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Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Sine Die 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 Privacy Election Methods Rights of Incarcerated People Government Ethics Access Governance By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance In the final days of the legislative session only one bill, SB 166 , the SoS’s omnibus elections bill, passed that included any campaign finance provisions. It included an aggregate annual contribution limit of $100 cash. We understand this was a result of huge contributions being given to the Democratic Party of Oregon and others in cash. Cash is, of course, untraceable. See also IP 9 below. Redistricting SB 166 also included a provision that will help all initiative campaigns, requiring that single signature e-sheets only need to be signed once. Previously, these petitions had to be signed a second time to certify the same signature above. This bill was effective immediately upon the Governor signing it. People Not Politicians has started collecting signatures on IP (Initiative Petition) 14 petition sheets that are downloadable from its website. This petition would institute an independent redistricting commission. Thousands of signatures have already been collected and more donations are needed. The petition is due July 5, 2024, requiring some 160,000 valid signatures of Oregon registered voters. Elections, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone Many bills passed in the final hectic flurry after the 43-day Senate walkout. We worked on several of these over numerous legislative sessions. They all reflect privacy and cybersecurity. Elections SCR 1 : Early in the session the League condemned (citing SCR 1 text), “in the strongest possible terms, violence and threats of violence against election workers, and we call on all leaders to denounce these dangerous occurrences; and be it further Resolved, That we applaud the Oregon Association of County Clerks and all election workers for their professionalism and dedication to upholding fair and safe elections.” The SCR passed on partisan lines. League SCR 1 testimony respectfully urged for the protective legislation that we called for in 2022, with our testimony for HB 4144 . The protections in SB 166 omit the coverage we called for, extending to anyone subject to election harassment: candidates, lawful protesters, public servants, and volunteers. See further protections in HB 3111 below. SB 166 clarifies protections for election workers, ballot secrecy, the right to vote, and cybersecurity defense plans. Our elections are critical infrastructure and merit the League’s priority rating. We urged amending to expand protections to address privacy and harassment concerns. Our early session testimony predated a transparency amendment that we supported to limit cash “physical currency” contributions to directly address dark money concerns, of $100 annually, for aggregated campaign contributions. HB 3073 protects candidate and incumbent home address privacy. Certifying candidate filing depends on verifying in-district residence with a home address that needn’t be publicized and will still be available through public records request. See League support . HB 2107 extends Automatic Voter Registration to Oregon Health Plan patients. The League supports this improvement in government efficiency, expanding Oregon #MotorVoter . This brings the No Wrong Door health care concept of safety nets, networking services to support individuals, a step closer to “you’re in the right place and we are here to help you”. We opposed HB 2585 , to end “Motor Voter” voter registration. Now we should work on the underperforming party registration postcards. HB 5035 , the SoS’s budget bill, passed with League support focused on election issues of replacing filing and contribution software, risk-limiting audits, and election security. SB 167 : This extensive elections issue adjustment bill was heard but failed to receive a committee vote, possibly relating to concurrent Secretary of State’s resignation. Our testimony addressed many of the issues raised, including calling again for establishing an efficient electronic filing system. Cybersecurity HB 2049 establishes the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to defend our critical infrastructures ( our testimony ). It passed with severely short funding, despite a concurrent global cyber-attack. (See LWVOR Newsroom, Oregon DMV Data Breach could affect 3.5 million Oregonians ). This effort had full committee support during this and the 2022 session. HB 2490 endeavors to defend our cybersecurity plans from public disclosure. League support . HB 2806 passed to support updating statute for cybersecurity, privacy and safety of executive sessions, public meetings, and our critical infrastructures. See League support . HB 3127 : This “TikTok” bill relates to security of state assets and social media access. We plan to develop coverage with a growing League youth perspective. Privacy These privacy bills passed after two sessions with strong committee urging and League attendance for the Consumer Privacy Task Force since 2019, this from the DoJ on AG Rosenblum’s efforts . ● SB 619 will protect consumers’ personal data. This was listed as “ A possible walkout casualty: a privacy law for Oregonians ”. See our testimony in support . ● HB 2052 This data broker registry bill is a first in the nation, passing with strong support this session. See League testimony in support. We spoke for the public right to know, for broadband access, juror pay, and with a DEI lens to adequate funding of our understaffed and funded Judicial Department. Balancing privacy and transparency are addressed together in our positions. ● SB 5512 , the Judicial Department budget, passed unanimously despite absences. Our testimony . ● HB 3201 for broadband assistance, allocated federal funding and passed, initially on partisan lines. The League signed a coalition letter in support . ● HB 2224 this juror pay bill passed unanimously from committee, but died in W&Ms. League testimony . SB 1073 , to establish a Chief Privacy Officer, failed to progress in W&M despite League support . Public Records HB 3111 addresses information privacy, clarifying disclosure exemption for state employees, volunteers, and retirees. Our testimony also referred to our 2022 HB 4144 testimony . SB 510 : This relatively unnoticed Public Records Advisory budget bill passed with League support . HB 5032 addressed funds related to the Public Records Advocate. League support cites our extensive 2017 public records law work. Two bills from the Public Records Advisory Council addressed public records requests, both failing. Progress was stymied despite League support as the Senate Rules Chair requested stakeholder Task Force met for months to refine references to “media”, set fee waivers, and reasonable response times. ● SB 160 would have reduced fees for public records requests made in the public interest, League testimony . ● SB 417 would have addressed trending public records request campaigns observed trying to overwhelm public agencies, including Elections offices ( press ). Election Methods By Barbara Klein On the last day of the legislative session, the final version of HB 2004 for Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) was passed as a referral to voters. The Senate voted 17-8 and the House 34-17. The Senate president and House speaker signed the bill on June 29; filed with the SOS on 7/6, and the bill was referred to the ballot on July 18. HB 2004 establishes RCV as the voting method for selecting the winner of nomination for, and election to, offices of US President, US State Senator and Representatives in Congress, Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Attorney General. The Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner will be included, but that election is held during the primary. It does not include the Oregon state legislature House or Senate seats. The bill is referred to the November 2024 general election ballot, and with much input from county election officials, would be implemented in 2028. LWVOR has been a strong supporter of RCV and of this bill, one of 39 Oregon organizations working in coalition towards its passage. This is a historic win for the state, and is the first time that any legislature in the United States has referred a statewide RCV bill to the ballot. The League, along with the coalition and other allied groups or interested leaders, will continue to support, and most importantly educate voters as they make their 2024 choice. Ballot Measures continue. The League will continue to follow several proposed ballot measures (in numerical order). IP 9 measure regarding Campaign Finance Reform, entitled (by petitioners) as Honest Elections: Fight Political Corruption and Require Disclosure and Transparency. The League endorsed, and petitions are circulating. IP 11 measure requires statewide use of STAR -Score then Automatic Runoff voting. The measure includes all statewide, county, city or special districts elections offices, including State Senators and State Representatives, Circuit Court Judges and District Attorneys. Also covered are federal offices of President, Senator, and Representative. (There is an exception for any county, city, district, special district, and metropolitan service district office that has already adopted an alternative system such as approval or ranked choice voting). Measure has received a certified title. IP 14 See elsewhere in this report People Not Politicians (peoplenotpoliticiansoregon.com) . The League has endorsed. IP 16 (see IP 26) IP 19 Oregon Election Reform Act. From the Oregon Election Reform Coalition, this statutory measure is described as a Final Five Open Primary, using RCV or STAR in the general. LWVOR has endorsed IP 19, now by way of a new League position on Open Primaries adopted by concurrence at our May 2023 convention. IP 26 measure from All Oregon Votes “Amends Constitution: Changes election processes. All voters/candidates for certain partisan offices participate in the same nomination procedure.” (This is similar to the certified ballot title for IP 16, which organizers, All Oregon Votes, appealed to the Supreme Court, but which the Court approved without change. IP 16 is not yet listed as withdrawn.) It has received a certified title. IP 27 measure entitled The Voter Choice Act was filed late in the session. This is described as “An Initiative to Give Voters the Option to Rank Candidates in Oregon and, which would expand the terms and offices covered by the current bill above (HB 2004, which was ultimately referred to the ballot for voters to decide in 2024. Rights of Incarcerated People By Marge Easley The League’s interest in the rights of incarcerated people continued this session as we supported the passage of several bills to improve the lives and recidivism rates of those housed in Oregon’s correctional facilities. These bills facilitate the provision of a wide array of drug treatment programs in correctional facilities ( SB 529 ); require publicly accessible data on the use of segregated housing ( HB 2345 ); and authorize the Department of Correction to enter into agreements to offer higher education academic programs to adults in custody ( SB 270 ). The League was disappointed that SB 579 , allowing incarcerated people in Oregon to vote, did not advance this session. We will continue to advocate for passage in future sessions. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey HB 2038 : Amends ORS 244.060 by adding subsections (9)(a)-(e) to expand reportable sources of income for officeholders and candidates required to file Oregon statements of economic interest. HB 5021 : Effective July 1, 2023 as an emergency measure, establishes the amount of $3,926,618 for the biennium as the maximum limit for payment of expenses, as specified, with exceptions, received by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. SB 168 : Amends ORS 260.432 by expressly prohibiting public employees, while on the job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity, from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination, or election of public officials. It also provides that a public employee may communicate with a separate public employee or elected official about the appointment of a person to public office if such a communication is made in furtherance of the recipient's official duties relating to appointment required by Oregon Constitution or state statute. SB 207 : Adds ORS 192.685(1)(b) to expand the authority of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission by permitting it to proceed on its own motion to review and investigate, if the Commission has reason to believe that a public body conducted meetings in executive session that were not in compliance with laws authorizing executive sessions. SB 661 : Effective September 2023, prohibits a lobbyist from serving as the chairperson of an interim committee, a joint interim committee, a legislative work group, or a legislative task force that is staffed by nonpartisan staff of the legislative department, with exceptions. Access By Paula Krane NO WIN SESSION - Missing Our Access This Session “Business as usual, funny business, political partisan games!! What is happening with the Legislature at the capital this session? It is really a mixture of all of these things and everyone seems to be doing something that is taking away our access to and especially slowing down the political process.” This is what I wrote in the middle of the session and nothing seemed to have changed until the last couple of days of the session when most of the bills passed without any floor debate. No one had a chance to discuss and understand the issues. The process this session was a mess. Many proposed bills did not get a hearing, a vote in committee or sent to the floor of both houses. Many of the bills that the League advocated for did get passed but without the process we also advocate for. Some of these procedural things used to slow us down this session were: Periodically over the session bills were being read completely word for word in both houses. A few bills were being sent from committee directly to the proper chamber with no public hearings on the bill and especially after amendments were added that significantly change the original bill. The information (bill description or summary) at the top of the bill was supposed to be written at an 8th grade reading level and so bills were being sent back for a rewrite (next session all bill descriptions and summaries will be written at an 8th grade reading level). The proper business protocol was not happening for many days in the capital. Too many discussions were being held behind closed doors. The public was left out for most of the session. Then we had the walkout by some Legislators in the Senate and the business we sent our Legislators to Salem to accomplish came to a complete standstill. Yes in the end many bills passed (not as many as should have been) however without public input. Because of the construction at the Capital building, there were limited hearing rooms. Many of the committees were compressed and the days they met were less than usual. This caused less true public interaction. However, even with the hybrid compressed meetings people from all over the state were allowed to participate even for only 2 minutes. Also because of the shortened time frame, there were few questions by legislators to the public who testified. The legislators, their staff, committee staff, and all the departments should be given a big hand of applause for all their hard work this session on IT. With each session it gets better. If your legislator walked out ask why and have them explain why they thought they were doing their job and representing all their constituents and the people of Oregon. Will the 2024 short session be more of the same or will we get our access back and have a working Legislature? Let’s hope so.

