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To contact me, please click here: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Friends,
Another full and eventful week in the Legislature! Next week is the final week before the first chamber deadline so bills are moving, and amendments are dropping. In some cases, bills that started out seemingly harmless are suddenly very concerning because of amendments. In other cases, bills that looked terrible are being negotiated to a place of bipartisanship. It is just that point in the process.
Below you will find a few bill updates, but by far not a comprehensive list. Just to give you an idea of how long the list could be…I serve on three policy committees. Next week I have five total committee meetings between those three policy committees. Between them there are 47 bills scheduled to have work sessions conducted. Meaning, there are 47 bills to be voted on. Those are just the committees I serve on.
There are 11 policy committees in the House that must have their bills voted on before Wednesday the 9th at midnight. That means hundreds of bills being voted on next week in just three days.
Needless to say, my weekend will involve a lot of bill and amendment reading and committee preparation.
As always, thank you for your support. Please reach out to my office with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
 State Representative - HD 23
 The proposed Oregon Transportation ReInvestment Package – “TRIP 2025”, is like more like a “psychedelic tax TRIP” for Oregonians. Here is what it really says.
BUYING AND LICENSING A CAR – NOT DRIVING IT YET….
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DMV FEES – Increase Title fees by $90 or around 100%. Current fees range from $90 to $190.
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Increase Vehicle registration FEES - Increase fees by $66. Current vehicle registration fees for gas powered passenger vehicles range from $126-$156. EV’s pay $316 unless they are registered in the OreGo program.
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New Car TAX (also known as the privilege tax passed in 2017 in HB2017 – ironically the last transportation package). Increases the tax applied to new vehicles from 0.5% to 0.8% or a 60%.
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The “New” Car TAX – Which will apply to all new and used cars and be in addition to the privilege tax. It will be a “one time fee of 1% of the vehicle price.
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Tire TAX – Brand new tax that will be 3% for all tires purchased.
ACTUALLY DRIVING
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Weight Mile TAX - Increase it by + 16.9%. These are the fees that trucks pay instead of the fuel tax. Former Senator Boquist and I called for a Special session on this issue in December of 2023 because the weight mile tax was already constitutionally out of balance with the fuel tax.
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Fuel TAX - Raise the current fuel tax of $0.40 per gallon to $0.60 per gallon. The Oregon gas tax was raised last year by 5%. Oregon has the nation’s 10th highest gas tax.
- ***FUTURE FUEL TAX INCREASES WOULD BE INDEXED AND TIED TO INFLATION – NO LEGISLATIVE APPROVAL, NO VOTE, NO INPUT, JUST AUTOMATIC INCREASES***
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Road Usage CHARGE for cars and pickups – pay per mile. Currently this is an optional program for EV vehicles in lieu of higher registration rates. The new program would eventually apply it to ALL vehicles.
- July 2026: Existing EVs
- July 2027: Newly purchased EVs
- July 2028: Plug-In Hybrids
- July 2029: New vehicles rated at 30 MPG or greater (starting with model year 2030).
DON’T DRIVE? – THERE IS A TAX FOR THAT TOO
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Delivery FEE – Businesses with 10 medium duty vehicles (10,000-26,000 pounds – Amazon vans, UPS, Fed Ex, Service providers like Cintas and Aramark, Batteries Northwest, Snap-on Tools, etc.) would be assessed a per mile fee somewhere in between the weight mile rate (which they do not pay today; they pay the gas tax most likely) and the road usage charge.
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Bike TAX increase — Currently the bike tax is $15 this would raise it to $24.9 for all bikes over $200. That is a 63% increase.
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Payroll wage TAX increase - Payroll tax is currently at 0.1%. The increase would take it to 0.18% an 80% increase.
HB 3522 - Squatter Evictions
In mid-2024, a constituent reached out to my office with serious concerns about Oregon's squatter laws. Coincidentally, I remembered this topic coming up in a committee during one of the scheduled legislative days. I reached out to Rep. Hartman (D-Gladstone/Oregon City) since I heard she might be working on this issue and sure enough, she sent my office over a draft of legislation she would be proposing during the 2025 Legislative Session.
Instead of wasting tax payer dollars to draft similar legislation, I signed on in support of Rep. Hartman's legislation. Yesterday, HB 3522A passed unanimously out of the House. This bill closes a loophole in the law and allows property owners and landlords to remove squatters using the standard eviction process after serving them just 24 hours’ notice.
