for reasons such as overbooking a unit or trying to rent a unit that is not habitable. In buildings with 10 or more units, require landlords to provide cooling sufficient to keep bedroom temperatures 15 degrees below the outside temperature and no more than 80 degrees Reduce the number of years from 10 to six during which condo owners can file complaints against construction companies potentially responsible for defects Governor Kotek’s Budget On Dec. 2, Governor Kotek released the state’s 2025-27 budget proposing to invest $39.3 billion in homelessness, housing, behavioral health, and education. Budget amounts applicable to housing and homelessness: Homelessness: $700 million Maintain Oregon’s statewide system of shelters Maintain efforts to transition Oregonians out of homelessness and into housing Provide services to prevent people from becoming homeless Housing Supply: $1.4 billion New bond authority to build affordable rental housing and new homeownership units Establish a new housing infrastructure program Support for homebuyer assistance programs first-time homebuyers Oregon Housing Alliance The Oregon Housing Alliance workgroups met this fall to consider proposals to include in their legislative priorities. In January, members will meet and vote on the Housing Alliance agenda for the 2025 legislative session. LWVOR is a member of the Housing Alliance and participated in the workgroup meetings. Public Safety By Karen Nibler and Jean Pierce The Senate and House Judiciary Committees heard an update on SB337 (2023) from the Oregon Public Defense Commission. The bill charged the Commission with finding ways to address the fact that a public defender shortage left many in custody without representation. Between July and October of 2023, the in-custody population who are unrepresented went down significantly. However, the costs of the Temporary Hourly Increase Program (THIP) increased dramatically in that time period. THIP uses higher hourly rates as incentives for lawyers to serve as public defenders. Under that program, 395 attorneys have taken over 7200 cases serving close to 5000 clients. Most of the increase in costs has gone to attorney fees. The Commission asked the Emergency Board to extend THIP funding through June, 2025. In July, they anticipate replacing flat-fee contracting with a workload model. They are currently crafting policies and programs needed for this. The Emergency Board agreed to refer the request for $2.45million to the full committee. The Senate and House Judiciary Committees also heard about Oregon State Police Safe Kit DNA testing which requires highly trained analysts. The Department of Corrections presented its Substance Abuse Treatment Programs in prison facilities. The adults in custody are diagnosed when they enter DOC facilities and assigned to treatment programs including medication assistance for opioid abuse. The abuse rate is high in adults in custody but they can be trained as peer mentors in the prison and in future roles in the community. An important report was heard from a Task Force on Specialty Courts which are part of the state court system but require separate funding. The Task Force presented 14 recommendations including terminology, data systems, advisory committees, and case management systems. The recommendations will be considered during the upcoming regular session. Follow up to HB 4002 (2024) The Oregon Criminal Justice Commission reported to the Joint Committee on Addiction and Public Safety that between September 1st and December 4th, 442 people had been referred to deflection programs; 323 were actually eligible for a program; 263 enrolled; 10 have completed; and 216 are still In programs. Workplace Age Discrimination By Trish Garner The topic of workplace age discrimination was raised in an informational hearing held on December 10 in the House Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. Representative Sosa is the Chair of the Committee and the Chief Sponsor of the bill (LC 567 - which is still in the Legislative Counsel's Office awaiting final edits).

Back to All Legislative Reports Climate Emergency Legislative Report - Week of 3/31 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: Environmental Justice Bills Climate Priority Advocacy Groups Climate Priorities with League Testimony , League Endorsement Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Emergency Management Package Energy Affordability and Utility Accountability Package Climate Treasury Investment Bills Natural and Working Lands Other Priorities Priority Bills That Died In Policy Committee Climate Emergency JWM Budget Concerns Senate E&E Committee - March 24 House CE&E - March 25 House CE&E - March 27 Environmental Caucus Session Update - Bipartisan News and Commission Meetings SJR 28 -1 , Environmental Rights Constitutional amendment Senate Joint resolution - with referral to the 2026 ballot, public hearing was 3/26 . The League provided support with comments testimony . The bill is in Sen Rules, so the Legislative deadlines are not applicable. A Work Session is not yet scheduled. The a mendment is a partial rewrite. LWV has provided guidance given over 26 states have or are in the process of having green / environmental rights constitutional topics or initiatives usually a legislation – referral to the people. New Mexico green amendment campaign focuses on racial justice. Environmental Justice Bills SB 54 : Work Session 3/31. The bill requires landlords provide cooling for residential units . The League endorsed and added our name to a Oregon Justice Transition Alliance (OJTA), sign-on letter . 
 HB2548 : establishes an agriculture workforce labor standards board, League Testimony . Work Session is 4/2. 
 Climate Priority Advocacy Groups For the first time, this year most of our priorities are included in the bipartisan 2025 Legislative Environmental Caucus Priorities , Citizens Utility Board (CUB) Priorities and/or Oregon Conservation Network (OCN) priorities . OCN is the only formal environmental lobby coalition group in the capitol. Consequently, for some of these bills (especially those in a package) the League may just join coalition sign-on letters rather than providing individual testimony. Climate Priorities with League Testimony with League Endorsement and Still Alive HB 3170 : Community Resilience Hubs and networks : Work Session 3/4, passed to JWM, DHS, Sponsors, Rep. Marsh, Sen Pham and Rep Tan. League testimony 
 
