Progress Made, But Challenges Remain

Oregon State Legislature sent this bulletin at 04/15/2025 08:29 AM PDT

April 15, 2025

Good Bills Passed, Bad Policies Persist

Last week at the Capitol brought a mix of hope and frustration. On one hand, several Republican-led bills earned bipartisan support and passed the Senate. On the other hand, Senate Democrats pushed forward a deeply flawed wage theft bill that puts small businesses and property owners in the crosshairs while letting the real bad actors off the hook. A mid-session legislative deadline meant many good bills died—fortunately, some bad bills died too.

Here is a look at the highlights—and lowlights—from the past week.

Republican Bills Passed the Senate!

We’re proud to report that multiple Republican bills passed the Senate with strong support last week, tackling key issues across Oregon:

Growing Housing Opportunities (SB 1086) – Sen. Dick Anderson’s bill creates a statewide apprenticeship program to train more building inspectors and speed up housing construction. With Oregon short 115 inspectors annually, this bill breaks the logjam to get homes built faster while ensuring safety.

Read the press release here.

Expanding Preschool Access (SB 1099) – Sens. Bruce Starrand Dick Anderson championed this bill to let churches use empty classrooms for preschool programs, easing Oregon’s childcare shortage. In 27 counties, families face a “childcare desert,” and this bill unlocks new options for kids and working parents.

Read the press release here.

Rebuilding After Wildfires (SB 1198) – Sen. Fred Girod’s bill supports North Santiam Canyon communities hit by the 2020 wildfires. It clears the way for a new sewage treatment facility in Mill City and Gates, boosting housing, water quality, and economic growth.

Read the press release here.

Strengthening Mental Health Support (SB 920) – Sen. Daniel Bonham’s bill taps OSU Extension Service to bring communities together for “Community Conversations” about mental health and substance use. It funds five counties to create local solutions, building on OSU’s trusted work in rural areas.

Read the press release here.

These bills now head to the House of Representatives for consideration. If passed by the House, they will then go to the Governor's desk to be signed into law. We’re proud of these steps to address housing, child care, wildfire recovery, and mental health!

Other Good Bills the Senate Will Vote on Soon

Repealing the Wildfire Hazard Map (SB 83) – This bill, a major win for rural Oregonians, would repeal the controversial wildfire hazard map that burdened over 100,000 property owners with costly mandates and excessive regulations. It empowers local communities to focus on practical wildfire prevention like forest thinning, defensible space, and wildfire readiness programs. It was passed out of the Senate Natural Resources Committee this week and is headed to the Senate floor to be voted on.

Read the press release here.

Cutting Red Tape to Build Homes Faster (SB 974) – Championed by Sen. Dick Anderson, this bipartisan bill streamlines engineering, planning, and review processes to speed up housing development within Urban Growth Boundaries. Passed unanimously by the Senate Housing Committee, it’s a bold step to tackle Oregon’s housing crisis and now heads to the Senate floor for a vote.

Read the press release here.

Bad Bills and Dead Bills

Wage Theft Bill That Holds the Wrong People Accountable (SB 426) – Senate Democrats passed a flawed bill that that lets exploitive labor brokers off the hook while holding independent contractors, small businesses, and property owners financially liable for violations they didn’t commit or even know about. It also exempts union contractors from this liability, giving them a clear edge over non-union businesses and continuing a pattern of benefits for Democrats’ union allies. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Read the press release here.

Committee Deadline Losses – Last week’s committee deadline meant bills had to pass their first committee to stay alive (except in Rules, Finance and Revenue, or Ways and Means). Many Republican bills didn’t make it—bills that would have lowered your cost of living, cut taxes, reduced energy prices, improved education, increased safety, curbed drugs, and made state government more accountable to you. While this is unfortunate, we remain focused on doing everything we can to stop harmful legislation, fighting for the good bills still in play, and representing your voices to the best of our ability.

What's Next?

The session is picking up speed. Bills that survived will face more debate and votes in the House or Senate. We’re committed to pushing for policies that put Oregonians first—growing the economy, improving education for our kids, strengthening safety in our communities, and making government work better—while working to block bills that don’t serve you.

Thank you for staying engaged! Your support drives our work to deliver results in every corner of Oregon.