This legislation is an example of bipartisan policy that will better all of Oregon. You can watch my floor speech here.
SB 999 - Ag Labor Housing
In last weeks newsletter, I wrote about SB 999. The bill attempts to clarify that OR-OSHA's authority to regulate farmworker camps is not broader than the federal OSHA authority, which is specific to seasonal farmworker camps. This bill would ensure that single family homes owned by farmers, on their farmland, and rented to agricultural workers, will not be treated as a farm worker camps, but treated as single family rental units under current landlord tenant laws. You can watch my testimony in support of this bill here.
HB 2198 - A fix to SB 489
In 2023, SB 489 passed and granted classified employees of school districts, who had a reasonable assurance of employment in the fall, the ability to collect unemployment over the summer and even Christmas break. At the time, the Legislature was warned by the Oregon School Boards Association that it would drive up costs for school districts. The union supported the bill, the school boards and voters opposed it. At the end of the day, the bill passed both chambers on party line votes.
This year I introduced HB 2198 to repeal SB 489 after seeing the effects on school district budgets in HD 23 and across the state. The warnings given in 2023 had come true. However, my bill was not given a hearing or a chance to start a conversation ad look for a possible solution.
This week, Joanna Hou with Willamette Week did an article on the 2023 bill and its effect on school districts after the first year of actual implementation.
There is absolutely no argument that we need our classified employees. They do difficult work and as a former school board member, I can say firsthand how much I appreciate what they do. However, the 151% increase so far from this unfunded mandate is crippling school districts at a time when schools are already struggling financially. For some smaller school districts, the cost can be equivalent to the cost of hiring another classified position for the school year.
There must be a better solution, but one thing is for sure, the legislature has no plans to address it this session.
HB 3881 - Mandated Apprenticeship
HB 3881 will be voted on next week in the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee. This bill expands on HB 2649 passed in 2023. The difference being the public works projects included in that bill were all projects paid for with state general fund dollars. HB 3881 covers school district projects which are often paid for with voter passed bonds, not only state general fund tax money.
The bill will mandate 15% utilization of BOLI Certified apprenticeships on K-12 construction projects over $750K. Apprenticeship programs are fantastic, and I personally believe that not every kid should go to a university and that the trades offer a great way to make a great living. However, BOLI apprenticeship programs are primarily union shops not private local employers. So, local employers and small employers in rural parts of the state will be shut out of being able to bid on projects in their local communities. If the contractor does not meet the 15% apprenticeship threshold for the project, there is a $15 per hour penalty that they will pay. That fee will come directly out of the districts bottom line for the project.
The estimated impact for K-12 construction projects is between a 20-22% cost hit for those who cannot hit the apprenticeship requirement that will take affect for contracts signed beginning Jan 1, 2026.
For example, Gervais School District was able after 25+ years to pass a much-needed school bond in 2024. The total amount was for $28M. If the contractor they hire cannot meet the requirements of this bill, the district could lose $5.6M+ off the top in penalties. That is money paid for by the voters of the district who voted yes for their money to go to the school, not to go to pay penalties.
HB 3939 - Infrastructure Funding
HB 3939 will finally get a hearing and hopefully a work session next week. This is an infrastructure package brought forth by Rep. Elmer (R-McMinnville) in which she included two projects for HD 23.
- $1,000,000 to the City of Dallas for water, sewer, storm drainage and street improvements in the vicinity of Oakdale Avenue and SW Hayter Street.
- $1,000,000 to the City of Dallas for water, sewer, storm drainage and street improvements in the vicinity of SE Barberry Avenue and SE Hankel Street.
Other cities included in the package are Florence, Baker City, Burns, Ontario and Carlton. The entire package ask is $15,850,000. I am grateful to Rep. Elmer for choosing projects from the vast list of needs in HD 23 and throughout the state that she received. Oregon has aging infrastructure and the need to expand infrastructure across the state and it is difficult to find funding for these needs.
 OSU Day at the Capitol and a fun reception following another busy Legislative day!
 Cancer Awareness Day and Republican Women Day at the Capitol!
 Support Bambinos by joining their ribbon cutting event on April 25th. This is a great nonprofit in our community!
 Learn about ODOT projects affecting HD 23
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1423
Capitol Address: 900 Court St NE, H-387, Salem, OR 97301
Email: Rep.AnnaScharf@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/scharf
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