 
 Critical Energy Infrastructure (CEI) Emergency Management Package The follo The following four bills are part of a package which was the subject of public hearings February 27 and March 6 in the House Energy Management, General Government, and Veterans Committee: HB 215 1: Testimony ; appears dead HB 2152 : Testimony ; work session 4/1 HB 2949 : T estimony ; work session 4/1 HB 3450 : Testimony , work session 3/27, see also CEI Hub Seismic Risk Analysis 
 HB 3450 CEI energy storage transition plan, HEMGGV, League Comments 
 
 work session 4/1 Energy Affordability and Utility Accountability Package HB 3081 ( League testimony ) work session 4/8, creates an active navigator to help access energy efficiency incentives all in one place 
 SB 88 ( League testimony ) work session was 3/24, limits the ability of utility companies to charge ratepayers for lobbying, litigation costs, fines, marketing, industry fees, and political spending. 
 Moved to Sen Rules. In addition to our testimony, LWVOR joined the Oregon Conservation Network, coordinated through the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, in sign-on letters supporting both HB 3081 and SB 88. PH 3 / 4 Climate Treasury Investment Bills SB 681 : Dead: Treasury: Fossil Fuel investment moratorium, Senate Finance and Revenue, PH 3/19. testimony. Sen Golden. 
 HB 2200 work session 4/1: requested by Treasury Sec Tobias ESG investing, identified as the compromise bill. League – NO Comment, HC EMGGV, PH was 3/13. 
 HB 2966 A: Establishes the State Public Financing Task Force, Work Session 3/6/2025 passed to Joint Ways and Means (JWM), Representative Gamba, Senator Golden, Frederick, Representative Andersen, Evans , House Commerce and Consumer Protection (H CCP) 
 League Testimony 
 
 
 
 Natural and Working Lands HB 5039 financial administration of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board; JWM NR SC, League testimony 
 
 
 
 HB 3103-1 – work session 3/31. Overweight Timber Harvest , H ALUNRW, League Oppose Testimony , -1 amendment . 
 Other Priorities HB 2566 -3 Stand-alone Energy resilience Projects , Work Session was 3/20, moved to JWM, Rep Gamba was the only nay, Governor Tina Kotek, (H CEE), DOE presentation 
 
 
 
 
 HB 3365 : work session 4/7, climate change instruction /curriculum in public schools, House Cm Educ, PH was 3/12, League Testimony Chief Sponsors: Rep Fragala, Rep McDonald , Rep Andersen, Gamba, Lively, Neron, Senator Patterson, Pham, Taylor. 
 
 
 SB 1187 new Climate cost recovery Liability interagency bill , PH 4/7, possible work session 4/9, Sen. Golden, Senate Energy and Environment 
 
(Replaces SB 679 and SB 682 : 
 SB 688 : -5 Public Utility Commission performance-based regulation of electric utilities, PH 3/12,& 3/19, work session was 3/24, moved to JWM , League testimony , Sen. Golden, Sen. Pham, SEE 
 
 
 SB 827 : Solar and Storage Rebate , SEE Work session 2/17, Gov. Kotek & DOE, Senate voted 21-7, moves to House 3/4 

 first reading. 
 referred to H CEE 3/10 
 HB 3546 , the POWER Act , work session 4/8, PR was 3/6, The bill requires the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to create a new rate class for the largest energy users in the state. (data centers and other high-volume users). These regulations would only apply to customers in the for-profit utility's service areas of PGE, Pacific Power, and Idaho Power. The League has approved being listed on a coalition sign on advocacy letter . 
 
 
 Oregon lawmakers introduce legislation to rein in utility bills | KPTV 
 
 
 Citizens Utility Board CUB presentation here . 
 
 
 SB 1143 : NEW bill , PH was 3/19 and Work session 4/2, SEE , PUC established a pilot program that allows each NG Co to develop a utility-scale thermal energy network (TEN) pilot project to provide heating and cooling services to customers. Senator Lieber, Sollman, Representative Levy B, Senator Smith DB, Representative Andersen, Marsh. Example: Introduction to the MIT Thermal Energy Networks (MITTEN) Plan for Rapid and Cost-Effective Campus Decarbonization. 
 Climate Solutions : Thermal Energy Networks win win : 
 Carbon sequestration/storage: See DOGAMI Agency Budget (see Natural Resources Legislative Report) – Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Interactive Map | U.S. Geological Survey ( usgs.gov ) .
 
 
 
 Priority Bills that died in policy committee Some of these related to funding may appear in the end of session reconciliation (Xmas tree) bill. HB 3477 : Update to Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Goals. League testimony . House Climate, Energy, and Environment (CEE), Sponsored by Rep GAMBA, Sen Frederick, Golden, Patterson, Pham K, Taylor 
 
 
 SB 680 : Climate Science/Greenwashing, Sen. Golden and Manning, moved to Judiciary , no recommendation, (SJ) PH was 2/26 Campos, Frederick, Gorsek, Patterson, Prozanski, Taylor 
 
 
 
 Climate Emergency JWM Budget Concerns In order to stay on track, the Legislature must prioritize investments for vital environmental justice, climate and community protection programs (CPP). Without additional appropriations this session, the following existing successful climate, CPP and environmental justice programs may run out of funding: Community Renewable Energy Grant Program (ODOE) 
 
