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To contact me, please click here: Rep.PamMarsh@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Last week, I joined 59 colleagues in the House Chamber to be sworn in to serve in Oregon’s 83rd legislative session. Today, January 21, the work begins. While this will be my fifth term representing District 5 in the Oregon House of Representatives, the solemnity of these opening days still evokes an overwhelming sense of the responsibility of the job and the magnitude of the work facing us.
And this promises to be a huge session, with headline issues including development of a new transportation package, work to stabilize our shelter system and boost housing production, investments in our K-12 schools, and wildfire mitigation and suppression funding. We will also be standing by and ready to respond to any actions by the federal government that demand our attention.
During this session, I’ll serve as Chair of the House Housing and Homelessness Committee. I’m also a member of the Climate, Energy and Environment; Revenue; and Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources and Water committees. As Assistant Majority Leader for Policy, I’m responsible for helping my caucus identify and focus on the policy and budget priorities we want to complete during the session.
Over the course of the last year, my staff and I have been working with advocates and experts (some of you!) to craft legislation that addresses real needs in the Rogue Valley and statewide. We’ve provided a summary of the legislation we’ll be shepherding below; of course, let us know if you’d like more information or to be engaged as bills move forward.
Finally, a shout out to the staff who will be driving the work over the next six months. Paige Prewett, a longtime resident of southern Oregon, continues as my fabulous Chief of Staff, and Selena Blick is returning from the 2024 session to once again serve as our excellent Legislative Assistant. District 5 is lucky to have this terrific staff team in place.
Heartfelt thanks for your support and your faith in me. Please let me know if you have questions, concerns, or comments as the legislative session unfolds.
Best,
Pam
 State Representative
Oregon House District 5 - Southern Jackson County
In the House Chamber on Jan 13, 2025 where I was sworn-in to my fifth term as State Rep.
Below you will find an overview of many of the bills I am introducing in 2025. I encourage you to follow and participate in the legislative process, because public input ensures that we are doing the work that will benefit residents all over the state.
OLIS—Oregon Legislative Information System provides extensive detail about every bill. To follow a specific bill, you can “e-subscribe” with your email address and receive notifications as it moves through the legislative process. Likewise, you can follow the activities of any House or Senate committee by e-subscribing.
Please note that the Capitol is still undergoing an extensive construction project that has closed many areas of the building. However, it is easier than ever to testify remotely at a public hearing. To learn more about how you can search for and follow bills, watch committee hearings or floor testimony, and submit testimony remotely or in person, please use this Legislative Session Participation Guide or reach out to my office for assistance.
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HB 3145 – Housing Materials & Methods Innovations: Provides Oregon developers, builders, factory operators, and communities with the opportunity to test new, off-site approaches in the delivery of rental or ownership housing aimed at households earning up to 80% of area median income (AMI). Options could include the use of modulars, mass timber, manufactured homes, or other new technologies. HB 3145 info sheet
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HB 3054 – Manufactured Home Parks & Marinas Affordability: Aims to protect homeowners living in parks who are experiencing rent increases and other requirements that far outstrip what they can afford with income from pensions, social security, or modest wages. HB 3054 info sheet
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LC 1105 / HB #TBA – Senior Housing Development Initiative: Incentivizes housing development for Older Adults and Persons with Disabilities using a combination of funding resources. LC 1105 info sheet
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HB 3146 – Waitlist Emergency Housing: Establishes a pilot program to provide Waitlist Emergency Housing to homeless/unsafely housed individuals who are waiting for substance use residential services. Individuals will have daily contact with case management and/or peer support while they wait for residential care. Residents must attend residential treatment or withdrawal management when a bed becomes available. HB 3146 info sheet link
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HB 3165 – Wildfire Impacted School Districts Funding Fix: This bill will close a funding gap for school districts impacted by the 2020 wildfires. In 2022, the Legislature passed HB 4026 to provide funding stability for four school districts particularly impacted by fire and the loss of students. Without intervention, the fund is estimated to be short $5.5M for the current school year, which could force districts to make significant, last minute cuts.
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HB 3149 – Wildfire Impacted School Districts Funding Extension: HB 4026 (2022) allowed wildfire impacted school districts to use 2019 student enrollment data to determine funding allocations; without this backfill, these districts would experience sharp reductions in school funding at the time when their communities were struggling to rebound. Now, a few years later, districts need more time to recover. This legislation will extend funding for four more years at an estimated cost of $38.5M. HB 3149 info sheet
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HB 3172 – Home Hardening: Provides policy direction and funding to the Oregon State Fire Marshal to establish the Wildfire Prepared Structure Program to provide financial incentives to individuals rebuilding after a wildfire, and to assist existing homeowners in the wildland urban interface (WUI) to retrofit current dwellings. Upgrades will reduce the likelihood of structural destruction during wildfires and protect our low income, vulnerable households.