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 Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 6/23 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: Campaign Finance General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection Elections Artificial Intelligence Campaign Finance and Initiatives By Norman Turrill We are still waiting for urgently needed technical amendments to HB 4024 (2024) on campaign contribution limits, which are expected to be amended into HB 3392 . Since we are nearing the end of the session, we fear that this will not happen or will happen haphazardly. The last we heard, there may be no bill or only a minimal bill to delay the Secretary of State’s HB 4024 implementation deadlines. General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection By Becky Gladstone It is time for a bill status review, with two weeks or less remaining in the session. HB 3954 was revived last week after a League letter called for action on the bill, for the Adjutant General to not allow the Oregon National Guard to be called to active service, except for certain reasons. It passed from a first work session on partisan lines, and then from the House floor, and is scheduled for reading on the Senate floor. We wrote to the Governor’s staff, the Attorney General, Chairs and House Rules Committee members, and bill sponsors. This bill became more relevant with the California National Guard being called to action by the President in Los Angeles, overriding the Mayor and California Governor. LWVOR followed with an Action Alert to members. We anticipate revising the letter and submitting as testimony to Senate Rules, including comparisons of work done in other states, including Washington state’s “Defend the Guard” bill, HB 1321 , signed by Governor Ferguson in April. We are standing by as requested, for updates. See HB 3954 sponsor’s presser and Oregon House votes to protect Oregon National Guard from being deployed by Trump, future presidents , Oregon Capital Chronicle. SB 1191 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor. League testimony supports SB 1191 which excludes the act of informing another person of their civil or constitutional rights from statute defining “commits the crime of obstructing governmental or judicial administration”. This is relevant as League voter service activities and advocacy issues are newly vulnerable to Executive Order classification as domestic terrorism if not aligned with recently changed federal preferences. The League will continue to support legislation for DEI, climate change, immigration, access for voter registration and election process information, natural resources, and more. HB 2008 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor, relates to protecting consumer data for those under 16, to targeted ads, and to geolocation exposure. See League testimony in support. HB 2341 Enrolled , to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, League testimony in support, was signed by the Governor. SB 1121 Enrolled to create a new Class B misdemeanor crime of unlawful private data disclosure, has been signed by the Governor. League testimony was filed and presented, supporting the bill, including the amendment relating to data broker issues. HB 2930 Enrolled has been signed by the Governor, for conflict of interest of public officials’ household members. League testimony supported this bill brought by the Oregon Ethics Commission. SB 224 Enrolled , is awaiting the Governor’s signature, to keep from posting campaign committee addresses on the SoS website, League testimony supports. HB 3569 Enrolled is awaiting the Governor’s signature, to invite a sponsoring legislator, committee chair or designee onto the bill’s Rules Advisory Committee, as a non-voting member. Our testimony opposes for myriad reasons. HB 5017 Enrolled , is awaiting the Governor’s signature, for the State Library budget. League testimony remained the only one filed and is in support of our partnership for League Voter Service information. They share our Voters’ Guides in the Talking Books and Braille Library . HB 5012 A : Ways and Means Committee members (bipartisan!) expressed a desire to see increased salaries for our judiciary and encouraged the Co-Chairs to consider additional funding in the end-of-session bill for the Oregon Judicial Department budget bill. League testimony in support was requested. HB 2570 , for PII (personally identifiable information) confidentiality when working with OSHA inspections, got League testimony support, was scheduled for a February 19 work session , but was apparently dropped, not reflected on the bill overview, probably a session casualty. Elections By Barbara Klein On 6/16 a public hearing was held for HB 3908 , the following day on 6/17 a work session was held. On 6/20, this House bill passed a vote on the Senate floor 19 to 9. Filed at the request of the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO), HB 3908 relates to party membership and registration requirements. The bill increases the percentage of state voters from 5 to 10 percent required for a party to obtain major political party status. Other minor parties wrote in support of HB 3908. Last week we mentioned that the opposition to this bill submitted a Minority Report Recommendation disallowing minor parties to cross nominate major parties; that recommendation did not pass. At the public hearing, IPO representatives explained that currently the IPO stands at 5.03% (only slightly over the 5% level) and that IPO bounces back & forth between major & minor party status (being a major party in 2016 and 2020). They described the struggles for their party since rules for candidates of major parties differ from those for minor parties, making it more difficult for them to recruit candidates. They also attested that the counties and state will have higher costs if IPO is considered a major party. HB 3390-2 : This bill was one of those often referred to as “gut and stuff,” differing from or expanding on the original title. This last-minute bill establishes a joint legislative committee and prescribes the method for creating a ballot title and explanatory statement for any amendment to the Oregon Constitution. Technically, it involves any bills that pass both houses of the Legislative Assembly during the 2025 regular session and are referred to the voters by either the Legislative Assembly or by referendum petition. The League submitted testimony opposing this bill, in part because it minimizes the minority party voice, and also gives more power to the legislature for ballot issues than to the people. We state “the normal process based in the offices of the Secretary of State and Attorney General has greater impartiality than this proposal grounded in the legislative branch. The latter (under HB 3390-2) could more likely jeopardize transparency and understanding for voters.” Despite our opposition, the third reading passed the House 31 to 19. The bill sunsets on January 2, 2027. SB 580 Enrolled provides more timely transparency to voters showing online declarations – or withdrawals – of candidates. On 6/13 it passed a House third reading 41 to 0. The bill awaits the Governor’s signature. There were concessions made previously for various counties, big and small, rural and urban. (It also exempted precinct committee persons.) The League submitted testimony on this bill based on the needs of our work producing League Voter Guides and Vote411 publications. Artificial Intelligence By Lindsey Washburn HB 3936 Enrolled prohibits any hardware, software or service that uses artificial intelligence from being installed or downloaded onto or used or accessed by state information technology assets if the artificial intelligence is developed or owned by a covered vendor. Awaiting Governor's signature. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/26 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: Campaign Finance General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection Artificial Intelligence Rule Making Campaign Finance and Initiatives By Norman Turrill The Elections Division of the Secretary of State is asking the public for feedback on draft administrative rules that would implement HB 4025 (2024). It has also appointed a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to work on these new administrative rules. SB 1180 would require the Secretary of State to send to the Legislature for odd-numbered year sessions a list of prospective initiative petitions. The purpose is said to provide the Legislature a better chance to consider initiatives. The League will probably comment that the list of initiatives is readily available on the SoS website, and that the Legislature can now do any oversight of initiatives that it wants to do. In other words, this bill is likely a waste of money. General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection By Becky Gladstone SB1191 Enrolled has now been signed by both the Senate President and the House Speaker. The bill states that informing someone about their civil or constitutional rights cannot be construed as obstructing justice. The League submitted testimony and asked members to speak to the bill on our Lobby Day. Thanks to legislators for unanimously passing HB 3875 Enrolled for car makers to comply with Oregon’s privacy laws in controlling and processing the personal data that our cars collect from us. Oregon Senate Expands Protections Over Personal Data Collected By Your Car . Privacy Protections for Oregonians Are Stronger Under Legislation Passed Today in the State Senate . We regret missing HB 3875 before now. We can use volunteer help for many of our issues. This Governance portfolio section is pleased to have recently added specialists in AI, emergency preparedness, and general governance issues. HB 3569 A : We are researching comments of concern for a second public hearing for this amended bill, to (basically) invite a sponsoring legislator onto the bill’s Rules Advisory Committees, as a non-voting member. SB 473 A passed a second, House Judiciary, work session, to create a crime of threatening a public official, with amendments to include those elected, appointed, or filed to serve an established office, adding numerous judicial branch roles. See League testimony in support. SB 952 to consider interim US Senator appointments, passed a second work session in House Rules on a partisan vote, after passing on the Senate floor along nearly partisan lines, 26 to 13. See League testimony in support. SB 430 B : Our League testimony in support was filed and comments abridged for hearing brevity, addressing the extensive amendments that broadly address business transparency for consumer protections. The bill passed a second work session in House Commerce and Consumer Protection. The initial bill, for online transaction cost disclosure to improve transparency passed in Senate Labor and Business on partisan lines, similarly passing on partisan lines on the Senate Floor, 18 to 11. SB 1121 A passed a second chamber work session, almost unanimously, to create a new Class B misdemeanor crime of unlawful private data disclosure. We are following up on the dissenting vote based on conflating property destruction with personal crimes. Amendments edited for doxxing, timing to protect “basically OPB”, and adding as a provision to the Oregon Consumer Privacy Act. League testimony was filed and presented, supporting the bill, including the amendment relating to data broker issues. HB 3382 is up for a May 28 work session in House Rules, directing the Secretary of State to maintain an online Rulemaking Information system. We are watching HB 3382 based on Sen Sollman asking about the concept of a central state rulemaking site in the context of the HB 3931 coordinated state portal Task Force proposal presented here earlier. See League testimony . HB 2006 would limit long session bill requests to 25 bills from legislators to legislative counsel. We are preparing, watching for a 5/29 public hearing in House Rules, which will also consider a -7 amendment. HB 3569 A has a second public hearing, scheduled for 5/28 in Senate Rules, after passing not quite fully on partisan lines in House Rules, similarly on the House floor. SB 5537 , the SoS budget bill, is up for a 5/28 first work session after the 5/9 public hearing in Joint General Government. We are watching for opportunities to follow up on highlighted issues. Artificial Intelligence (AI) By Lindsey Washburn The Governor has signed HB 2299 Enrolled , which modifies the crime of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image to include the disclosure of digitally created, manipulated or altered images. Rule Making By Peggy Lynch A number of bills related to agency rulemaking and the role of the legislature, many of which are listed below, are getting work sessions. The League and others have concerns about many of these bills. The legislature’s job is to set policy. The agencies are responsible for implementing that policy. 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. Blurring those lines is problematic. HB 3569 , a bill that would require a Chief Sponsor (legislator) of a bill to be a part of a rules advisory committee for legislation they had a hand in passing, passed the House and now goes to Senate Rules. A public hearing is scheduled for May 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 ( SB 437 , SB 1006 , SB 370 , SB 483 ) and SB 411 , SB 895 also in Senate Rules. HB 2454 passed House Rules with the -1 amendment and was sent to Ways and Means. The bill creates a new Audits Officer (with possible additional staff). The Jt. Audits Committee would hire the Officer. It is unclear that, if funded, what the relationship will be with the Secretary of State’s Audit Division and the work of the Legislative Fiscal Office staff. 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. A second meeting related to the state agency rules process is set for June with an invitation to the League to continue to participate. We are 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. A work session is set for May 28. 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 . Sadly, a work session is scheduled for May 28 in House Rules. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/3 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 Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance and Elections Courts and Privacy Government Ethics Revenue Campaign Finance and Elections Portland auditor seeks to soften city’s voter-approved campaign finance law to align with state . The League and Honest Elections oppose the Portland Auditor’s efforts which would set back many years of reform effort. Courts and Privacy By Becky Gladstone HB 5012 : The League was invited again to speak to this Oregon Judicial Department budget bill. League testimony in support was presented. HB 5012 appropriates monies from the General Fund to the department for the Oregon Law Commission, the Council on Court Procedures, conciliation and mediation services in circuit courts, law libraries and the Legal Services Program. HB 2299 , which increases the penalty for unlawful dissemination of intimate image, was heard this week in the House Judiciary committee. Government Ethics By Chris Cobey HB 2454 authorizes the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to appoint a Legislative Audit Officer and to direct the officer to perform specified duties, including investigating, reviewing activities of and oversight of executive branch agencies, taking in and investigating complaints of members of the public concerning executive branch agency programs, conducting performance audits of executive branch agencies and reporting to the committee on work undertaken by the officer. The only witnesses were Reps. Bowman and Wallan. This new legislative branch audit office (LAO) may be redundant with the Secretary of State audits division and the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO). Revenue By Natalie Briggs On March 26, the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue heard the March Economic and Revenue Forecast by Chief Economist Carl Riccadonna and Senior Economist Michael Kennedy. The Macro Forecast At the time of this report, U.S. inflation adjusted growth is 2%, while inflation is holding steady at 2.8% (above the federal reserve’s target of 2%). Unemployment is 4.2%, though it is too early to observe the impact of tariff discussions and federal job cuts. Federal job cuts will not be included in Oregon’s economic statistics until the 1st or 2nd week of March. In 2025, 2% growth is targeted, and economists anticipate a broader set of risks to economic outcomes. Implementation of tariffs could harm or help the Oregon economy, which is sensitive to trade due to the geographic and industrial characteristics of the state – manufacturing and export are higher in Oregon than other states, and Oregon may be impacted more heavily by changes to pacific trading partners, due to geographic location. Oregon Outlook/Economy Oregon GDP growth has slowed over the last year, with GDP growth reaching 1.2%. Decrease in GDP is likely tied to state-specific industries, and does not necessarily reflect national GDP trends. At the time of this report, Oregon GDP is below the US average by 1.5%. Should this deviation from national GDP trending continue, a U.S. GDP growth of 2% in 2025 would contrast with Oregon GDP growth of 0.5%. Despite Oregon’s 1.2% growth over the last 4 quarters, GDP growth over the previous two quarters was 2.9%, up markedly from -0.6% in the two quarters prior. This growth of 2.9% could indicate improvement in GDP to come. Jobs Oregon has a high percentage of labor force participation compared to the rest of the country, though hiring has slowed. Oregon employment remains at a historic high (since 2000), at 81.9%, with wage growth relatively flat and some recent indication of an upward slope. The number of unemployed Oregonians who have exhausted unemployment benefits is beginning to increase somewhat compared to 2024. Areas with the most job creation include private education, health care, and service industries. Job losses have been observed in areas including construction and manufacturing. Manufacturing jobs are down 2,500 between December 2023 and December 2024, as noted in the previous revenue report, though some signs of manufacturing improvement have been observed recently. Overall, no broad-based gains in employment were observed, and jobs trends do not appear to differ dramatically from national trends. Interest rates remain a challenge for certain industries in Oregon (automotive, housing), and are reflected in the Oregon labor market. These challenges are not unique to Oregon, and other states see similar patterns, such as migration to neighboring states where housing costs are lower. Outcomes The Oregon economy is increasingly connected to national trends, in part due to the existence of industries that are impacted by the national economy. As a result, one possible outcome for the Oregon economy is that of a soft landing – a term applied at the national level that refers to slowing of growth post-inflation rather than a transition to recession. The baseline outcome for the Oregon economy is that of a soft-landing. Other outcomes include that of a recession (downside), and continued growth (upside). Revenue Update The latest Oregon revenue projection for 2023-2025 has decreased by $89 million compared to prior forecasts, and appropriations have increased by $110 million. 2025-2027 revenue projections have increased to $551 million, and available resources have increased to $350 million. The decrease by $89 million for 2023-2025 is a result of updated information on income taxes, where Oregon personal tax refunds have accounted for $275 million more than in prior projections. Corporate income tax is also lower than expected, due to reconciliation from prior years. The variance in these forecasts may be up to $500 million. Looking forward to the next 10 years, slower growth is expected for Oregon, due to a combination of demographic changes, including an aging population and out migration of high earners, as well as slow capital gains growth. Biennial growth is expected to slow for 2025-2033, to 10.7% (down from 15.1% for 2021-2025). The current budget reserves for Oregon are 10.5% of 2025-2027 general funds. The legislature will use this Feb. 26th forecast to do a final rebalance of the 2023-25 budget. Then the May 14th forecast will be the basis for the legislature to determine the 2025-27 state budget. Oregon receives substantial funding from the federal government, so the legislature is watching closely as the March 14th deadline for a federal budget to be passed again looms. Congress also needs to address raising the federal debt limit to authorize paying for bills we’ve already incurred. The federal budget is annual and runs Oct. 1-Sept. 30. Currently there is only a federal budget until end of day March 14. Additionally, the firing of federal employees who live in Oregon is beginning to affect both large and small communities in Oregon—not only the jobs they were hired to do, but economies with the loss of those employee wages to the communities. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/12 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 Please see Governance Overview here . Jump to a topic: Campaign Finance Privacy, Consumer Protection, Ethics, and a Budget Elections Artificial Intelligence Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill HB 3392 is said to be the vehicle for a gut and stuff of the technical fixes for HB 4024 (2024) . This bill is currently a study of campaign finance by the Secretary of State. Complex amendments are under discussion among Honest Elections, the Secretary of State’s Election Division, the Attorney General’s office, Oregon Business and Industries, Oregon unions and legislative staff. However, no amendments are yet posted on OLIS. Privacy, Consumer Protection, Ethics, and a Budget By Becky Gladstone HB 2008 A had a May 5 public hearing in the Senate Judiciary, after unanimous House Commerce and Consumer Protection support and then also on the House Floor. This personal data bill is detailed, basically about protecting personal data for teenagers. League testimony in support. Testimony this week is for bills being heard in the second chamber. Hearings are being scheduled without agendas, to cover for deadlines: “ This agenda may be populated with any measures that have been carried over from previously posted agendas. ” This week’s testimony forecast: HB 3766 A is up for a second public hearing in the Senate Judiciary, May 12, after passing unanimously from the House Floor. It would allow civil action against an adult who, unbidden, digitally sends intimate images (cyber-flashing) with the intent to harass, degrade or humiliate, League testimony in support. Updated testimony was requested to address amendments. SB 430 -1 is up for a second public hearing in House Commerce and Consumer Protection, May 12, for online transaction cost disclosure to improve transparency. It passed in Senate Labor and Business on partisan lines, similarly, passing on partisan lines on the Senate Floor, 18 to 11. As reported earlier, the League anticipates submitting testimony in support. HB 3167 A is up for a third public hearing in Senate Labor and Business on May 13 to address pricing transparency for admission ticket purchases. The League is researching testimony. HB 2930 is up for a second public hearing on May 14 in Senate Rules, for conflict of interest of public officials’ household members. HB 2932 is also up for a second public hearing on May 14 in Senate Rules, to allow public officials to get paid for teaching at certain post-secondary institutions, as an exception to public officials’ prohibition against using an official position or office for financial gain or avoidance of financial detriment. The League is researching testimony. Reviewing: HB 5017 , the State Library budget bill, has a first work session on May 15, after a February 11 public hearing. The League testimony was the only one filed and is in support of our partnership for League Voter Service information. They share our Voters’ Guides in the Talking Books and Braille Library , here for the 2024 general election. SB 470 A : work sessions had been scheduled on April 24 and May 7, bounced to subsequent agendas, none currently listed for this popularly supported bill. League testimony supported the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos. SB 238 modifies provisions of law enforcement use of drones. We have not addressed this committee bill and are watching for developments on this new surveillance technology. The bill is passing on partisan lines, from Senate Judiciary and the Senate floor, with a public hearing in House Judiciary. HB 2006 would limit long session bill requests to 25 bills from legislators to legislative counsel. We are watching for a public hearing to be scheduled in House Rules. Elections By Barbara Klein The Senate Interim Committee on Rules requested SB 44 related to elections. There was a hearing for SB 44 on May 7 and it is scheduled for a work session on May 14th (in Senate Rules ). There are two amendments that would completely replace this bill. Details of the staff analysis of the amendments and background can be viewed here . In summary, -2 changes statutory references of voter registration “cards” to voter registration “applications.” During testimony the SOS office did not note fiscal impact; the analysis states it is unclear (at this time) whether there will be a fiscal impact. Amendment -4 to SB 44 changes the statutes related to Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) electing either multiple or single winners. Current law is either silent or does not work with RCV elections in relationship to vote recounts, tallying or write-in votes. The amendment also adds an official definition of Ranked Choice Voting (“Ranked-choice voting means a method of conducting an election in which electors may rank candidates in order of the electors’ preference”). The League’s testimony can be read here . SB 580 -2 had a third reading in the Senate on May 7th, and a first reading on the same day in the House. The bill, which originally required each city or county filing officer “ to make publicly available on the county or city website within two business days certain election documents that are filed with the filing officer, ” was amended to accommodate the different challenges between counties. Some small counties have no webmaster and work more easily with physical copies of information than digital, whereas in larger areas (like Portland) the opposite is true. The amendment allows longer time for more verified information (aside from posting name and office for the candidate, or withdrawal). Additionally, there are exceptions for candidacy declarations for precinct committee persons. The sponsor of the bill, Senator James Manning , explained it as a response to requests from voters for more transparency. Artificial Intelligence (AI) By Lindsey Washburn HB 3936 bans the use of AI on state assets if the AI is owned or developed by a foreign corporate entity. Passed from the Joint Committee on Information Management and Technology with a 6-0 vote and includes the -1 amendment to remove "country of origin". Senator Sollman referenced the League's testimony to this bill during her remarks. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 5/5 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: Campaign Finance Supporting a Task Force for State Transactions' Portal Elections Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill HB 3392 is said to be the vehicle for a gut and stuff of the technical fixes for HB 4024 (2024) . This bill is currently a study of campaign finance by the Secretary of State. Amendments are under discussion but not yet posted on OLIS. Supporting a Task Force for a state transactions’ portal, other updates: By Becky Gladstone We may address several bills appearing in hearings the week of May 5th; see next week’s report. HB 3931 was heard on May 2 in the Joint Committee on Information Management and Technology, to create a Task Force to consider a coordinated state portal for licensing, applications, etc. League testimony in support was abridged for verbal presentation in the hearing (time limit), also updated to include new information from the staff summary on the background of state websites. A 10-year master contract for an e-government web portal, and secure electronic payment services, extended after 2011, is set to expire on November 21, 2025. Despite winning awards, our agencies have a range of technology vigor, with some sorely needing assistance. A full review is in order to assess needs and costs. The Electronic Portal Advisory Board (EPAB) monitors e-government services, with League member Rebecca Gladstone as an appointed public member since 2019. The Secretary of State (SoS) manages the Business Xpress License Directory to help Oregon residents and businesses with business licenses, permits, and registrations, or to connect with state agencies, cities, or counties for assistance. A review would help to know where coverage is limited, as the SoS and Treasurer are separate from the Legislature. The DAS cataloging work described in the preliminary staff summary will be a big help, surely needs updating. HB 2008 A has a public hearing on May 5 in Senate Judiciary, after getting unanimous support from House Commerce and Consumer Protection, and then also on the House Floor. This personal data bill is detailed, basically about protecting personal data for teenagers. SB 470 A has a work session in House Judiciary on May 7, after passing unanimously on the Senate Floor (Sen Woods excused). League testimony supported the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos. SB 1191 A has a work session in House Judiciary on May 7, after passing a Senate vote 28 to 1 League testimony supports. SB 1191 excludes the act of informing another person of their civil or constitutional rights from the statute defining “commits the crime of obstructing governmental or judicial administration”. This is relevant as League voter service activities and advocacy issues are newly vulnerable to Executive Order classification as domestic terrorism if not aligned with recently changed federal preferences. The League will continue to support legislation for DEI, climate change, immigration, access for voter registration and election process information, protecting our natural resources, and more. SB 952 passed on the Senate Floor, along nearly partisan lines, 26 to 13, to require the Governor to make interim US Senator appointments within 30 days of a vacancy, League testimony in support. Elections By Barbara Klein The overview of SB580 (before amendment) required each city or county filing officer “ to make publicly available on the county or city website within two business days certain election documents that are filed with the filing officer .” The bill was introduced by Senator James Manning ; it had a public hearing on April 2nd and a work session on April 28th. The dash-2 amendment was established after negotiations with the City of Portland and the County clerks. SB 580-2 was approved by the Senate Rules Committee on 4/28/2025. It captures some of the nitty-gritty details of how filing officers can respond to requests while offering more transparency to voters. The amendment accommodated different challenges within counties. Some small counties have no webmaster and can more easily provide a physical copy of information than a digital posting (they have the same time to provide a physical copy, for which they can charge a small fee, unless the request was for a digital copy). In large areas, like Portland, the opposite is true. The amendment allows longer time for more verified information (aside from posting name and office for the candidate, or withdrawal). Additionally, there are exceptions for candidacy declarations for precinct committee persons. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 3/17 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: Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy Elections Redistricting/Prison Gerrymandering HB 2250 will be heard in House Rules 3/19. The federal Census Bureau unfortunately counts prisoners where they are incarcerated rather than where they reside. This inflates the population counts where prisons are located and deflates the population counts for prisoners’ residence districts. Therefore, the representation of these districts and jurisdictions is skewed. HB 2250 corrects this injustice by requiring that the Department of Corrections determine prisoner residence addresses, as best that it can, and give the addresses to Portland State University Population Research Center. The Center will then correct the population counts that it receives from the Census Bureau and provide the corrected counts to the Legislature, the Secretary of State, or the various other jurisdictions that perform redistricting. Broadband, Vote-by-mail, Privacy By Becky Gladstone HB 3148 : had a public hearing to extend broadband funding. We support equitable statewide broadband as a fundamental need, signing group letters for HB 3148 (2025) and HB 3201 Enrolled (2023). HB 3474 : League testimony in support was filed after the public hearing for this bill calling for the SoS to study the impact of USPS changes to Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. We are watching three other bills presented in this public hearing, along with HB 3588 below, and another calling for a Secretary of State (SoS) study. HB 3588 : has a public hearing March 17, for another SoS USPS study, on the effect of requiring a physical address for business registrations in Oregon. This could relate to HB 3474 , calling for a SoS study on USPS changes affecting Oregon’s vote-by-mail system. SB 470 -1: anticipated from the public hearing discussion, the -1 amendment passed a work session unanimously. League testimony was in support of the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos. HB 2341 : to add veterans’ email addresses to shared information, had a Senate side public hearing after passing a House floor vote with 58 in favor. See League testimony . We are watching HB 2851 replaces “ fiber-optic cable network” with “ terrestrial-based cable or wire communication facility ” in ORS 166.122-128 , defining critical infrastructures. Defining broadband, per se, as a critical infrastructure, places it for protection with gas and rail lines and the power grid, along with data centers, dams, bridges, roads, airports, and marinas. We have further recommended protecting our elections’ systems as a critical infrastructure. LWVOR hesitation to support HB 2851, for broadband, and the earlier HB 2772 Enrolled (2023), which defined the crime of domestic terrorism, is based on consistent testimony for both, fearing vaguely defined overreach guardrails in applying punitive action for “riot, disorderly conduct, harassment and related offenses“, defined in ORS 166. We reported the lack of a cyber warfare definition noted in the JLCIMT hearing video , Feb 28 2025, on Cyber warfare and the Pacific NW power grid . The concern is urgent to protect our critical infrastructures and our free speech and civil liberties. SB 599 prohibits landlords from asking about, disclosing, or discriminating based on immigration status. The -4 version passed a work session with one dissenting vote. These three elections bills were presented together in House Rules on March 12: HB 2435 requires the Secretary of State to publish a monthly voter registrations statistical report for each Oregon county. HB 3468 prohibits a county clerk from using certain information provided by ODOT or OHA to update any information for those already registered to vote. HB 3470 requires the Secretary of State to verify voter registration information received from ODOT and OHA. Elections By Barbara Klein LWVOR had been active in working on the original bill ( HB 3166 ) related to Open Primaries , somewhat based on the Alaska model. An amendment is now proposed, which contains points we have historically not supported (specifically a top-two election system). The amended bill HB 3166-2 would require a unified primary ballot for partisan and nonpartisan offices regardless of political party affiliation, and advancing only the top two vote getters to a winner-take-all style ballot during the general election. The League strongly supports the portion of the bill calling for open (or “unified”) primaries. HB 3166 is scheduled for a hearing on March 19th. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - September Interim 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 and Redistricting Elections, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Public Records Election Methods By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance and Redistricting The LWV of Oregon has endorsed and is actively circulating IP 9 on Campaign Finance and IP 14 on Redistricting. We urge you to download, print, sign and return petitions by mail from Honest Elections for IP 9 and People Not Politicians for IP 14. Both initiative petitions are due to be filed by July 5, 2024 with the Secretary of State. Elections, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Public Records By Rebecca Gladstone Joint Info Management & Technology, Cyber Advice Another ransomware attack, in Curry County, expects $3 million in recovery costs. They didn’t trust attackers to protect and return their data, not to escalate, and didn’t pay ransom. They are calling for legislation to develop, supply and fund rapid cyber response teams. Cyber Insurance is not an easy out. You can’t get cyber insurance without using multi-factor authentication (MFA) and other safety precautions. Insurance policies are less available, more expensive, with increasingly higher deductibles. Cyber firms can review your exposure, help you to improve your safety, and help to set up emergency plans. You can be prepared if you receive a note, as Curry County did on a printer: You’ve been attacked, are being held hostage. Cyber Advice: Check URLs before clicking on links. Prevent exposure, don’t let malware in. Even if messages look okay, they may be “spoofing” to get your ID, credit card number, etc. Never give out personal information if they call or email you. Don’t use their links or phone numbers. Call your bank back using a known phone number. Log on to your trusted website links, not in messages that may not be legit. Regularly back up your files and use a security scan. Curry County had NO backups. Use MFA, add a security step to be safer. Use MFA, by confirming with a code to your cell or email, using a code generator app. This can prevent most problems. Have a security protocol. Curry County now prohibits plugging in outside devices, like thumb drives, into their hardware. Make sure your group (our Leagues’ leaders, for example) know about the plans, and we all step up to not being weak links that let malware in the back door. House Rules Committee Meeting 9/28/23 We look forward to working on extensive meeting materials from the Secretary of State. Others spoke to the condition of Oregon’s local journalism, of deep concern to us, with “Free Press and the Survival of Democracy” as our LWVOR 2023 state convention theme. Electronic Portal Advisory Board ( EPAB ) The board oversees state websites, currently analyzing public survey results, overseeing agency project updates, increasing other languages access, improving cybersecurity awareness, and increasing lateral connections between agency sites, for easier navigation. The Board meets quarterly, with Governor-appointed members, including a UO Computer Science grad student just added and League member Becky Gladstone as the public member since 2018. We welcome comments, for example, from Sen Jeff Golden’s news, wanting easier navigation. “I’m retired,” he said, “and have time and ability to find information about this program online. But I can’t find what I need to know about requirements, about where and how I can have my say on proposed rules, on what incentives there could be to do the work on my land. There are too many programs and agencies to keep track of!” Action since our Sine Die report: HB 2107 effective Jan 1, 2024, to extend automatic voter registration to certain Oregon Health Authority clients. Our testimony in support , filed late in the session, glad that early support for a pilot program at Powder River Women’s correctional facility was reinstated. HB 2049 Enrolled took effect July 31, 2023, to transfer OR Cyber Ad council from EIS to OR Cyber Center of Excellence. Ceremonial signing Sept 27, LWVOR invited. HB 2052 Enrolled data broker registry, effective July 27, 2023, first in the nation. HB 2490 Enrolled effective Jan 1, 2024 for cybersecurity defense plan protection. HB 3073 Enrolled took effect Sept 24, to protect candidate home address disclosure, on request. SB 619 Enrolled effective Jan 1, 2024, for consumers’ personal data rights. Republican Aug 8 PR on unexcused Senate absences administrative rule (OAR). CFR, Campaign Finance Reform, from SoS: Clear Initiative The CLEAR initiative is a new project aiming to increase compliance with Oregon’s campaign finance laws through greater transparency and education. Everyone wins when campaigns play by the rules. This summer, the Elections Division announced three initial steps for an ongoing project: increase visibility for online campaign finance information a new database of campaign finance violations and associated penalties more training and educational materials to help campaigns comply with the rules Learn more on the Elections Division’s website . Election Methods By Barbara Klein There were no bills taken up during this interim legislative session that relate to election systems. There were rumors of some efforts to oppose Ranked Choice Voting via legislation or the ballot, but as of yet, it is unclear whether this will materialize. Due to the decision of the legislature in June 2023, Ranked Choice Voting will be on the 2024 general ballot (for implementation in 2028).