 Rental Home Heat Pump Program (ODOE) 
 
 Community Heat Pump Program (ODOE) 
 
 Oregon Clean Vehicle Rebate Program/Charge Ahead (DEQ) 
 
 Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles Rebates + Infrastructure Grants (DEQ) 
 
 Community Resilience Hubs and Networks (ODHS) 
 
 Climate Change Worker Relief Fund (DAS) 
 
 Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program (ODOE) 
 
 Natural & Working Lands Fund (OWEB) Senate E&E Committee SB 88 (Get the Junk Out of Rates) – Prohibits an electric or gas utility from recovering from ratepayers’ costs or expenses associated with advertising, political influence activity, litigation, penalties or fines and certain compensation. The committee voted unanimously to refer the bill to Rules without recommendation. SB 688-5 – Allows the PUC to adopt a framework for carrying out performance-based regulation of electric utilities, and appropriates $500,000 to PUC for that purpose. The fiscal note estimates an all-funds impact of $974,013 and 0.75 FTE in 2025-27, including $750K GF and the rest funded through the PUC’s annual fee on regulated utilities. The committee voted to move the bill to Joint W&M with a do-pass recommendation (Robinson nay). The committee also heard testimony on SB 1178 , which would require that 10% of electricity sold in Oregon by each IOU be generated by small-scale renewable energy facilities (capacity of 20 Mw or less) or biomass facilities that are not owned by the IOU. Current law provides that at least 10% of the aggregate electrical capacity of all IOUs in Oregon be generated by small-scale renewable energy or biomass facilities. As explained by James Williams, Community Renewable Energy Assn., electrical capacity is only one-third of actual generation, so this bill would triple the amount of independently produced small-scale power the utilities would have to sell. He said these small projects are important for rural economies and more palatable than large projects. PGE and PacifiCorp oppose the bill, saying it greatly expands the small-scale renewable mandate in HB 2021, "moves the goalpost" and cuts against the legislature’s intent to address utility bill increases. House CE&E - March 25 HB 3823 Revenue without recommendation. The bill would provide a property tax break for personal property used by a business to generate or store energy for consumption by the business on its premises. Rep. Gamba asked for the record that Revenue clarify whether diesel generators installed at data centers would also be included in the exemption – he believes they are real property and thus would still be taxed -- and whether the exemption would apply to actual battery storage systems. Chair Lively carried over work sessions on the following bills because expected amendments are not ready yet: HB 3336 – Declares state policy for electric utilities to a. Meet the required clean energy targets set forth in ORS 469A.410; b. Develop sufficient resources to meet load growth; c. Create efficiencies and resilience in the transmission system; and d. Maintain energy affordability. Utilities would have to file strategic plans with the PUC for using grid enhancing technologies (defined in the bill) where doing so is cost-effective and update the plans every two years. A utility would have to carry out its first filed strategic plan by January 1, 2030. HB 2961 – Increases the percentage of electrical service capacity for EV charging that must be installed in parking garages or other parking areas of new multifamily and mixed-use buildings with privately owned commercial space and five or more residential dwelling units HB 2063-1 to Joint W&M with a do-pass recommendation. It would create the Agrivoltaics Task Force staffed by DLCD. Fiscal impact estimate is $238,978 for 0.75 FTE to manage the project. The committee held a work session on HB 2961 , which would raise the percentage of EV charging capacity that must be installed in parking garages or other parking areas of new multifamily and mixed-use buildings with privately owned commercial space and five or more residential units. The proposed -4 amendment would raise the threshold for installation from 5 residential units to 10, a concession to rural communities. Rep. Osborne strongly opposed the bill, saying it will raise the cost of housing, and pushed the -2 amendment, which would delay the mandate until criteria for new housing construction, housing costs, homelessness, and electricity rates are met for four consecutive years. The committee could not agree on whether to vote on the amendments. Chair Lively said more amendments are not feasible as “we’ve overloaded Lege Council.” He carried over the WS to allow more discussion offline. The chair also carried over another half dozen work sessions on bills for which amendments and/or fiscal impact statements were not available. These included HB 3336 , requiring electric utilities to file strategic plans with the PUC for using grid enhancing technologies (GETs), which had been carried over previously. House CE&E - March 27 HB 3868 – Requires ODOE to study avoided costs paid to qualifying facilities under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) compared with the costs incurred by IOUs to acquire or maintain renewable energy generation facilities. Rep. Helm said the data used to calculate avoided costs for rate setting are in a “black box” that the IOUs bring to PUC. The bill would bring transparency to avoided-cost calculations. CREA and OSSIA supported while PGE opposed, noting that PUC has a regulatory docket open on this process and the bill might conflict with that determination. HB 3874 – Increases from 50 MW to 100 MW the minimum size that a wind energy facility needs to be before the facility must obtain a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council. CREA and Renewable Northwest supported; no opposition. HB 3927 – Requires ODOE to study the need to expand electric transmission infrastructure in Oregon. It would create the Oregon Electric Transmission Expansion Fund and appropriate $8 billion over the next five biennia for deposit in the fund. The -1 amendment would lower the long-term appropriation to $1.6 billion. More amendments are coming to expand the scope of the required study. Rep. Edwards argued for the bill saying energy transmission is economic development, and our outdated infrastructure causes lost jobs and lost revenue for local governments Environmental Caucus Session Update - Bipartisan Environmental Caucus Session Update - bipartisan (abridged) March 