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HB 3143 – Landowners Living with Beaver Grant Program: Establishes a $1.5M fund within Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife through the Oregon Conservation & Recreation Fund to support beaver coexistence strategies for private landowners. Funding will be used to help landowners implement beaver management tools, including tree protection, flood prevention devices, culvert protection systems, or crop protection strategies, and to provide landowner education/outreach. HB 3143 info sheet
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LC 1547 / HB #TBA – Corralling the Costs of Large Energy Users: Large energy users, including data centers and crypto mining operations, are driving enormous energy demand that threatens to increase electricity rates for residential customers. This bill will provide the Oregon Public Utility Commission with authority to ensure that new large users pay the costs of their own energy consumption.
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HB 3173 – Establishing OregonFlora in Statute: OregonFlora provides comprehensive information about ~4,700 vascular plants in Oregon to the public; state and federal agencies; educational institutions; businesses; consumers; and scientists, providing significant economic, social, and educational benefits. Long-term and sustainable funding is needed to ensure that OregonFlora can continue to provide this service. This bill creates an initial appropriation of $400,000 per biennium made to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for distribution to Oregon State University. HB 3173 info sheet
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HB 3170 – Resilience Hubs and Networks: HB 3409 (2023) directed the Department of Human Services Office of Resilience and Emergency Management to provide grants, support, and technical assistance for resilience hubs and networks, now found in ORS 409.760. The program received a one-time allocation of $10M. Seven hundred applications from across the state were submitted for funding, indicating widespread need for the program. This legislation proposes $10M to support a second round of grants. HB 3170 info sheet
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HB 3168 – IDD Worker Safety: In 2023, a staff member in a residential home for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) died while working by herself on a night shift. The event highlighted the need for appropriate safety protocols to protect both staff members and residents. This bill requires residential facilities serving high needs clients to provide a staff safety plan to the State’s Office of Developmental Disabilities Services that addresses emergency protocols and staff-supervisor ratios, as well as to adhere to increased staffing-resident ratios.
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HB 3193 – Farmworker Disaster Relief: Agricultural workers ability to work and earn wages are disproportionally affected by the increase in weather-related disruptions, such as extreme heat and debilitating smoke. This bill creates a permanent Farmworker Disaster Relief program, housed at Oregon Health Authority and partnering with existing worker relief organizations, to distribute financial relief to farmworkers who lose income due to a covered disaster. HB 3193 info sheet
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HB 3194 – Cannabis Workers Resilience Partnership: Farmworkers are increasingly being recruited, often unknowingly, to work in the illegal marijuana industry. Reported abuses include forced labor, threats and violence, unpaid wages, and unsafe housing conditions. This bill amends the Camp Operator Registration Act (CORA) to create liability for negligent landowners who lease land to unregistered housing providers; removes an antiquated and onerous requirement that workers have to bring an “injunction” in any legal case; and modernizes the penalty structure for violations. HB 3194 info sheet
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HB 3148 – Affordable Broadband: It is one thing to have access to broadband; it’s another thing to be able to afford services. This bill expands the existing Oregon Lifeline program to provide an increase in monthly subsidies for qualifying participants. It also creates a Device Assistance Benefit to allow Lifeline users up to $100/household for the purchase of a modest-priced device (tablet, laptop computer, etc.) used to access the internet. HB 3148 info sheet
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HB 3167 – Fan Fairness & Transparency Act: In an industry that has seen increasingly unfair and unscrupulous activities that drive up the cost of tickets and/or falsely sell tickets that are unavailable, this bill will provide protections to Oregonians who are buying tickets for concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment events. HB 3167 info sheet
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LC 845 / HB #TBA – Child Care Facilities Siting: Child care centers need to be located near where people live and work. This legislation requires that centers are a permitted use in residential zones when co-located with community institutions (churches, community centers, etc.) or sited in dense multi-family neighborhoods.
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LC 4078 / HB #TBA – Child Care Best Practices Guide: Cities and counties need to incorporate child care as part of their planning and land use process, but they often lack resources for this work. This legislation will require the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to draft model codes for use by local governments to comply with state laws relating to child care programs and facilities.
House Democrats are focusing on the most pressing issues facing Oregonians: making Oregon more affordable, ensuring our government is delivering for people, and keeping our communities safe while protecting basic rights and freedoms. Learn more here.
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1405
District Phone: 541-282-4516
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-375, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.PamMarsh@oregonlegislature.gov
Website and e-Subscribe: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/marsh
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