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 2/23 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: Governance Artificial Intelligence Campaign Finance Reform Privacy, Protections, and More Elections Governance Rebecca Gladstone The editorial board of the Oregonian featured the League opposition to HB 4018 8, which revokes campaign finance reforms, “ Editorial: A complete betrayal on campaign finance”, Feb 22, 2026. See Campaign Finance below. See the EPAB report and HB 5204 for possible software funding news. The session’s third week again saw a parliamentary delay request to read bills in full. We note that the Senate Conduct Committee will convene, opening with discussing rules. See the Statesman Journal on a Senate floor walkout and delayed vote on SB 1599 . This bill to reschedule the election date for a transportation funding referendum is increasing partisan tension. We could use volunteers to cover Transportation and Revenue. Contact us at lwvor@lwvor.org . Training is provided. Only a couple of the governance bills we tagged have failed to progress. See our reports for details, thank you for reading, and watch your email etc. for likely action alerts, including for federal issues. We saw discouraging governance progress for HB 4018 8, revoking campaign finance reforms, lacking software funding provisions. See the EPAB report and HB 5204 for possible software funding news. Only a couple of the governance bills we tagged have failed to progress. See our reports for details, thank you for reading, and watch your email etc. for likely action alerts, including for federal issues. Artificial Intelligence/Cybersecurity Lindsey Washburn SB 1546 Notice of Artificial Output requires AI companion and platform operators to disclose that users are interacting with artificial output, implement safety protocols to detect and prevent suicidal ideation, and provide special protections for minors. The bill has been referred to House Behavioral Health. HB 4103 Senator Aaron Woods Commission on AI and Chief AI Officer establishes the Senator Aaron Woods Commission on Artificial Intelligence to monitor AI use statewide, report on policy implications, make legislative recommendations, and be supported by a Chief AI Officer hired by the Department of Administrative Services. It passed a February 20 work session unanimously in the Joint Committee On Information Management and Technology , referred to Ways and Means. Campaign Finance Norman Turrill HB 4018 A The League characterizes this campaign finance bill as a complete betrayal . In 2024, extensive 4-way negotiations between the Honest Elections Oregon (HEO) coalition, including the Oregon League, legislative leaders including Speaker Fahey, labor union lobbyists, and business lobbyists, agreed to withdraw campaign finance reform (CFR) Initiative Petition 9, in exchange for passage of HB 4024 , agreeing to work on technical fixes without policy changes. This week, the League sent a members’ action alert, to urge legislators to vote no on HB 4018 8. House Rules passed the gutted and stuffed 8 amendment in a Feb 17 work session, forwarding to Ways and Means. The bill now includes many complex policy changes, essentially removing campaign contribution limits on large special interest organizations, while still limiting individual contributors. It delays HB 4024 election law changes for 4 years, substantially eroding financial disclosure requirements. The amendment was apparently written by labor union and business lobbyists with House leadership, excluding opposition. The governor’s staff has been involved. The rushed work session gave scant time for opposition from Honest Elections Oregon (HEO), League testimony , Common Cause and the Campaign Legal Center , national campaign finance experts. Read Campaign finance reform suffers the risk of ‘a deal that has yet to be real , commentary from Tim Nesbit, a former union leader, in the Oregon Capital Chronical. Look for a Sunday Oregonian editorial. This is likely to be one of the most important bills during the current short legislative session. League members and voters should contact legislative leaders and their legislators ASAP to oppose it. Privacy, Protections, and more… Rebecca Gladstone The EPAB , the state Electronic Portal Advisory Board, held the 2026 first quarterly meeting last week. Discussion included results of a public perception survey . Notably, 86% agree or strongly agree to feeling confident they can find information on state websites. For trust in making transactions, including for data protection, we urged that clear notices be added for website security status. We urged increased visibility for user tracking & Privacy options. See documents, including the agenda. We asked about the SoS RFP for ORESTAR (candidate registration and finance software) replacement. The spokesperson for the state website corporate partner, Tyler Oregon, believed they are participating. HB 4091 this Oregon National Guard activation and authority bill passed from the House floor, largely on partisan lines, no amendments, referred to Sen Vets. See supporting League testimony , relating to last session, see League HB 3954 testimony . HB 4123 A This landlord-tenant privacy bill passed from the House floor, adopting a -1 amendment with fixes to allow sharing contact information to admit maintenance workers, for example. A public hearing and work session are set on Feb 24 th in Sen Housing. League testimony, in support. HB 4143 addresses fund payments between federal and state accounts , with sponsor, Rep Chotzen echoing our characterization of using a “foundational financial tool” [the “right to offset”]. It passed on partisan lines from the House floor, sent to Sen Judiciary for a public hearing on Feb 23, work session on the 25 th . The -1 adds unemployment, medical leave, and overtime to payroll taxes as exclusions. It would sunset in 10 years to evaluate if the tool is no longer needed. See our earlier LR and League testimony , urging to consider options and possibly amendments, given our revenue volatility. SB 1530 would expand aggravated harassment to include threatening public officials , and increase penalties with the companion bill, SB 1516 . It was heard in Senate Judiciary, passing on partisan lines to a Senate floor vote on Feb 23. See League testimony in support. And following these: HB 5204 This bill has not been scheduled but is assigned to Joint W&Ms Capital Construction, to make biennial budget changes, including for SoS software needs. HB 4024 , which prevents event ticket resale unless the seller has or can get tickets , passed unanimously from the second chamber’s Senate Labor and Business. No amendments have been filed. All testimony is in support and the League will file in support also, if need be. See League testimony , in support of Senator Prozanski’s SB 430 Enrolled (2025) consumer protections, foundational for HB 4024. Elections Barbara Klein SB 1509 A-Engrossed ( Uniform Faithful Presidential Electors Act) . This bi-partisan committee sponsored bill is progressing with League support, written and verbal testimony (minute 16:10). The bill to further protect Oregon's voters from being disenfranchised by faithless presidential electors, had a Senate Rules hearing on February 9 th , work session on Feb 11 th , referred to House Rules, Do-Pass with sponsor supported amendments on Feb 17 th . We described the bill in more detail in past weeks, to allow Oregon to join other states with strong laws . SB 1574 ( 1 st Time Voters Act ) allows 17-year-olds to vote in a primary if they will be 18 by the time of the general election has been pulled from agenda, despite referral to Senate Rules hearing planned for Feb 18 th. Unresolved controversy was addressed to the campaign, which had more than 20 organizational sponsors, including the League. The question was whether those 17 years old (to be 18 years old in less than 6 months) should be treated as “secret voters” with names or information redacted from public roles, or whether they should be treated as all other consenting voters for matters of data capture. As these soon-to-be voters would technically still be minors, more research was needed. Some states with similar laws already enacted treat the new voters as minors, other states simply as new voters. Sen Chris Gorsek , the bill sponsor, agreed to meet with our Youth Council members who had hoped to testify verbally. We will continue to follow this. The following members of our League Youth Council submitted testimony: Brooklyn Carr Heuer , Marwa Daher, Olivia Han, and Elizaveta Rott . HJR 201 proposed amending the Oregon Constitution to require that primary elections are ‘open’ to all voters using the same ballot . It was heard in House Rules on Feb 5, 2026 and was not scheduled for a work session, is no longer active. The proposal was a “Top Two” system that our League does not support, despite our strong endorsement of “Open Primaries .” League testimony was Neutral. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - 3/4 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 Other Governance Bills Privacy & AI, Elections, & In Memoriam for Alice Bartelt Campaign Finance By Norman Turrill An amazingly historic thing happened with campaign finance reform as explained here in the Capital Chronicle . The League initially opposed HB 4024 ; see the League’s written testimony . After over a week of private negotiations, a new -5 amendment and then a -8 amendment were posted for the Wednesday 3/6 House Rules work session . The good government groups were able to negotiate some 40 changes to the previously-proposed amendments, enough to make the bill acceptable and to avoid a huge ballot measure fight in the November election. The agreement included IP 9 and IP 42 being withdrawn and HB 4024 not being referred to the ballot. The bill then quickly passed the House floor 52 to 5, a Senate Rules hearing and work session, and the Senate floor 22 to 6 on the last day of the session. Only Gov. Kotek’s signature is now required. We should be clear: Campaign finance reform is not finished in Oregon. There will undoubtedly be adjustments attempted in the 2025 long legislative session. The contributions limits in HB 2024 are way too high, and the disclosure of donors and dark money that pay for advertising, needs more work. The Secretary of State will need funding to implement the bill by its 2027 effective date. And we still need public funding of campaigns as in other states. Other Governance Bills HB 4021 A , 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, passed the House floor 35 to 22. However, it stalled after a 3/5 hearing in Senate Rules and was still in committee on adjournment. HB 4026 Enrolled, was amended in House Rules to retroactively prohibit the use of a referendum on any urban growth boundary expansion. This blocks a referendum in the City of North Plains in Washington County. The LWVOR submitted written testimony opposing the amendment and saying the bill is likely unconstitutional and may invite a lawsuit. The bill passed the House 49 to 5 and then the Senate 25 to 3. See also the Land Use Section of the Natural Resources Legislative Report. HB 4031 Enrolled was amended in House Revenue to protect any local government tax payer information from disclosure. It passed the House 57 to 0 and then the Senate 26 to 3. HB 4032 , which would remove 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 but no further action in House Rules. HB 4117 Enrolled, which authorizes the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to issue advisory opinions on the application of the public meetings law, and which is a correction to a bill passed in 2023 session, passed the House immediately and unanimously. The bill then passed the Senate 30 to 0. SB 1502 Enrolled requires public schools and college boards to live stream 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 the Senate 29 to 1. The bill then passed the House 55 to 1. SB 1538 A , an election law clean-up bill that makes many changes, was passed by the Senate as amended on 20 to 10 vote. House Rules then amended the bill to allow the Legislature to write the ballot title and explanatory statement for any constitutional amendment referred to the ballot during this session. The House then passed the bill 45 to 6, and the Senate quickly concurred with the House amendment 22 to 7. Privacy & AI, Elections, & In Memoriam for Alice Bartelt By Rebecca Gladstone The 2024 short session adjourned congenially before the final deadline. These bills passed, supported with League testimony: Campaign Finance Reform, HB 4024 , see above. AI, to disclose synthetic media use in campaign SB 1571 A . The Senate concurred with House amendments passing the bill on partisan lines. We look forward to pressing for attention to protect our elections and for other cybersecurity and privacy concerns. The Senate Memorial Commemoration for Alice Bartelt, SCR 203 passed unanimously from the House floor, some excused, and it has been filed with the Secretary of State. RIP Alice. Increase Voters’ Pamphlet languages SB 1533 passed in the House with some excused. Not passing out of committee: Automatic Voter Registration for students SB 1577 -3 due to widely shared concerns for practical implementation, including from the League, despite generally supporting expanding automatic voter registration.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - November Interim 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 and Redistricting County Elections challenges, EPAB-Broadband Equity, SCR, and Capitol update Election Methods Election Signs for Sale By Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator, and Team Campaign Finance and Redistricting By Norman Turill The LWV of Oregon has endorsed and is actively circulating IP 9 on Campaign Finance and IP 14 on Redistricting. Petitions can be downloaded, printed*, signed and returned by mail from the Honest Elections website for IP 9 and the People Not Politicians website for IP 14. Both initiative petition filings are due to the Secretary of State by July 5, 2024. *Be sure to print both sides! County Elections challenges, EPAB-Broadband Equity, SCR, and Capitol update By Rebecca Gladstone Legislative efforts reported here tend to be large projects better addressed in long sessions, so short sessions are often for urgent needs or to adjust and implement the Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) into Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR). Elections manuals are up for review and multiple election rulemaking hearings are set for December. Recent interim news includes: Oregon’s county elections staffing study Recommendations to House Rules included improving support with direct communications between the Elections Division, the Oregon Association of County Clerks (OACC) and the clerks themselves. As law enforcement i nvestigated elections office threats around the country, including in Lane County, House Rules heard a county elections staffing study presentation that found county elections working intensely for at least 8 months in even years, with inadequate and uneven funding to address more complex rules, technology, and safety efforts. Unusually heavy public records requests accompanied abuse, threats, and harassment. Retirements and unusually high resignation rates make understaffing worse. Pay is low for the stress and public scrutiny in the antagonistic political environment, “…the In-N-Out Burger across the street can out-pay me”. LWVOR has called for local Leagues to reach out in appreciation to their county election offices and is inquiring to LWVUS advocacy, as they discuss pushing the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee to increase support to protect elections workers . This LWVOR testimony includes lists of earlier support: SB 166 , ( testimony ) to protect elections workers SB 167 , ( testimony ) elections procedural updates HB 3073 , ( testimony ) home address privacy HB 3111 , ( testimony ) personal information privacy HB 4144 , ( testimony ) home address privacy HB 3047 , ( testimony ) doxing, harassment and injury SB 293 , ( testimony ) elevate state government privacy, confidentiality and data security The House Rules meeting materials included experts we consulted for our LWVOR Elections Methods studies. See the updates in 2023 , 2016 , and the 2008 in our archives. Oregon Data Literacy Framework Work Group update From the Dept of Administrative Services (DAS), the data literacy framework and final report is open to accept comments until January 31, 2024. The Chief Data Officer and Oregon Data Literacy Work Group and Chair will review comments to inform future implementation, expansion, and/or adjustments to the overall framework. SCR, Senate Commemorative Resolution for Alice Bartelt Senate President Rob Wagner requested League support in compiling and processing a resolution commemorating Alice Bartelt, our recently deceased LWVOR President. The draft was submitted to Legislative Counsel and will be presented during the 2024 session. The Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance, and Safety (CAMS) Project An update was presented to the Joint Legislative Administration Committee, describing completed work, what should be done in time for the 2025 session, and work continuing on after the 2025 session. For the 2024 session: Both chambers will be in use and accessible from the wings as during the 2023 session. Hearing Rooms A-F, 170 & 174 will be in use for committees. All three entrances on State Street and both garage entrances will be available. EPAB, Oregon Digital Equity Plan The Oregon Electronic Portal Advisory Board ( EPAB ) November quarterly meeting included a broadband equity report. The Oregon Broadband Office (OBO) has issued a Oregon Digital Equity Plan Report , with Strategy 1–Put People First, to identify Oregonian’s digital government needs and to continue updating the Oregon.gov platform. OBO welcomes all to submit comments on the draft via the OBO Public Comment Portal by 5pm PST, December 16, 2023. The draft Oregon Digital Equity plan: Addresses Oregon’s digital equity challenges. Will be submitted for implementation funding to the National Telecommunication & Information Administration (NTIA), with multiple E-Government Program and EPAB references. Describes the program services scope. Includes statewide Accessibility Guidance for Oregon.gov websites. Is an Enterprise accessibility testing/quality assurance tool for websites. Is a collaboration with PSU Hatfield School of Government to study online needs for Oregonians (2022) and the state’s communities of color (2023). BACKGROUND: OBO maintains an online, interactive map of Oregon broadband availability , created in 2009 with a new version launched in 2019. Data layers include service providers, broadband technologies, service speeds, service availability reported by providers to the FCC, population density, and anchor institutions. Oregon has funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration and with OSU partnership, the map will be upgraded to include an application portal, dig once map, and data submission portal. The map has several information layers to enable OBO to support Oregon’s Digital Equity Plan. New upgrade layers include a map of maximum available download speed, locations lacking service, and separate layers for each of the following community anchor institution categories: community support (government and non-government), library, hospital, fire station, law enforcement, school (K-12), higher education, inclusive of a covered population layer. EPAB advises the State Chief Information Officer about Oregon’s web services, websites and e‑commerce. Rebecca Gladstone is the appointed public member. The Capitol Accessibility, Maintenance, and Safety (CAMS) Project An update was presented to Joint Legislative Administration, describing completed work, what should be done in time for the 2025 session, and work continuing on after the 2025 session. For the 2024 session: Both chambers will be in use and accessible from the wings as during the 2023 session. Hearing Rooms A-F, 170 & 174 will be in use for committees. All three entrances on State Street and both garage entrances will be available. Election Methods By Barbara Klein No bills were taken up during this interim legislative session that relate to election systems. There were rumors of some efforts to oppose Ranked Choice Voting via legislation or the ballot, but as of yet, it is unclear whether this will materialize. Due to the decision of the legislature in June 2023, Ranked Choice Voting will be on the 2024 general ballot (for implementation in 2028). Election Signs for Sale The LWV of Umpqua Valley has 3 different kinds of signs. They are double-sided, printed on sturdy paper, coated to make them rain-proof, and 18 inches by 12 inches (not self-standing). See LWV Umpqua Valley for more information and photos of the signs: 1) End Gerrymandering Now and on the back #Fair Maps 2) Vote411 and on the back Register to Vote 3) Voting is People Power and it’s blank on the backside The signs are $5 each plus UPS shipping. Contact them at info@lwvuv.org .