24, 2025 April 9 is the upcoming deadline for most bills to have a work session and get voted out of their committees and onto the floor of the first chamber. You'll see a lot of activity in committees over the next few weeks in efforts to keep bills alive. Bills in Joint committees, in Rules, Revenue, and Conduct are exempt from this timeline. Environmental Caucus Priority Bills We're Watching This Week SJR 28 is a ballot referral for the 2026 general election that asks Oregonians to vote on whether or not to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in the Oregon constitution. You might be familiar with this concept from last year's ruling in Montana that sided in favor of Our Children's Trust, who were suing the state over their right to a clean and healthful environment. You can find out more about the Oregon effort here . The Oregon Legislature’s Environmental Caucus is composed of members who believe that our state requires bold environmental action and are dedicated to furthering policy that benefits the natural resources, wildlife, economy, and communities of Oregon. Current Members Sen. Jeff Golden Rep. Mark Gamba Rep. Courtney Neron Sen. Khanh Pham Rep. Tom Andersen Rep. Ben Bowman Sen. Anthony Broadman Rep. Farrah Chaichi Rep. Willy Chotzen Rep. David Gomberg Sen. Chris Gorsek Rep. Ken Helm Rep. Zach Hudson Rep. John Lively Rep. Pam Marsh Rep. Travis Nelson Rep. Mark Owens Sen. Deb Patterson Sen. Kathleen Taylor Rep. Jules Walters Please find additional info in Natural Resource Legislative reports including reports addressing carbon sequestration / storage, geothermal energy geological / fracking issues, wildfire and energy facility siting / land use issues. News and Commission Meetings Oregon Climate Action Commission to Meet Virtually on April 11, 2025 — Energy Info Gov. Kotek seeks answers from state utility commission amid public outcry over rising utility rates : In a letter to the Public Utility Commission, Kotek asked for more information about how the commission would keep rates low following 50% rate hikes in last five years |OCC US Supreme Court will not hear novel youth-led climate change case | Reuters Trump admin considers killing big energy projects in Dem states - POLITICO Trump funding uncertainty threatens rapid bus plan , other Portland climate projects - oregonlive.com Electric vehicle owners don't buy gas. States look for other ways to pay for roads and bridges. - AP Oregon, nine other states hit 2013 goal of getting 3.3 million electric vehicles on roads by 2025 - Oregon Capital Chronicle Portland councilors discuss safety of storing oil in an industrial hub sitting on a quake zone - OPB Oregon fire officials say PacifiCorp didn't cause Santiam Fire, contradicting federal reports, jury decision - OPB Oregon farmers say they're losing land to luxury homes and $800-a-night B & Bs. Hotly debated bills aim to fix that - The Oregonian Hundreds support pausing Oregon's investment in private fossil fuel holdings but Treasury opposed - Oregon Capital Chronicle Oregon lawmakers propose wildfire funding solutions bill - OPB Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Governance , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Social Policy Legislative Report - Week of 2/16 Social Policy Team Coordinator: Jean Pierce • After School and Summer Care: Katie Riley • Behavioral Health: Trish Garner • Criminal Justice/Juvenile Justice: Marge Easley / Sharron Noon • Education: Jean Pierce / Stephanie Engle • Equal Rights for All Ballot Measure: Jean Pierce Kyra Aguon • 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: Behavioral Health Criminal Justice Education Gun Safety Healthcare Housing Immigration Reproductive Healthcare Behavioral Health Trish Garner SB 1533 received a “do pass with amendment 1” recommendation in the Senate Committee on Human Services. It generally permits a court to limit, deny, or prohibit contact between a foster child and the foster child's sibling to ensure safe and appropriate contact between the siblings. It modifies Oregon’s Foster Children’s Sibling Bill of Rights by enhancing contact between siblings, except when a court order has determined otherwise. It also expands the Oregon Foster Children’s Bill of Rights to include the right to (1) be protected from abuse, exploitation, neglect, intimidation and inappropriate use of restraint or seclusion, (2) have access to a free and appropriate public education; (3) be assigned an attorney to represent the child’s interests; and (4) maintain, have access to and be able to transport to their personal belongings. SB 1547 A has been passed in the Senate. The bill responds to a 2024 legislative direction to the System of Care Advisory Council that it examine the possibility of establishing a bachelor’s level youth and family behavioral health license. That is what SB 1547 does. The measure authorizes the Oregon Board of Psychology to issue licenses to “behavioral health and wellness practitioners“ after completion of relevant education, clinical hours and training. HB 1547 also sets standards for licensure. These practitioners are specifically prohibited from engaging in the practice of psychology, medicine, or diagnosis or treatment of a mental disorder. Practitioners are required to practice under qualified supervisors, and communications between the practitioners and clients is privileged. HB 1547 is commonly referred to as the “Ballmer” bill because the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health in Portland OR will be providing the education for these practitioners. SB 1579 was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee, and a Work Session is scheduled for February 16. The measure makes submitting a false report about child abuse a Class B misdemeanor. Making such a false report if the person has a prior conviction for having done so previously can result in a Class A felony charge, and two or more prior convictions for making a false report of child abuse carries a Class C felony. HB 4028 was heard by the House Committee on Behavioral Health, and in a Work Session it unanimously adopted the proposal with a “do pass” recommendation. The bill had initially been scheduled to be referred to Ways and Means, but that referral was rescinded. This legislation targets the auditing process for outpatient behavioral healthcare treatment. It requires the Oregon Health Authority, insurers and coordinated care organizations (CCO’s) to develop written claim filing requirements including detailed and specific information. (CCO’s are