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If you're having trouble viewing this message, please visit my legislative web page at http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/prozanski/, click "News and Information" on the left.
Dear friends,
Wednesday, April 9, marked the second major procedural deadline of the 2025 Legislative Session. Any bill assigned to a regular policy committee in its chamber of origin – except the Rules committees – needed to have its work session by the end of that day to stay "in play" this session.
On April 3, I carried SB 1125 to passage on the Senate floor. This legislation increases penalties for using a drone to interfere with a wildfire suppression. Drone operators have occasionally interfered with fire suppression and emergency response efforts in Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service reported two such instances in 2017 and 2018. In September 2022, the Oregon Department of Forestry temporarily suspended use of a helicopter as part of structural fire response due to drone interference. In June 2024, drone activity grounded an aircraft that was responding to the Applegate Fire in Jackson County. More recently, such an incident occurred in January 2025 while firefighters were responding to the Palisades Fire in California, with a drone leaving a large hole in the wing of a water-dropping "super scooper" that caused the plane to be grounded until repairs could be made.
I would like to invite Senate District 4 constituents to join me and Representative Lisa Fragala for a joint, mid-session town hall beginning at 10 a.m. next Saturday, April 19, at Amazon Community Center main hall (2700 Hilyard St., Eugene). We welcome your input and questions as things ramp up in Salem.
Gathering at Eugene City Hall during the Hands Off! protest on April 5.
(Photo credit: Max Unkrich, The Daily Emerald)
Below you will find information on:
- Budget Framework Focused on Fiscal Responsibility, Maintaining Core Services
- Public Comment on Proposed Changes to Day-use Parking Permits
- Student Voices: Participate in ODE's 2025-26 Rulemaking Process
- NCSL Youth Justice Fellows Program
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail.
Budget Framework Focused on Fiscal Responsibility, Maintaining Core Services
Every two years, the Legislature is constitutionally required to pass a balanced budget for the biennium that follows. It's a big responsibility that takes hundreds of hours of conversations.
The budget committee co-chairs released their framework for the 2025-2027 budget on Wednesday, which stresses fiscal responsibility, protects core services, and maintains flexibility during an uncertain economic time. As always, the Legislature is not going to have enough resources to pay for every important program up for consideration.
Oregon's economy is stable, so unlike other states we don't have to make programmatic cuts right now. While budget conversations continue in the coming months, my colleagues and I will make sure key investments are guided by Oregon values and directed toward the most pressing needs of our state.
One great part about the framework: We're able to maintain funding for existing programs, including fully funding the governor's request for $11.4 billion into the State School Fund for K-12 education, assuming the adoption of oversight and accountability measures.
Considering the chaos coming out of Washington, D.C., the co-chairs' framework also contemplates scenarios where actions by the federal administration impact Oregon's economy and budget. If federal budget cuts happen, the federal government will own those cuts and we would not be able to back-fill those services. Oregon's budget is designed to leverage federal funds to help more Oregonians, not plug federal funding holes. A destabilizing trade war or economic mismanagement from the federal government could also turn our country toward a recession.
Our co-chairs have been preaching "facts, not fear" so we are preparing for the worst while planning our budget with the information we have right now. The full framework is available, here. I welcome constituent feedback on the framework.
Public Comment on Proposed Changes to Day-use Parking Permits
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) is seeking public comment on a proposal to expand the 25 percent out-of-state camping surcharge to parking permit fees and eliminate the two-year parking permit. The out-of-state camping surcharge was enacted by state law in 2022 for RV campsites. OPRD expanded it to all site types for out-of-state campers for stays beginning July 1, 2025.
The proposed rule change would add a 25 percent out-of-state surcharge to parking permit fees. Based on current rates, out-of-state visitors would pay $12.50 per day or $37.50 for an annual parking permit. If approved, the change would begin July 1, 2025. Oregon residents would continue to pay the same parking permit rate of $10 per day or $30 for an annual permit.
The proposed rule change would also eliminate the sales of 24-month parking permits starting in 2026. Existing permits would be honored until they expire. The 12-month annual permit will continue to be sold.
These changes would help parks more consistently implement the surcharge as well as track annual revenue and budgets for parks in the future. It's part of an ongoing effort to help keep pace with rising costs while continuing to provide exceptional outdoor experiences.
Public comments on the proposed rule change will be accepted through 5 p.m. April 30, 2025, online, via e-mail and by mail:
OPRD.Publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov
OPRD Department, attn: Katie Gauthier
725 Summer St NE, Suite C, Salem OR 97301
Email: OPRD.Publiccomment@oprd.oregon.gov
A virtual public hearing will also be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 24, 2025:
Register to attend at: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__1Zw_JurTy-PYpxWhGra2w.
Once the public comment period ends, the proposal with any incorporated updates is slated to go to the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission in June for possible adoption.
Student Voices: Participate in ODE's 2025-26 Rulemaking Process
The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon State Board of Education (SBE) are looking for incoming high school juniors and seniors to participate in Oregon's K-12 administrative rulemaking processes as either a Student Member of ODE's Ongoing Rules Community Advisory (ORCA) or a Student Advisor to the State Board of Education for the 2025-26 school year.
Students can apply to be a Student Advisor to the State Board of Education or a Student Member of the Ongoing Rules Community Advisory. Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted. The Department aims to select students no later than July 31, 2025. Students will serve from August 2025 through July 2026.
If you know a current high school sophomore or junior (someone who will be a junior or senior during the 2025-26 school year) who might be:
- Interested in learning about Oregon’s K-12 Administrative Rules and how they impact our state education system;
- Willing to participate in group discussions and provide feedback, including constructive criticism, to ODE staff regarding draft rule language; and
- Committed to attending student pre-meetings and monthly full meetings of either the ORCA (for Student Members) or SBE (for Student Advisors) between August 2025 and June 2026
Please direct them to this bulletin, which includes more information on each of these engagement opportunities and the application process. If you have any questions about these opportunities or the application process, please e-mail ODE’s Rules Coordinator Haedon Brunelle at haedon.brunelle@ode.oregon.gov.
NCSL Youth Justice Fellows Program
I'm honored to have been selected to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) 2025 cohort of the Youth Justice Fellows Program, joining a national network of state lawmakers dedicated to advancing youth justice policy and legislation. Supported through a partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation, this program provides state legislators and legislative staff with an opportunity to engage in peer learning on youth justice policy and research.
Eighteen legislators from across the country have been chosen to participate in this program. Fellows are selected based on their role as an emerging leader in this field as well as their expertise on topic areas related to youth justice policy. The 2025 cohort will be joining an established community of policy experts that fosters collaboration, engagement, and learning.
Throughout this year-long program, participants will attend in-person meetings with policy experts and fellow legislators and will have the opportunity to develop individual action plans related to youth justice policy and receive technical assistance from NCSL staff.
Find more information on the NCSL Youth Justice Fellows Program, please visit: https://www.ncsl.org/civil-and-criminal-justice/youth-justice-fellows-program. NCSL is a bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the states, commonwealths and territories. It provides research, technical assistance and opportunities for policymakers to exchange ideas on the most pressing state issues and is an effective and respected advocate for the interests of the states in the American federal system.
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