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 6/9 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: Campaign Finance General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection Elections Artificial Intelligence Rulemaking and Audits Campaign Finance and Initiatives By Norman Turrill We are still waiting for urgently needed technical amendments to HB 4024 (2024) on campaign contribution limits, which are expected to be amended into HB 3392 . Since we are nearing the end of the session, we fear that this will not happen or will happen haphazardly. SB 686 A requires online websites, when news stories are copied, to pay digital journalism providers or donate to the Oregon Civic Information Consortium. Senate Rules recommended the bill Do Pass with a partisan 3-2 vote. However, a Minority Report was also filed for the bill, so both reports will go to the Senate floor. The League has not taken a position on this bill but is generally sympathetic in support of local journalism. SB 1077 would require the Public Records Advisory Council to study public records. However, the proposed -1 amendment would replace the bill with several updates to the public records law that were born of multiple years of drafting and negotiation amongst numerous stakeholders, first through the Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC), which became SB 417 (2023) that did not make it out of session, and then via a two-year long workgroup gathered by Senator Lieber after concerns were raised by some public bodies during hearings on the PRAC bill. The amendment had a public hearing in Senate Rules 6/4. It adds a definition for the term "commercial requester." It amends the current fees, creates an allowable fee for commercial requesters, and establishes how the fees collected from commercial requesters will be distributed. It establishes a process for a requester to receive an explanation of the fees charged, and allows non-commercial requesters to request a waiver, or a substantial reduction, of fees, if it is in the public interest. The SB 1077 amendment was opposed in testimony from several local governments. It is supported by the PRAC, the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and others. The League has not yet taken a position on the amendment but is generally supportive. General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection By Becky Gladstone SB 952 Enrolled , to consider interim US Senator appointments, League testimony in support, is headed to the Governor for signing. See the OPB article which quoted League testimony. “Without appointed representation, we could lack a US Senator’s voice from Oregon for months, election calendar timing varying,” the League of Women Voters of Oregon said in written testimony. “We deserve to be prepared for this.” SB 430 Enrolled for comprehensive business transparency to protect consumers is headed to the Governor for signing. League testimony in support addressed extensive amendments. SB 473 B Prohibits the possession of a firearm by a person convicted of menacing a public official. It is being sent from House Judiciary, with Do Pass with amendments, to be printed B-Engrossed, with a dramatically revised relating clause, back to House Rules. We await that further public hearing to submit testimony supporting the new relating clause. Our initial League testimony supported creating the crime of threatening a public official. Further interim amendments included those elected, appointed, or filed to serve an established office, adding numerous judicial branch roles. SB 224 A in support of privacy for campaign committee staff home addresses, has a House Rules work session scheduled for June 9, after passing in the Senate with just one dissenting vote. League testimony supports. HB 3569 A would invite a sponsoring legislator, committee chair or designee onto the bill’s Rules Advisory Committee, as a non-voting member. This was rescheduled twice in Senate Rules, passed 4-0, to be carried to the Senate floor. Our testimony opposes for myriad reasons. Elections By Barbara Klein SB 580 A-Eng. requires filing officers in each county and city to make publicly available on the county or city website certain election documents that are filed with the officers within a specified period. The goal of the bill is to provide more timely transparency to voters showing declarations or withdrawals of candidates. The bill was in House Rules for a public hearing on June 5th, at which time the League submitted testimony , based on the needs of our work producing League Voters’ Guides and Vote411 publications. There will be a work session on June 9th. As mentioned in a previous report, the amendment accommodated different issues within counties. Concessions were made to accommodate challenges between large/small, urban/rural counties. Candidacy declarations for precinct committee persons are exempt. HB3908 relates to party membership and registration requirements. It was filed by the Rules Committee at the request of the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO). The bill increases the percentage of state voters from 5 to 10 percent required for a party to be a major political party. This would make the development of a new major party more difficult. The LWVOR did not address this bill. On June 4th this bill proceeded to the House floor for a second reading scheduled for June 9th with a Minority Report Recommendation proposed. The minority amendment would allow “fusion” voting (or cross nominations) only between major party candidates. It states, “ An affiliation of electors may nominate for an office a candidate who has been nominated for the same office by another political party only if the affiliation of electors meets and maintains the major political party membership registration requirements under this section.” Minor party candidates could only be cross-nominated by other minor parties; minor parties cannot cross-nominate a major party candidate. Subsequent to the second reading (June 9th), a third reading on June 10th is scheduled for consideration of committee and minority reports as well as the final consideration. There was strong opposition to the original bill, and support for an amendment ( HB 3908 A-Eng), by the minority members. HB 5017 A-Eng . appropriates monies from the General Fund to the State Library for biennial management expenses. On June 2nd, the House floor passed the bill (49-5). June 3rd it was referred to Ways & Means. June 5th Recommendation: Do pass A-Engrossed bill and 2nd reading on Senate Floor; the Third reading is expected June 9th. Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) analysis can be viewed here . (Basically, there was an increase in budget representing levels of inflation only.) The League submitted testimony in February on the bill. In part, that testimony stated: “ The Oregon State Library lists partnerships with 39 organizations, the League of Women Voters being one of them. We have been partners for many years, supplying information about Oregon elections. The State Talking Books Library helps us provide voting information that is accessible to the Library’s registered clients.” Artificial Intelligence By Lindsey Washburn HB3936 A bans the use of AI on state assets if the AI is developed or owned by a covered (foreign) vendor. It has already passed the House 52 to 0. It is now scheduled for a final debate and vote on the Senate floor on June 9. Rulemaking and Audits By Peggy Lynch HB 3569 , a bill that would require a Chief Sponsor (legislator) of a bill to be a part of a rules advisory committee (RAC) for legislation they had a hand in passing, passed the House. The League provided testimony with our concerns and opposition to the bill. The bill passed Senate Rules on June 5 and now goes to the Senate floor for a vote. The League continues to have discussions with Legislative Leadership and the Governor’s office on these RACs bills, explaining our concerns. 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. The League joined others in sharing concerns about this bill to members of House Rules. It was pulled from the scheduled work session on May 28th. 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 ( SB 437 , SB 1006 , SB 370 , SB 483 ) and SB 411 , SB 895 also in Senate Rules. HB 2454 passed House Rules with the -1 amendment and sent to Ways and Means. The bill creates a new Audits Officer (with possible additional staff). The Jt. Audits Committee would hire the Officer. From Leader Bowman’s office: “ HB 2454 changes the statutory authority related to audits and audit reviews from the Legislative Fiscal Office to the Legislative Audit Officer (LAO) and authorizes the LAO to hire necessary staff to carry out assigned functions. The LAO and his/her staff will be housed under the new Legislative Performance Oversight and Government Accountability Office. The bill does substitute LFO for the LAO on a number of responsibilities. LFO will continue fiscal analyses and other duties, while audits and oversight will be housed under the LAO.” We are 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. A work session was held May 28 where the -2 amendment was adopted to delay the web work and the bill sent to Ways and Means. 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. A second meeting related to the state agency rules process is set for June with an invitation to the League to continue to participate. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Back to All Legislative Reports Governance Internships Legislative Report - Week of 6/2 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: Campaign Finance General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection Elections Campaign Finance and Initiatives By Norman Turrill The Elections Division of the Secretary of State is asking the public for feedback on draft administrative rules that would implement HB 4025 (2024). It has also appointed a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to work on these new administrative rules. General Governance, Privacy, and Consumer Protection By Becky Gladstone This week included new testimony on two bills and updates on others. HB 2006 places limits on long session bill requests to legislative counsel. This contentious bill got a May 29 first public hearing, League supporting testimony written and presented. HB 3569 A to invite a sponsoring legislator, committee chair or designee onto the bill’s Rules Advisory Committee, as a non-voting member. This was bounced in Senate Rules, rescheduled twice. We oppose for myriad reasons, see our testimony, presented and filed. SB 430 B passed 35 to 15, 7 excused, from the House floor May 29, to the Senate for a concurrence vote. League testimony in support addressed extensive business transparency amendments for consumer protections. SB 470 A : passed on the House floor with 29 ayes, 7 excused, on May 29. This bipartisan-supported bill got unanimous House and Senate Judiciary and Senate floor support. League testimony supported the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos. SB 473 B received a Do Pass with Amendments, to be printed B-Engrossed, from a House Judiciary work session, to create a crime of threatening a public official, with amendments to include those elected, appointed, or filed to serve an established office, adding numerous judicial branch roles. See League testimony, in support. HB 5017 , the State Library budget bill, had a second work session on May 23 in Ways & Means, yielding a Do Pass with amendments, to be printed as A-Engrossed, with a vote of 21-0. League testimony is still the only one filed and is in support of our partnership for League Voter Service information. They share our Voters’ Guides in the Talking Books and Braille Library . SB 952 A got a Do Pass recommendation from House Rules, rules suspended to carry over for a third House floor reading, to consider interim US Senator appointments, League testimony in support. SB 1121 B got a Do Pass with amendments to be printed B-Engrossed from House Judiciary, almost unanimously, to create a new Class B misdemeanor crime of unlawful private data disclosure. League testimony was filed and presented, supporting the bill, including the amendment relating to data broker issues. This is from the dissenting Legislator, lightly edited: There is already a civil response not being used, already laws criminalizing harms described in statute. Law enforcement officers basically argued it's too hard as is and making bigger crimes is the solution. In my office, criminalizing actions like this is viewed with skepticism because it does not solve the problem and contributes to the unrepresented crisis. The bar is high for me to say yes in that scenario. The property destruction component was just the deciding factor. Find language relating to property damage in the adopted -5 amendments to the A-Engrossed SB 1121 which will now go back to the Senate for consideration. Thanks for your advocacy, Rep Chaichi. HB 3382 passed a May 28 work session in House Rules unanimously, after the February 12 public hearing, directing the Secretary of State to maintain an online Rulemaking Information system. We are watching HB 3382 based on Sen Sollman asking about a central state rulemaking site in the context of the HB 3931 coordinated state portal Task Force proposal presented here earlier, League testimony . Elections By Barbara Klein HB 3908 provoked interesting discussion in the House Rules hearing during a 5/29 work session. The bill, related to party membership and registration requirements, was filed by the Rules Committee at the request of the Independent Party of Oregon (IPO), and had a public hearing on 3/31. The bill increases the percentage of voters in the state required for a party to be a major political party from five percent to 10 percent. This would make the development of a new major party more difficult. The LWVOR did not address this bill. The thought-provoking part of the conversation at the work session was due to a -1-amendment introduced by Rep Drazen. She explained that she doesn’t support the concept of HB 3908 as believes the Independent Party should now (under current rules) be considered a major party. (A reminder that it is the IPO who wants to remain a minor party.) In her explanation, the dash -1 would encourage minor parties to want to be major parties, providing incentive. The amendment allows for cross-nominations only for major parties. She wants to stop “coattail” parties, as she called them. She thinks “fusion” doesn’t serve Oregonians and the amendment would allow “fusion” voting (or cross nominations) only from one major party candidate to another major candidate. Chair Bowman strongly opposed the -1 amendment. He sees value in fusion with a minor party endorsing a major party candidate. He believes it “tells voters more about candidates” and that fusion is one way to help avoid the spoiler effect. The -1 amendment failed. Rep Drazen added that she doesn’t believe that the legislature should support fewer major parties only to save the state money when running elections. She also believes the bill is simply a “political calculation.” The motion without the amendment passed. HB 5032 was at the request of the Oregon Dept of Administrative Services and relates to the financial administration of the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST). It was heard in a work session on 5 /23 in Ways & Means. The act creates an agency budget, appropriating monies from the General Fund for DPSST. Its limits were listed as “limits biennial expenditures from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds, collected or received by the department. It also limits biennial expenditures by the department from federal funds.” During the 5/23 hearing, most Legislators were complimentary of DPSST changes, improved training schedule and successes. The bill represents an increase of 1.7% from state general funds. DPSST provided much information under the testimony section of the bill. At the 5/23 hearing it passed with adopted -2 amendment sections which include details of purposes, funding sources and amounts for related DPSST needs. The amendment noted $7,967,812 established (for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025), as the maximum limit for payment of expenses from federal funds collected or received by DPSST. On 5/28, A-Engrossed (with amendments) was recommended with a do-pass. On 5/29 it had a second reading in the House. Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Natural Resources , and Social Policy report sections.