regional networks which receive and manage state and Medicaid funding and distribute it to health care providers based on their services.) The claim filing requirements must be made available to all providers. HB 4028 also mandates that providers must be given 30 days advance notice of any changes in these requirements. The lookback and compliance deadlines are identified. The CCO’s cannot claim recoupment based on clerical errors. The same criteria must be used for all behavioral health and medical and surgical claims. This latter provision reiterates Oregon’s policy of parity, which means that claims for behavioral and mental health treatment must be processed the same as medical claims. HB 4039 passed the House Committee on Health Care with a “do pass with amendment 1” recommendation. The bill changes how the Oregon Health Authority sets payment rates for coordinated care organizations (see definition of CCO in report regarding HB 4028). HB 4039-1 mandates that CCO’s establish a transparent, data-driven process when developing capitation rates, which are the set amounts of Medicaid funds Oregon pays a CCO per member, per month to cover that person’s healthcare. The bill also requires that CCO’s use a part of their income or reserves to address social determinants of health and health disparities. Finally, the Oregon Health Policy Board is mandated to establish a review process for collecting public comment when setting rates. HB 4059 received a “do pass with amendment 3” recommendation and a referral to the Rules Committee from the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services. The bill seeks to modify what constitutes “threatened harm” when determining whether a child has been abused and places limits on jurisdiction when the state investigates certain reports of child abuse. The current standard is whether a child faces a “substantial threat of harm.” Proponents argue that this standard is vague and set too low. For example, Oregon’s Department of Human Services gets more complaints of potential neglect or abuse than other states (about 100 a year for each 1,000 children, compared to a national average of 70). Children and families who are investigated often experience lasting trauma, even when the abuse is unfounded and Oregon’s child welfare workers are overworked. Disability Rights Oregon was opposed on the grounds that it might lead to more domestic violence and abuse. (See Oregonian article ). Amendments offered different standards for triggering such investigations. One standard required demonstration of an imminent and severe threat to the child, and another required a threat of harm that places a child at severe risk to welfare and is likely to occur in the future. The Committee landed on the “severe risk” standard ( HB 4059-3 ). HB 4083A unanimously passed the House Behavioral Health Committee with a “do pass with amendment 2” recommendation. The bill arose out of Governor Tina Kotek’s Behavioral Health Talent Council, chaired by First Lady Aimee Kotek Wilson, a former social worker. It was designed to “cut the red tape” for behavioral health worker licensure and ease a bottleneck that has formed due to a lack of qualified clinical supervisors. HB 4083-2 retains the first portion of the initial version of the bill but eliminates the second. This means that the Oregon Health Authority is required to create a uniform process to credential behavioral health care providers. The State Board of Licensed Social Workers, however, will not join the Board of Psychology and the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists in being supervised by the State Mental Health Regulatory Agency. These professionals very strongly opposed this portion of the bill. Criminal Justice By Marge Easley and Sharron Noone The League is carefully monitoring the many bills in House and Senate Judiciary this session that seek to protect Oregonians from the actions of federal immigration officers. Thus far we have submitted supportive testimony on three of those bills. The latest testimony was on SJR 203 , heard on 2/11 with a work session scheduled for 2/16. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Manning, would refer to voters a constitutional amendment that prohibits secret police in Oregon, forbids the wearing of masks by all levels of law enforcement, and requires identification on officers’ uniforms. We previously reported on HB 4114 (League testimony ), which allows a civil suit against a federal or out-of-state law enforcement officer, and on HB 4138 (League testimony ), which requires law enforcement agencies to enact policies regarding identification on officers’ uniforms. The former bill passed with an amendment on 2/11 on a 5-3 vote, while the latter is scheduled for a work session on 2/16. On other criminal justice matters the League submitted recent testimony on HB 4045 , which requires communications providers to respond quickly to search warrants related to stalking or domestic violence. Social media providers must respond within 72 hours, while all others must respond within 5 days. The bill was heard on 2/9, and the amended bill passed out of committee on 2/11. We also hope to see SB 1515 (modifications to the wrongful conviction petition process) successfully pass out of committee at its 2/16 work session. (LWVOR testimony ) Education By Jean Pierce HB 4079 requires public schools to inform parents, students, and community members when ICE is present on the campus. This would assure immigrants that they have accurate information to base decisions protecting their children. included a number of technical fixes recommended by the chief sponsor of the bill. The League submitted testimony in support of the bill. HB 4079-5 received a DO PASS as AMENDED recommendation SB 1538 creates a new protected class in educational antidiscrimination law (schools cannot discriminate based on immigration or citizenship status), and guarantees admission to Oregon school districts’ instructional programs The -7 amendment removed a requirement which the League had supported in testimony – that districts model their policies after those developed by the Oregon DOJ. Nevertheless, the League still supports SB 1538-7, which received a DO PASS as AMENDED recommendation from Senate Education. The House Education work session for HB 4149 , for which the League wrote supportive testimony , was carried over until Monday, Feb. 16. After hearing a number of concerns about SB 1555 , the Senate Education Committee did not hold a work session on the bill. It would have eliminated the Quality Education Commission and made other significant changes related to how public education is funded. While there is no question that the current system of determining the level of funding is flawed in Oregon, concerns were shared that the bill raised a number of issues that could not be resolved in the short session. Chair Fredericks announced that he was creating a work group to consider how best to restructure school funding. The House Education Committee considered three bills which would require additional moneys: In a public hearing for HB 4112 , that would restore funding for outdoor school, the point was made that this would honor Measure 99 - when voters requested an outdoor school education fund consisting of 4% of the Oregon Lottery Economic Development Fund. HB 4050 would fund a study of processes used by other jurisdictions to align school funding with provider costs. This was referred to Joint Ways and Means HB 4124 In January, 2026, a HECC report on spending and efficiency in Oregon Public Universities found: Tuition rates have increased, and Oregon relies more than its peers nationally on tuition revenue. The overall growth in spending has exceeded that of consumer-based inflation. This is consistent with the national experience for higher education institutions and other public, labor-intensive entities in Oregon. Proportionally, spending on instruction and research has fallen from 43% to 37% while spending on public service and institution support has grown from 14% to 19%. Over the past decade, staffing has grown while enrollment has declined with significant variation by university. Staffing grew the most in academic and student support areas while also growing in institution support areas When considering cost efficiency, the number of degree/certificate programs offered has grown significantly while student to staff and student to faculty ratios have declined. Degree productivity (i.e., the number of completions per 1,000 student FTE) and degree completion spending (i.e., the number of completions per $100,000 in spending) have both increased, suggesting improved efficiency. With this in mind, HB 4124 would require HECC to study and make recommendations to address the purpose of different types of institutions and opportunities for collaboration, restructuring, or integration. The recommendations need to address workforce needs, program duplication, employment supports, funding strategies, and metrics of affordability. It is hoped that the recommendations would lead to policies which make higher education in Oregon more affordable to students while maintaining the quality of programs. Gun Policy By Marge Easley Following the spirited House Judiciary hearing on 2/2, we will be closely watching for any amendments to HB 4145 (modifications to the gun permitting portion of Measure 114) at its work session on 2/16. Healthcare By Christa Danielson and Trish Garner SB1527 would provide access to screening with colposcopy when there is an abnormal pap. LWVOR filed testimony in support. The bill passed the Senate unanimously. SB 1529 was heard in the Senate Committee on Health Care and a Work Session has been scheduled (February 16 th ). The initial draft of SB 1529 was a study bill, but amendment 1 requires that when contract negotiations present a risk of a gap in insurance coverage for more than 30,000 Oregonians, state-regulated health plans and providers must participate in mediation and binding arbitration. Final contract terms will be set by the Governor or a designee. Failure to comply with these provisions can result in a civil penalty. The measure is opposed by the Hospital Association of Oregon and the Oregon Independent Medical Coalition. These entities point to the inherent imbalance in power dynamics between insurers and providers and also argue that the bill fails to set clear standards. The Hospital Association of Oregon, which represents Oregon’s 60 community hospitals, states that the bill was presented with good intent, but as a practical matter, SB 1529 will interfere with hospitals’ ability to obtain terms that are essential for sustaining hospital services and preserving access to care. The process will also be especially onerous for smaller providers and clinics who do not have the negotiating power of larger systems. SB1575 adds new requirements for obtaining an initial license to operate and maintain a hospice program. Requires a hospice program to apply for a new initial license after a change in ownership. Prohibits individuals who have been excluded from participation in Medicare or Medicaid or have been found liable for fraud or abuse from holding an ownership interest in a hospice program. SP 1575 limits Private Equity from acquiring community based hospice providers. It will strengthen vetting requirements to ensure a hospice has appropriate qualifications and protects the Oregon licensing process. We hope to be able to write testimony when this bill gets to the house as the League of Women Voters believes that health care is a human right and private equity ownership of hospice programs is by nature profit driven leading to poor overall care. SB1598 protects access to evidence-based preventive services by saying that health insurers must continue to pay for recommended vaccines. The bill would also respond to recent Federal changes. The bill does not in any way mandate getting vaccines. This bill would ensure continuity of coverage and support patient choice. The bill also allows Oregon to act quickly in response to new outbreaks. The bill keeps decisions private between patients and providers. The bill reinforces science-based care but also maintains flexibility and trust in the provider-patient relationship. The bill is scheduled for a work session and we will continue to follow in hopes of writing testimony in the house. HB 4003 was heard by the House Committee on Health Care. A Work Session was scheduled but no longer appears in the legislative calendar, which means the bill has stalled and will not pass in this legislative Session. The measure may seem to be simply technical, but it is far from it. The bill relates to the “prioritized list” which determines what charges Medicaid will cover. Everything below the line is not covered, and everything above the line is covered. The Oregon Health Evidence Review Committee or HERC , composed of 13 governor-appointed and senate-confirmed volunteer members, currently develops this list based on (1) the comparative benefits of each service to the population