Read testimony from the League of Women Voters of Oregon. Search Testimony Filter by Year Filter by Category Search Reset SB 1538 A - Provide Education for Immigrants - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4134 A - Increases State Transient Tax by 1.25% to pay for Wildlife - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4018 A - “Technical fixes” to Campaign Finance Law - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4138 A - Requires IDs and Prohibits Face Coverings for Law Enforcement Agents - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4153 A - Use of farm land for commercial stores - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4114 A - Rules for Operations of Federal Agents or Agents from Another State in Oregon - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 SB 1507A - Partial Disconnect from Federal Taxes - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 SB 1526 A - FORGE, Fund for Oregon Resilience, Growth, & Energy - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 SB 1598 - Immunizations - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 SB 1586 - Omnibus Land Use, Tax Credits and Changes in Permitting - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 SB 1509 A - Faithless Electors - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 HB 4145 A - Modifies Firearm permit provisions of Ballot Measure 114 - Action Alert View letter Feb 24, 2026 1 2 3 ... 84 1 ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 ... 84

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.

Social Policy Bills in 2026 Session Bill number Summary LWVOR Testimony Chamber / Current Committee Status Criminal Justice SJR 203 A Constitutional Amendment Prohibiting Secret Police Support Senate Rules SB 1515 A Wrongful Convictions Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4045 A Search Warrant Response Time Limits Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4114 A Rules for Operations of Federal Agents or Agents from Another State in OR Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4138 A Requires ID and Prohibits Face Coverings for Law Enforcement Agents Support Passed Both Chambers Education SB 1538 A Education for Immigrants Support Governor Signed HB 4079 A Public Schools Must Inform When ICE is Present on the Campus Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4149 A Directs School Districts to Enroll and Provide Services for Homeless Students Support Passed Both Chambers Gun Policy HB 4145 A Modifies permitting for Measure 114 Support Passed Both Chambers Healthcare SB1527 A Provides Access to Follow-up Testing After an Abnormal Pap Support Governor Signed SB 1570 A Safety for Healthcare Providers and Patients Support Passed Both Chambers SB 1598 Insurance Coverage of Required Immunizations Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4054 Transparency when AI downcodes Support Joint Info Mgmt & Tech Reproductive Health HB 4088 A Privacy in Healthcare Support Passed Both Chambers HB 4127 Payment for Reproductive Healthcare Support Passed Both Chambers Social Policy Read Our 2025 Priorities Here 2026 Legislative Priorities SUPPORT HEALTHCARE/BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. Protect accessibility to all healthcare services during federal support reduction. Preserve healthcare decision rights for patients and providers. Advocate for bills that ensure that every Oregonian has access to cost-effective, clinically appropriate and affordable health care as a fundamental right. SUPPORT HOUSING STRATEGIES that keep people housed by preventing evictions and displacement, providing affordable permanent housing and support services, preserving existing low-income housing and increasing the supply of new units. Maintain shelter beds where needed. Provide state support for infrastructure and pre-development expenses for affordable housing projects. SUPPORT FUNDING FOR EDUCATION. Provide adequate & equitable funding for early childhood, child care, K-12, after-school and summer care, as well as higher education. Advocate for coordination and transparency in funding. PROMOTE PUBLIC SAFETY and a more equitable and effective criminal justice system through violence prevention/reduction programs, rehabilitation and reentry programs for adults and juveniles in custody, and common-sense gun laws. L WVOR Positions League Social Policy Positions can be found here: Issues for Actio n (LWVOR): Adult Corrections Child Care Children at Risk Farmworker Issues Adult Mental Health Mental Health Services for Children and Youth Homeless Youth Juvenile Justice Public Postsecondary Education Impact on Issues (LWVUS) Criminal Justice – page 137 Equality of Opportunity – page 140 Federal Role in Public Education – page 152 Fiscal Policy – page 154 Health Care – page 157 Immigration – page 167 Meeting Basic Human Needs – page 170 Child Care – page 176 Early Intervention for Children at Risk – page 177 Violence Prevention - page 178 Gun Policy – page 179 Urban Policy – page 181 Death Penalty – page 183 Sentencing Policy – page 184 Human Trafficking – page 185 Previous Legislative Reports Next

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 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 May 29, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 5/29 It’s mostly about budgets now, unless the Senate Republicans return to vote on policy bills awaiting a Senate chamber vote. Of interest is a new strategy of creating large budget bills combining a number of policy bills that need funding. Look for “packages” in this report’s Budget section. The latest word is W&Ms may finish by June 9th and then will wait for a return of Senators to the Senate chamber for a quorum. Otherwise, adjournment is June 25. Read More

Back to All Legislative Reports Natural Resources Legislative Report - Week of 3/9 Natural Resources Team Coordinator: Peggy Lynch Agriculture/Goal 3 Land Use: Sandra U. Bishop Coastal Issues: Christine Moffitt, Peggy Lynch Columbia River Treaty: Philip Thor Dept. of Geology and Mineral Industries: Joan Fryxell Emergency Management: Rebecca Gladstone Forestry: Josie Koehne Elliott State Research Forest: Peggy Lynch Northwest Energy Coalition: Robin Tokmakian Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife: Melanie Moon Oregon Health Authority Drinking Water Advisory Committee: Sandra Bishop Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board: Water: Peggy Lynch Wildfire: Carolyn Mayers Ways and Means Natural Resource Budgets/Revenue: Peggy Lynch Please see Natural Resources Overview here . Jump to a topic: Agriculture Budgets/Revenue Climate Coastal Issues Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) Department of State Lands (DSL) Drinking Water Advisory Committee (DWAC) Elliott State Research Forest Forestry (ODF) Governance Land Use & Housing Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) Recycling Regional Solutions State Land Board Transportation (ODOT) Water Weather Wetlands Wildfire 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. Now it’s time to review the work done by the legislature and by your League volunteers. We were engaged on many issues about which Oregonians care. We worked with other groups on individual bills, signed on to letters in support and opposition as well as providing our own testimony on bills. We are a founding member of the Oregon Conservation Network (OCN). After taking a breather, it’s time to engage with our state agencies as they implement the legislation (you can get involved in rulemaking to help clarify the agency’s responsibilities on legislation about which you may be interested) and consider what needs to be done in 2027. Attend Town Halls and election events. Ask candidates questions and consider recommending legislation you believe will help your local community and/or the State of Oregon. Volunteers can monitor the Interim Committee Meetings in June, September and December and report to LWVOR’s Action Committee. We will provide Legislative Reports after each 3-day set of meetings. Governor’s Executive Orders 25-25, 25-26 and 25-29 Staff Report and Documents . Slide Presentation to the Land Conservation and Development Commission and Water Resources Commission on Feb. 26. The Orders instruct certain state agencies to implement these Orders on Wind and Solar Development, Promoting Resilience of our Communities and Natural and Working Lands and Waters and Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions. Environmental Caucus: Do you want to sign up? You can check out previous newsletters on the Environmental Caucus page . Questions or comments, email kathryn.duvall@oregonlegislature.gov . AGRICULTURE Sandra U. Bishop HB 4153 Enrolled: Relating to farm stores. This bill allows large stores in permanent structures on Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) zoned land and allows for major expansion of agri-tourism—mostly with a permit. The League opposed the bill and will monitor local actions. LFO Recommendation Staff Measure Summary OPB provides an article explaining the bill. Passed the House and Senate Mar. 6. HB 4130 Enrolled: Relating to farm use. This bill is predominantly a taxation bill. The main purpose is to make sure agricultural land under processing facilities or being used for farm product preparation are qualified for the special farm property tax assessment. The meaning of preparing farm products and by-products was also clarified. Mar. 3 Passed the House. Mar. 6 Passed the Senate . The League continues to follow work on the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA). State agencies are increasing their monitoring and enforcement of state laws and rules. But a lot of work remains, according to the state’s first report on its progress. BUDGETS/REVENUE Peggy Lynch See the Revenue section of this Legislative Report for in-depth information. We encourage you to read ALL sections. CLIMATE Claudia Keith and Team See the Climate Emergency section of this Legislative Report. There are overlaps with this Natural Resources Report. We encourage you to read both sections. COASTAL ISSUES Christine Moffitt SB 1525 A , creating the Blue Economy Task Force to report on economic development plans or strategies for Oregon’s blue (coastal) economy passed. The task force would sunset on 12/31/2027. This bill also would authorize the Oregon Ocean Science Trust to create a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) entity to serve as a dedicated fund-raising arm of the trust. HB 4097 , already passed by both Houses, contains an identical provision. HB 4097 has been signed by the Governor. LFO Recommendation SB 1525 passed Senate unanimously! Passed House March 5. News Release : Draft Offshore Wind Energy Roadmap Available. The public may comment from February 17 – April 3, 2026. Public meetings are also scheduled for our south coast communities starting Feb. 25 th . The League provided Comments on HB 4080 in 2024. Note that the schedule and meeting locations may have changed. website . The Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) is updating administrative rules in Division 83 that guide how easements are issued for uses of the territorial sea (Undersea Infrastructure and Easements). Proposed changes will strengthen protections for Oregon’s marine ecosystems, streamline the permitting process, and ensure fair public compensation for use of the seafloor. March 11 meeting . Undersea Infrastructure and Easements in Oregon’s Territorial Sea Rulemaking . Public Access Rulemaking has begun to clarify how local governments will address protection of public access to Oregon beaches. The next meeting is May 13. News Release: The Oregon Coastal Management Program has published Rocky Habitat Management Plans for 8 locations. The Ocean Policy Advisory Council is seeking new members. Apply by April 1 st . Oregon Ocean Science Trust OOST) Quarterly Board Meeting, April 1 st . Ocean Policy Advisory Council Meeting Notice, April 21 st . The League of Women Voters of Coos County continues to follow the proposed Pacific Coast Intermodal Port (PCIP) project in Coos Bay. (See their public website .) DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (DEQ) HB 4102 : Modifies the authority of DEQ to enter into agreements with regulated entities to expedite or enhance a regulatory process. It would allow DEQ to hire third-party contractors to expedite environmental permitting, as a response to DEQ’s sizable permitting backlog. LWVOR opposed the bill in written testimony , expressing great concern about the use of outside contractors to perform important permitting work, especially if those contractors are paid by the regulated businesses. Bill passed the House. We appreciated Rep. Gamba’s statement on the House floor regarding …”the potential influence on a permitting process without further sideboards.” Of interest, an Intel representative stated on the record that Oregon does “underfund our permitting agencies.” Passed the Senate floor on Mar. 2. The League will monitor. The Environmental Quality Commission will hold its next regular meeting on March 12, in Portland and via Zoom. Materials for the meeting, including links to staff reports, are now available on the meeting agenda webpage . DEPT. OF GEOLOGY AND MINERAL INDUSTRIES (DOGAMI) Joan Fryxell The League continues to monitor the Grassy Mountain Gold Mine project outside of Vale. We will also continue following DOGAMI’s carbon sequestration project in NE Oregon. Because of the high federal interest in rare earth minerals, we expect that this agency will be busy processing permit applications, particularly in Eastern Oregon. DEPT. OF STATE LANDS As part of their responsibility to be stewards of Oregon’s waters of the state, Willamette Week reports that Robert Pamplin, Jr. (Ross Island Sand and Gravel), has been fined $13.9 million for not keeping his agreement to mitigate the damage to the Willamette River. Ross Island Sand & Gravel, one of Pamplin’s companies, mined the Ross Island lagoon in the middle of Portland for sand and rock from 1926 to 2001. After the company ceased mining, it struck a 2002 agreement with the Oregon Department of State Lands, which regulates the state’s navigable waterways, to refill excavations well over 100 feet deep, as well as to restore the upland portions of the island, where the company processed the materials it mined . DRINKING WATER ADVISORY COMMITTEE (DWAC) Sandra U. Bishop The League has a standing seat on DWAC. ELLIOTT STATE RESEARCH FOREST (ESRF) The Elliott State Research Forest Board of Directors will meet virtually via Zoom March 11 , from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Click here to download the meeting agenda and materials . FORESTRY (ODF) Josie Koehne The Board of Forestry met March 4. News Release . Kacey KC, the new Oregon State Forester and Director of the Oregon Department of Forestry, started work March 1. Kacey began her career with the Nevada Division of Forestry on the Nursery and Seedbank Program, then moved into the state office working in various positions in fire suppression and resource management and then to the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. ODF staffers Mike Wilson and Tyson Wepprich presented on rulemaking and performance measures for the Western Oregon Forest Management Plan (FMP). Board members and several people provided public comments, remarking that the document was too high level and vague. It did not set clear goals on which metrics could be set, which then should be reflected in the department's Business Performance Management (BPMs). See LWVOR comments on this plan her e. Chandra Ferrari, a former ODF Board member, now working with Geoff Huntington as Governor Kotek's natural resources staff, provided an update, followed by reporting on the Adaptive Management Program. A team composed of Kotek's appointees works closely with an OSU scientific research team, the Independent Research and Science Team (IRST). They are establishing a baseline using detailed Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots on which to measure forest health over time in response to climate change. The group is developing questions that can be quantified for future research. FIA plots are laid out on a grid that are monitored and that track species, tree health, and volume to assess forest conditions, growth, and carbon stock. The team then will make recommendations for forest management based on these findings. OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTION On the federal level, the administration wants an increase in logging per this Oregonlive article . The Trump administration is proposing to quadruple logging on federal lands in 18 Oregon counties, raising timber harvests to levels not seen since before spotted owl protections reshaped forest management in the 1990s. The public can comment on the logging increase proposal until March 23. BLM (The Bureau of Land Management) anticipates publishing a draft environmental impact statement this summer and making a final decision in early 2027, an agency spokesperson said. This session, two forestry bills passed and one died in Ways and Means: HB 4004 Enrolled: Provides that additional taxes otherwise imposed upon disqualification of land from certain forestland special assessment programs may not be collected if the disqualification is due to the suspension of reforestation requirements as a result of insects or disease. In other words, if forests are lost due to natural causes, like drought, landowners getting forestry special assessment will not have to pay penalties for land that no longer qualifies for special assessment. -11 amendments , -13 amendments , -14 amendments and – A 17 amendment s were all adopted. Passed both chambers. HB 4105 : Directs the State Forester to determine the available state forestland, establish sustainable harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and manage available state forestland. See LWVOR testimony in opposition. Bill died in Ways and Means but is expected back in 2027. SB 1590 A Enrolled: Prohibits public bodies from assisting the federal government with privatization of certain federally owned lands. Passed both chambers. GOVERNANCE Peggy Lynch HB 4020 : Requires certain agencies to specify the authority justifying the denial of a permit application and provide the applicant a guide on how to contest the denial. -1 amendment was discussed and staff summary provided. LWVOR provided Comments . The -1 amendment was adopted. -A2 amendment adopted. LFO Recommendation . The bill passed the House Mar. 3. Passed the Senate Mar. 5 . HB 4021 : Requires certain agencies to make adoption, amendment or repeal of administrative rules effective only on January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1. -2 amendment The League is concerned about the need for rules to be adopted and implemented in a timely manner. We will monitor. Passed the House. - A3 amendment was adopted and the bill passed the Senate Mar. 4. HB 4073 : Modifies provisions relating to administrative law. As with HB 2692 (2025), this bill creates burdensome and inefficient Administrative Rules Processes. LWVOR 2025 testimony . The League signed on to a letter in opposition to the bill. Bill died in committee. HB 4084 A : Establishes the Joint Permitting Council. See the Revenue Report for details of this bill. Staff Measure Summary LFO Recommendation . The League has been involved in conversations around these important policy and tax issues and provided an email to members of the Subcommittee with a request to support amendments restricting data centers and addressing some of the tax credits issues. LFO Recommendation of the three amendments added. Passed the House Mar. 4 (50/5/4/1) Passed the Senate Mar. 6 (21/8/1) LAND USE & HOUSING Peggy Lynch The Dept. of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) presented the Commission with a report on Data Centers, providing information on the planned and projected buildouts of data centers across the state. In the packet , see Item 9, Director's Report, Exhibit 1. It shows an expected land demand of 8,571 acres, 5,990 acres of which would be through proposed UGB expansions. That's more new data centers than Virginia has today. Almost all of these expansions are in Eastern Oregon/ Umatilla Basin. This might have been why Eastern OR was out in force during the Oregon Data Center Advisory Committee 's second agenda item from 10-11:30 "What are the Economic Development Possibilities and Concerns for Oregon’s Rural Communities?" A key quote from the DLCD report is: " The magnitude of urban growth boundary expansions for data center development is without modern precedent under Oregon’s statewide land use planning program.... [T]he rate of development by data centers is necessitating more frequent UGB expansions as local governments attempt to match the accelerating pace of industry demand." SB 5701 includes bonds for water and sewer projects that can help increase housing around Oregon as well as new Affordable Rental Housing and Preservation bonds to keep units that would otherwise go on the open market. HB 4035 : Expands eligibility for cities and Metro to amend their urban growth boundaries under a temporary program. Authorizes the Land Conservation and Development Commission to issue grants to implement the commission’s duties. -3 amendment was adopted and the bill passed the committee to the House floor where it passed on Feb. 18. The Senate Housing and Development adopted the -A 4 amendment. The bill passed the Senate on Mar. 2. HB 4082 : Adds to a temporary UGB addition program an option for each city or Metro to also add to its urban growth boundary a site for manufactured dwelling parks, or for housing for older persons, that is affordable for households with incomes not more than 120 percent of area median income. This Oregonlive article explains the conversation around this bill. The League has stayed silent, seeing both sides of the discussion. We will now monitor its effectiveness as cities consider implementation. Passed both chambers. SB 1586 : Modifies the tax credit allowed for semiconductor research. Creates and amends certain programs offering tax breaks related to advanced manufacturing, enterprise zones and regionally significant industrial sites. Adds rural reserves in Washington County to Metro to be used for high technology and advanced manufacturing purposes. Oregonlive article provides a great review of the bill. The League submitted strong testimony in opposition. See the meeting materials posted in the Analysis section of the bill’s Overview for more information . - 7 amendment was posted Saturday morning (9:27a) from Sen. Sollman--a replacement of the bill. LWVOR provided testimony opposing the amendment on Feb. 23. T he bill remained in Senate Finance and Revenue with no Work Session scheduled. HB 4108 : Would have required a city to annex noncontiguous land upon receipt of a petition from all owners of the land that satisfies four eligibility criteria. The League supports the concept of this bill as good planning with the -1 amendment . A -2 amendment was adopted limiting this policy as a “pilot project” for the City of Eugene. We are disappointed that the bill was narrowed, but glad to see some movement on this important land use issue. The bill passed the House on Feb. 18. The Senate Housing and Development adopted a -A 4 amendment and the bill passed the Senate Mar. 4. The House concurred and passed the amended bill on Mar. 6. HB 4113 : As filed, the bill would have required the Department of Land Conservation and Development to study housing development opportunities conditioned upon land conservation. Directed the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly no later than September 15, 2027. The bill relates to prior legislation (2009) around the Metolius. The Metolius was designated an Area of Critical State Concern and the developers of land in that area were granted an opportunity to use Transfer of Development Rights for a limited period of time. That time has been extended a number of times but this is 17 years later! -1 amendment The League was part of a Sign on letter in opposition to the bill. Bill died in committee. SB 1578 : Allows counties with a population density of less than 30 people per square mile to rezone up to 50 acres to be divided and developed for residential dwellings of at least five units per acre. The League has concerns related to parcellation of ag and forest lands and adding more private wells and septic systems in these rural areas . The bill died in committee. The 2025-27 Policy Agenda 2025-27 Policy Agenda was approved by LCDC on Oct. 24. There will be seven rulemakings on Housing alone, including: Housing Rulemaking for HB 2138 and HB 2258 (2025) and Rulemaking to clarify and allow housing and other needed development outside of wetlands. The rulemaking would create an optional, alternative compliance pathway for wetlands resources when a city is preparing bill annex lands from the urban growth boundary (UGB) to accommodate needed housing and economic development. LCDC had a presentation on Feb. 27 th (DSL presentation on wetlands at LCDC on YouTube Feb. 27 at the 3-4:15p Meeting time.) See their Rulemaking page for more info on all the rules work being done by this agency. News Release: New officers were elected for the Land Conservation and Development Commission: Chair Lazzo and Vice Chair Boyer. The League joined others in support of Oregon’s Land Use Planning Program in a letter on Feb. 2 nd . It is important for Oregonians to understand the impact of all 19 Goals and how they address “where we live, work, shop and play and how we get there”. See also the Housing Report in the Social Policy section of this Legislative Report. OREGON DEPT. OF FISH AND WILDLIFE (ODFW) Melanie Moon HB 4134 is the 1.25% for Wildlife bipartisan bill that would increase the state transient lodging tax from 1.5% to 2.75% for transient visitors to Oregon including camping, hotels and vacation rentals. It is estimated to raise $13.4 million this biennium (and specifies the net revenue from 0.9 percentage points of the increase is to be distributed to the Recovering Oregon’s Wildlife Fund Subaccount. Specifies 0.1 percent of the net revenue to be distributed to the Oregon Conservation Corps Fund, 0.05 percent to the Department of State Police to combat the poaching of wildlife, 0.05 percent to the Wolf Management Compensation and Proactive Trust Fund, 0.05 percent the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, 0.05 percent to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife connectivity and 0.02 for wildlife stewardship, 0.015 percent to the Invasive Species Control Account, 0.01 percent to the Department of Justice for anti-poaching and wildlife law enforcement, and 0.005 percent to the Invasive species Council Account. Revenue Impact Statement LWVOR signed on to a letter in support . HB 4134 (20/9/0/1) passed March 4 and passed the Senate (20/9/1) on March 4. OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPT (OPRD) The League is working with others to address the fiscal crisis at OPRD. Oregonlive provides an article on ways they are trying to save money. The League studied Oregon Parks in 1998: Oregon State Parks, Part 1 (PDF, 7 pgs) Oregon State Parks, Part 2 (PDF, 9 pgs) . OREGON WATERSHED ENHANCEMENT BOARD (OWEB) The Oregon Environmental Restoration Council (OERC)—a part of OWEB--has an OERC website. The state of Oregon has secured a historic $698 million dollar settlement against Monsanto for long term harm caused by the company’s polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) chemicals to Oregon’s land, water, fish and wildlife. The Ways and Means Committee approved an Other Funds expenditure limitation increase of $35 million which was included in HB 5204. RECYCLING HB 4144 A : Requires producers of batteries or battery-containing products to join a battery producer responsibility organization and implement a battery producer responsibility program for the collection and recycling of batteries. Target is lithium batteries that start fires. Passed both chambers. REGIONAL SOLUTIONS The Regional Solutions Program : Within each of the 11 Regions, which are tied to Oregon’s federally designated Economic Development Districts, a Governor-appointed Advisory Committee sets Regional Priorities and a cross-functional Team of state agency staff works together to move projects forward. To receive their reports, use this signup page . The public is welcome to attend virtually or in person. Go to the program website and to the region to find the agendas and meeting materials posted a few days before the meetings. Public Comment is usually scheduled. Upcoming Regional Solutions Advisory Committee (RSAC) Meetings: Regional Solutions: Mid-Valley (Marion, Polk, and Yamhill Counties) March 12th from 1:30-3:30pm Northeast (Baker, Union, and Wallowa Counties) March 13th from 2:00-4:00pm South Central (Klamath and Lake Counties) March 17th from 10:00am-12:00pm Southern (Jackson and Josephine Counties) March 25th from 12:00-2:00pm South Valley/Mid-Coast (Benton, Lane, Lincoln, and Linn Counties) March 26th from 1:00-3:00pm STATE LAND BOARD Peggy Lynch The State Land Board meets regularly. Their next meetings (tentative) are: April 14, June 9, August 11, October 13, and December 8. Watch a livestream of the meeting or recordings of past meetings on their YouTube channel. . The League follows these meetings since the Governor, Secretary of State and State Treasurer comprise the Board membership. They are responsible for management of the Common School Fund, including lands and other assets, overseeing the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Elliott State Research Forest and our Waters of the State. TRANSPORTATION (ODOT) On March 3, SB 1601 with the -3 amendment was posted. It included a rebalance of ODOT’s programs in Section 11-23. Passed the Senate and House Mar 6. Money was moved from a variety of ODOT funds in order to pay for basic operations and maintenance. Oregonlive provided an analysis : The largest reductions would be $42 million from Connect Oregon, which pays for aviation, marine and rail projects, and $35 million that primarily funds bridge projects, seismic improvements and highway preservation, among other programs. The plan would also redirect $20 million from the state’s Transportation Operating Fund, which supports a range of services including passenger rail and transportation for people with disabilities. It would also cut $17 million from Safe Routes to School, which funds infrastructure to make walking and biking to school safer for children. But staffing was lost with many employees choosing to leave the agency during this funding fight. This is a short-term fix for a very real problem. We can only hope there are significant conversations around how to pay for transportation services, including transit services, in 2027. SB 1599 : Moves the election date for the parts of chapter 1, Oregon Laws 2025 (special session), referred to the people by Referendum Petition 2026-302 , to the primary election held on May 19, 2026. Bill was assigned to the new Joint Special Committee On Referendum Petition 2026-302 . -2 amendment adopted and bill passed the committee on a party line vote. Passed the Senate Feb. 23 (17/13). Passed the House (31/20/8/1) Mar. 2. Governor signed Mar. 2. Because the referendum date was moved from November to May, some members of the legislature and an individual Oregonian are suing. They contend that the November date was on the petitions they submitted to the Secretary of State. See Oregonlive article . News Release: The Transportation Commission is meeting March 12. News Release : Agency response to legislative session action. SB 1542 : Measure What We Drive: Performance-based scoring system to allocate road project funding, to include safety, climate and emissions. Annual Report Card. Bill died in committee. SB 1543 : Guardrails for Good Governance: Adopt a transportation debt management policy with better transparency. Broaden representation on the Oregon Transportation Commission. Bill died in committee. HB 4126 : Get the Data for a Better Road User Charge (RUC). Died in Ways and Means. HB 4008 : Transit Funding Task Force To determine the level of funding needed to maintain adequate transit service statewide and explore funding mechanisms to achieve that funding. Died in Ways and Means. From ODOT press release : Learn more about our capital improvement plan for state and federally funded projects by visiting the draft 2027-2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, also known as the STIP, online open house . The online open house will be available through March 20. We may use your comments to make adjustments as we begin designing projects in the STIP. All comments will be included in the public comment record. This record will go to the Oregon Transportation Commission before they approve the final STIP in June. WATER The League monitored water bills but did not directly engage. Two of the bills about which we had concerns died: HB 4049 : Directs the Water Resources Commission to encourage and approve voluntary agreements between ground water users in the Greater Harney Valley Groundwater Area of Concern to achieve reasonably stable ground water levels. The -3 amendments were adopted and the bill was moved to Ways and Means where in died. HB 4006 : Authorizes holders of certain Columbia River water rights to change the point of diversion or use the water right on land to which the right is not appurtenant, provided certain conditions are met. Bill died in Committee. The Water Committee for LWV Deschutes County provided comments to a recent rulemaking, encouraging better linkages between land use and water. LWVOR has supported that concept for a very long time and we appreciate their voice on this important issue. On Feb. 26 the Land Conservation and Development Commission met with the Water Resources Commission to discuss how to address this important issue. Oregon Water Caucus : The Oregon Legislature's Water Caucus is a bipartisan, bicameral group of state legislators and staff committed to fostering a secure and resilient water future for all. T o learn more about the Water Caucus and its work, please contact Harmony Burright at 541-846-8863 or Harmony.Burright@OregonLegislature.gov . You can also subscribe to receive email updates from the Water Caucus . League members may want to check the U. S. Drought