to be served, (2) evidence-based guidelines and (3) the comparative effectiveness of services as demonstrated by research. This system for the delivery of care is one of the key provisions of the Oregon Health Plan proposed by Governor John Kitzhaber and has been used in Oregon since the 1990’s. He is therefore not in favor of changing the prioritized list process and in fact testified against HB 4003. He states that because funds available to provide health care are limited, they must be “rationed” by either dropping people or by cutting benefits or payments to providers. Governor Kitzhaber asserts that when faced with this limit, the prioritized list does so by using a transparent, accountable, and evidence-based process. ( Governor Kitzhaber in Willamette Week ). The Oregon Health Authority and proponents of HB 4003 state that the federal Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) has mandated that Oregon must stop using the list, while those opposed claim that the CMS changes are minimal and don’t require a legislative response. They also aver that that the Oregon Health Authority can comply with the new CMS requirements by relying on the HERC process which already defines benefits based on medical necessity. The bill is strongly opposed by many coordinated care organizations. Housing Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona Momentum is gaining now with housing bills on a fast track to hold public hearings, work sessions, amend, vote and send bills to the next chamber or elsewhere. Due to funding shortfalls bills that did not advance last session are being heard this session. Senate Committee on Housing and Development SB 5702 : The LIFT Homeownership Program has a proven track record in increasing affordable homeownership in Oregon communities. It has stimulated the construction of 1,200 permanently affordable, entry-level homes across the state. SB 5702 would allocate $100 million in Article XI-Q bond funding to further expand the pipeline of permanently affordable homeownership opportunities. It will open the door to new construction or the conversion of existing non-housing structures into housing units. By using a land trust model, these homes will remain permanently affordable. A public hearing was held by the Joint Subcommittee on Capital Construction on Feb. 13. House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness HB 4036 would preserve existing affordable housing through an appropriation of $100 million in Article XI-Q general obligation bonds. A newly-established Housing Opportunity, Longevity and Durability (HOLD) Fund will allow Oregon Housing and Community Services to construct, acquire, renovate, and furnish affordable housing that is at risk of loss, which is owned or will be owned or operated by the state. Preserving existing affordable housing is a key component of Oregon’s housing strategy. Without timely investment these properties are at risk of falling into disrepair, converted to market-rate housing and destabilizing low-income residents. On Feb. 12, the House Interim Committee passed the bill with amendments, and referred it to Ways and Means. Eviction Prevention: The Oregon Housing Alliance, Oregon Law Center, League of Oregon Cities, Community Action Partnership of Oregon, and Senator Khanh Pham are proposing the restoration of $10 million in funding for eviction prevention. Last session, $129 million was cut from programs that provide emergency rent assistance and services that assist tenants facing eviction, including legal defense, outreach and education, and a hotline. Every million dollars in rent assistance keeps 2,300 families housed and is much more cost effective than returning homeless families and individuals to housing. Housing Bill Updates House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness HB 4123 would add clear provisions to Oregon’s Landlord Tenant law regarding the disclosure of confidential information on certain personally identifying, financially sensitive and other private information. The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness held a work session on February 10 with a Do Pass recommendation. Amendments would allow landlords to share tenant contact information with repair and maintenance workers and release confidential information if required by an administrative or judicial warrant. (See also the Privacy and Protections Section of the Governance Legislative Report.) Senate Committee on Housing and Development SB 1576 would require the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules to conform to the state building code so that it aligns with federal fair housing accessibility requirements and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards. The Committee held a work session on February 10. Immigration/Migrant/Refugee/Asylum Bills with League Testimony SJR 203 Oregon Constitutional Amendment Prohibiting Secret Police See Criminal Justice SB 1538 Public schools educate immigrants See Education SB 1570 Where ICE can go in hospitals See Healthcare HB 4079 Public schools must inform about ICE presence See Education HB 4091 Oregon National Guard Activation & Authority See Governance: Privacy & Protections HB 4114 Rules for Operations of Federal Agents or Agents from Another State in Oregon See Criminal Justice HB 4138 Requires ID and prohibits face coverings for law enforcement agents See Criminal Justice Other BIlls Bill # Description Policy Committee Status Fiscal M$ Chief Sponsors+ Comments HB 4001 Study how OR addresses illegal ICE enforcement H Judiciary & W&M PH / WS 2/16 Not posted yet Fahey SMS HB 4111 Immigration status not admissible in civil suit H Judiciary WS 2/16 Not posted yet 11 SMS HB 4117 Universal ( legal) Representation & worker relief Funding H Judiciary PH 2/18 10.0 16 Likely end of session reconciliation bill HB 4150 State-supported businesses do not transport detainees H Commerce Cons. Prot. PH 2/5 Not posted yet 4 SMS SB1505 Establish Workforce Standards Board S Rules PH 2/4 Not posted yes Sen Interim Committee on Rules Home and community based services - SB 1563 Sue if civil rights are violated S Judiciary WS 2/16 Not posted yet Gelser Blouin SMS SB 1581 School Meals S ED Ws 2/10 to JWM Not posted yet 11 SMS SB 1594 Policies for federal law enforcement S Judiciary WS 2/16 Not posted yet 6 SMS HB 4089 Wage theft H L&WFD PH 2/4, WS 2/16 Minimal 6 SMS Reproductive Healthcare Trish Garner SB 1568-2 was passed by the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health with a “do pass” recommendation. It requires