Monitor , a map that is updated every Thursday. Governor Kotek has declared a drought in eight counties ( map ) . Here is a more complete website about drought in Oregon. We all need to pay attention to the potential for harmful algal blooms ( HABs) . “When in doubt, stay out.” Visit the Harmful Algae Bloom website or call the Oregon Public Health Division toll-free information line at 877-290-6767 to learn if an advisory has been issued or lifted for a specific water body. Information on current advisories can be found on the OHA’s cyanobacteria bloom webpage at healthoregon.org/hab . The OHA has an online photo gallery to help community members identify signs of potentially harmful blooms. WEATHER The Bend Bulletin reports Oregon’s snowpack looked “terrible” roughly one month from when it should hit its peak, and that could contribute to drought and wildfires and cause irrigation problems, said Larry O’Neill, Oregon state climatologist. The best guess of the various forecasters is that sometime between June and September the world will enter an El Niño cycle. When that happens, prepare for bedlam. Each El Niño event in recent decades has gotten steadily worse, because each one drives the temperature to a new record. Here’s a short video explaining El Nino. WETLANDS SB 1584 : Directs the Department of State Lands, in consultation with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, to develop a salmon credit pilot program to encourage the voluntary restoration of salmonid habitat in the Coquille and Coos watershed basins. The League has opposed similar bills in the past, including SB 511 (2025). We provided testimony again in opposition. The bill died in Committee. The next meeting of the Wetlands Rulemaking RAC, originally planned for February 23) will be postponed until later in the spring. Please stay tuned for a new meeting date after the close of the 2026 legislative session. DLCD’s rulemaking webpage. WILDFIRE Carolyn Mayers SB 1540 A , which endeavored to align insurance company wildfire risk assessment with homeowner and community level mitigation efforts in an attempt to help address the rising cost of homeowners insurance, died in committee. SB 1541 died in Ways and Means. This was Senator Golden’s Climate Superfund bill which would have provided, among other things, funding toward wildfire mitigation and disaster recovery. SB 1551 A would invalidate deed restrictions and planned community governing documents prohibiting the removal of non-fire-hardened building materials or installation of fire-hardened building materials on residential properties. This bill passed both chambers. HJM 201 , which urges Congress to pass legislation to permanently extend federal tax cuts for wildfire victims , has passed the House and the Senate. The Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that Oregon is building back better. Thanks to state incentives, the new homes are more energy efficient and resilient to future threats The 2025 Fire season costs were contained in HB 5204 for both the Dept. of Forestry and the Dept. of the State Fire Marshal. There are openings for membership in the Governor’s Wildfire Program Advisory Council . Finally, as reported in this article from KPTV, loss of funding may result in 30 early wildfire detection cameras being shut down across the State. This is technology that has proven to be instrumental in authorities being able to respond quickly to wildfires, keeping them contained, and the loss of the the use of them would be potentially catastrophic in the face of increasing wildfire risk in Oregon. OPB also covered this story: Almost half of the University of Oregon’s network of cameras to monitor wildfires is at risk of being discontinued, according to an administrator. The Oregon Hazards Lab’s network of cameras operates 24-7 and covers some of the most remote, rugged, and inaccessible areas of the state. It is unclear if any funding was provided in 2026. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED : What is your passion related to Natural Resources? You can help. Volunteers are needed. We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning • Air Quality (Dept. of Environmental Quality) • Columbia River Gorge Commission • Hanford Cleanup • Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife • Parks and Recreation Dept. • Recycling/Materials Management (Dept. of Environmental Quality) • Toxic Control Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency , Revenue , Governance , and Social Policy report sections.

LWVOR follows governance-related policy in the state legislature. Governance Overview The League of Women Voters of Oregon is actively working toward a more accessible government, better educational resources, statewide privacy protections and more. Read More Governance Reports Mar 9, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 3/9 Though the session has concluded, our work continues as bills that succeeded or failed influence upcoming policy and budget considerations. Read More Mar 2, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of March 2 League governance work is intensifying and focusing on campaign finance, with legislative drama also around the gas tax referendum. Only one week remains in this short session. Read More Feb 23, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/23 The editorial board of the Oregonian featured the League opposition to HB 4018 8, which revokes campaign finance reforms, “Editorial: A complete betrayal on campaign finance”, Feb 22, 2026. Read More Feb 16, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/16 We have filed testimony on more than half of the governance bills we’re following. Informational hearings in Joint Committee Information Management Technology are well worth watching, this week for protecting local journalism and data breach policy. Read More Feb 9, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/9 We worked on an assortment of bills this week including elections, artificial intelligence, law enforcement, privacy rights, and funding. League testimony was filed for 6 of the 20 we tagged for Governance that were heard in committees Read More Feb 2, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of 2/2 Catch up on interim news and highlights of some of the 40 governance bills we've identified, out of 700 bills so far this session. We’re preparing testimony for seven of them in the session’s first two days so expect more individual reports next week. Read More Jan 26, 2026 Legislative Report - Week of January 26 The Joint Committee for Information Management and Technology (JCIMT) will focus for the 2026 session on a comprehensive strategy to strengthen digital transparency and public infrastructure against evolving technological threats, by modernizing state AI and data security policies. Read More Dec 1, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of December 1 LWVOR has a hand in LWV litigation, and Governance is observing. Read More Oct 21, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of October 13 Federal pressure on Oregon resonated throughout legislative hearings and made news for national guard activation against small peaceful ICE protests. Read More Aug 11, 2025 Legislative Report - Sine Die - Week of 8/11 This sine die report summarizes the Governance portfolio work that took place over the 2025 Legislative Session. Read More Jun 30, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/30 In the last few days of the legislative session, we saw extraordinary machinations on campaign finance reform. Read More Jun 23, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/23 HB 3954 was revived last week after a League letter called for action on the bill, for the Adjutant General to not allow the Oregon National Guard to be called to active service, except for certain reasons. This bill became more relevant with the California National Guard being called to action by the President in Los Angeles, overriding the Mayor and California Governor. Read More Jun 16, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/16 HB 3954 tells the Oregon Adjutant General not to allow the Oregon National Guard to be called to active service, except for certain reasons, timelier now with the California National Guard in the news. HB 3954 had a May 5 public hearing, but no subsequent work session. We wrote a commenting letter and sent it to the Governor's staff, the Attorney General, Chair and House Rules Committee members, and bill sponsors, to urge action on this bill, considering amending if it is needed. Read More Jun 9, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/9 HB3936 A bans the use of AI on state assets if the AI is developed or owned by a covered (foreign) vendor. It has already passed the House 52 to 0. It is now scheduled for a final debate and vote on the Senate floor on June 9. Read More Jun 2, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 6/2 The Elections Division of the Secretary of State is asking the public for feedback on draft administrative rules that would implement HB 4025 (2024). It has also appointed a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to work on these new administrative rules. Read More May 26, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/26 The Elections Division of the Secretary of State is asking the public for feedback on draft administrative rules that would implement HB 4025 (2024). It has also appointed a Rules Advisory Committee (RAC) to work on these new administrative rules. Read More May 19, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/19 HB 3766 had a second public hearing in the Senate Judiciary after passing unanimously from the House Floor. League testimony supported the bill as written to allow civil action against an adult who, unbidden, digitally sends intimate images (cyber-flashing) with the intent to harass, degrade or humiliate. Updated League testimony was filed and presented to address amendments quantifying defendant age and limiting damages to $10,000. We recommended reading Criminalising Cyberflashing. Read More May 12, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/12 We are following numerous bills relating to campaign finance, privacy/consumer protection, elections, and artificial intelligence. Read More May 5, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 5/5 HB 3392 is said to be the vehicle for a gut and stuff of the technical fixes for HB 4024 (2024). This bill is currently a study of campaign finance by the Secretary of State. Amendments are under discussion but not yet posted on OLIS. Read More Apr 28, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/28 Bills with League testimony are progressing, reported here, and several not addressed in the first chamber will be considered for testimony in the second chamber. Read More Apr 21, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 4/21 SB 1180: Requires the Secretary of State to submit to the Legislative Assembly, by November 1 of each odd-numbered year, a list of each prospective statewide initiative petition that has been filed for the next general election. 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 We are following numerous bills relating to initiatives, rulemaking, and elections. Read More Mar 31, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/31 We are following numerous bills relating to initiatives, broadband/vote-by-mail privacy, and elections. Read More Mar 24, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/24 We are following numerous bills relating to redistricting, broadband/vote-by-mail privacy, elections, government ethics, and rulemaking. Read More Mar 17, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/17 We are following numerous bills relating to redistricting, broadband/vote-by-mail privacy, and elections. Read More Mar 10, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/10 We are following numerous bills relating to campaign finance and elections, courts and privacy, and government ethics. Read More Mar 3, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 3/3 We are following numerous bills relating to campaign finance and elections, courts and privacy, government ethics, and revenue. Read More Feb 24, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/24 We are following numerous bills relating to campaign finance reform, federal concerns and privacy, and government ethics. Read More Feb 17, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/17 We are following numerous bills relating to campaign finance reform, immigration, bias and hate crimes, and government ethics. Read More Feb 10, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/10 We are watching for AI and further cybersecurity and privacy bills, welcoming two new volunteers who will have AI bill reports soon. Read More Feb 3, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 2/3 We are following numerous bills relating to immigration, discrimination, bias and hate crimes, including as they relate to privacy. Read More Jan 20, 2025 Legislative Report - Week of 1/20 A CFR workgroup called by Rep. Fahey that began in June is still working to identify technical adjustments needed to ensure successful implementation of HB 4024 (2024), to recommend legislative fixes for 2025, and to consider broader policy improvements for future sessions. Read More Dec 20, 2024 Legislative Report - December Interim 2024 The House and Senate Rules committees met during the interim days last week. Read More Oct 1, 2024 Legislative Report - September Legislative Days The House and Senate Rules committees met during the interim days last week. Senate Rules met Sept. 24 to consider various executive appointments. Read More Jun 10, 2024 Legislative Report - Interim Week 6/10 The House and Senate Rules committees met during the interim days last week. House Rules met May 31 to hear from representatives of the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy. Senate Rules met May 20 to consider various appointments. Read More Apr 22, 2024 Legislative Report - Sine Die 2024 Since this was a short session things seemed to move quickly. In the beginning there seemed to be adequate notice on hearings and bills to be heard, changing as the session progressed. Read More Mar 4, 2024 Legislative Report - 3/4 An amazingly historic thing happened with campaign finance reform as explained here in the Capital Chronicle. Read More Feb 26, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/26 During the 2/29 public hearing on the -3 amendment to this placeholder bill, HB 4024, good government groups severely criticized the amendment for leaving huge loopholes for special interest organizations to still make 6-figure campaign contributions. Read More Feb 19, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/19 A placeholder bill, HB 4024, is being pressed into service from unusual partners, labor (which is otherwise promoting IP 42 against IP 9), and business. Read More Feb 12, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/12 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. Read More Feb 5, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 2/5 For the first week of session, this news includes committee bills we’re working on / watching and news from the quarterly EPAB Meeting. Read More Jan 15, 2024 Legislative Report - Week of 1/15 The Interim Senate Rules and Executive Appointments Committee met 1/10/24 and introduced three legislative concepts (LCs) for the Public Records Advisory Council (PRAC) to study public records requests fees charged (LC 196); make youth sporting events grants available (LC 195); and to make many changes in an election law clean-up bill (LC 194). Read More Nov 13, 2023 Legislative Report - November Interim The LWV of Oregon has endorsed and is actively circulating IP 9 on Campaign Finance and IP 14 on Redistricting. Read More Oct 2, 2023 Legislative Report - September Interim The LWV of Oregon has endorsed and is actively circulating IP 9 on Campaign Finance and IP 14 on Redistricting. We urge you to download, print, sign and return petitions by mail from Honest Elections for IP 9 and People Not Politicians for IP 14. Read More Aug 18, 2023 Legislative Report - Sine Die In the final days of the legislative session only one bill, SB 166, the SoS’s omnibus elections bill, passed that included any campaign finance provisions. Read More Jun 26, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/26 In the final days of the Legislative session, only one bill, SB 166 Enrolled, passed that included many subjects. Read More Jun 12, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/12 The OR Senate walkout from May 3 finally ended on June 15, with a quorum present. 394 bill actions were scheduled including 40 from the House, which suspended rules to increase by 10. 144 bills have already been signed by the Governor. Read More Jun 5, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 6/5 The June 8 House Rules Committee finally saw some CFR action, starting at ~1:20 in the video. Speaker Rayfield’s staff explained some history, concepts, and complications of crafting a CFR bill. Read More May 29, 2023 Legislative Report - Week of 5/29 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. Read More