that Medicaid coverage include a minimum of 12 visits by doulas, 24 hours of doula services or a comparable combination of visits and service hours, as well as coverage for these services of up to $3,750 per a 12-month period. Lactation counseling services must be covered without prior health care providing referral. The House Judiciary Committee voted to advance HB 4088-A with a “do pass with amendment 4” recommendation. It declares that it is Oregon’s policy to make sure people are allowed to get reproductive health care and gender identity treatment services. Unless a fugitive, the Governor cannot surrender an individual to another state if they are charged in that state for engaging in these activities. Publicly-funded agencies and state employees are proscribed from cooperating with investigations into reproductive and gender-affirming care. State licensing authorities cannot revoke a midwife’s license if they face a criminal conviction or discipline in another state for providing these health care services. Individually identifiable information about these activities in an investigation is considered confidential and privileged, unless it is available to the public or if the individual consents to the disclosure. Disclosure of public records regarding providers of these services is expanded from a person’s name, and home or professional address to also include images and home telephone numbers. As might be anticipated, there was an abundance of testimonies which were filed supporting and opposing the measure – the number was 417. LWVPDX filed testimony in support of the measure. It remains unclear exactly how the conflict between federal and state law will be resolved. HB 4155 was unanimously passed with a “do pass with amendments 1 and 5” recommendation by the House Committee on Health Care but it was also referred to the Ways and Means Committee. At the conclusion of the hearing, Committee members appeared to express some doubts about its final passage during this legislative Session. The measure requires employers and individuals to reimburse the cost of certain fertility treatment services. Although the measure initially included the Public Employees’ Benefit Board (PEBB) and the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB), the HB 4155 Dash 5 Amendment removed them unless they opt to provide coverage. The HB 4155 Dash 1 Amendment also expanded the types of reproductive services that would be covered, including egg retrieval, intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization. It excluded certain services such as embryo transfer services. 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 Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/29 Governance Team Coordinator: Becky Gladstone and Chris Cobey 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 Redistricting Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays Campaign Finance No bills on campaign finance have yet been scheduled for a hearing and are unlikely to be scheduled, considering the walkout in the Senate. For campaign finance reform, the League wants true reform without loopholes for large special interest organizations. Redistricting People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP 14 petitions downloadable from its website. Thousands of signatures have been collected, but more donations are needed. Cybersecurity and Legislative Delays By Rebecca Gladstone Oregon’s Cybersecurity put at risk by Senate walkout This is on the annual sine die t-shirt, “Sine Die 2023 It’s Hammer Time at the Capitol”: Hopes for breaking the Senate walkout logjam seem slim, now in the sixth week. The singular focus on HB 2002 is likely to kill many critical bills as processing time vanishes, including critical cybersecurity bills carried over from 2022. Delaying cybersecurity action is already exacting high prices for Oregon, asking for more trouble. Meanwhile, some bills are moving through W&Ms on short notice. SB 166 A addresses some privacy and harassment concerns, amended with a proposed cash “physical currency” annual aggregate limit of $100 for campaign contributions, to directly address some dark money concerns. This is the biennial Secretary of State bill to correct various election laws issues, supposed to be non-controversial. It passed the House on June 1 with no votes against. See our March 14 testimony and previous extensive reports, predating amendments. Sitting in W&Ms: HB 2049 A : This cybersecurity omnibus bill is now assigned to W&Ms Sub Education, referred March 3 Do-Pass with amendments, A-Engrossed. See our testimony in support. HB 2052 A : This AG Data Broker bill is now in the full W&M awaiting a work session. League testimony in support was filed before current -7 amendments. SB 619 : This larger bill from the AG’s bill consumer data protection task force had a work session in full W&Ms and passed unanimously. See our testimony . Waiting for Senate floor attention: HB 2107 further rescheduled for Senate floor reading on June 1, after passing in the House, 34 to 25. See earlier reports for this Oregon Health Authority automatic voter registration extension. HB 2490 : This cyber omnibus bill awaits second and third Senate floor readings, scheduled for June 1 and 5, subject to change. The League urges for maximum protection of public health, safety, and the environment. Defending our critical infrastructures is at stake ( our testimony ). HB 2806 , relating to public meetings and cybersecurity, further re-scheduled for Senate readings 2 and 3, to June 1 and 5, dates subject to change ( our testimony ). HB 3073 A passed from the House floor, May 31, 55 to 1, awaiting first reading in the Senate. See our Feb 16 testimony in support of candidate and incumbent home address privacy. HB 3127 : We are following this “TikTok” bill, relating to state asset security. Currently further rescheduled for June 1 and 5, dates subject to change. SB 1073 A had no action since referral to W&Ms April 10, to establish a state Chief Privacy Officer (CPO). See our supportive testimony including related bills and the hearing video , details in previous reports. Not yet assigned to a subcommittee. SB 510 Enrolled , for Public Records Advocate and Council funding, awaits the Governor’s signature. SB 417 , the related policy bill, for which we attended weekly workgroup sessions from February to May, will be receiving the awaited group amendment proposal, with no legislative action since the February 7 public hearing. 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 .