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To contact me, please click here: Rep.DarinHarbick@oregonlegislature.gov
Dear Neighbors,
We are halfway through the session and coming up on the Work Session deadline on April 9th. I wanted to update you on what I've been working on and what is coming up in the Legislature. I have enjoyed meeting everyone that has come by the office. It's been an honor to serve as the Representative from House District 12.
One of the bills I drafted, HB 3564 has made it out of committee and will be coming up on the House Floor for a vote. This bill helps everyday Oregonians seek a correction when they have been defamed by the media. News outlets are very powerful because they have large platforms and an appearance of being an authority on truthful news. One false story from a bad actor posing as a journalist has the potential to ruin someone's reputation.
Under current law, in order to bring a defamation claim against a publisher or broadcaster, a plaintiff needs to send the demand for correction or retraction within 20 days after the defamed person receives actual knowledge of the defamatory statement. I felt that timeframe of 20 days was too short. Trying to find an attorney who specializes in defamation cases is very difficult in Oregon. After finding an attorney more time is needed to research what to put in that letter. Once the letter is finalized it then needs to be sent by certified mail to the editor. All of those steps need to be completed in the 20-day window. HB 3564 seeks to increase that timeline to 40 days.
HB 3564 also seeks to modernize the statutes around correcting defamatory statements. The majority of Oregonians now consume their news digitally. HB 3564 clarifies that the retraction statute also applies to the digital copy published on the website. It makes the publishers (if they have agreed to issue a correction) go back to the original article that was published online and either delete the defamatory statements or put a link to the correction on the article. Current law does not require them to do this. This is very important because online archived material is permanent, and online articles form the basis for information created via artificial intelligence. If a publisher has issued a correction, it is not an overly burdensome request to have them go back and edit an online article to reflect that correction.
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Democrats in the House and Senate have unveiled a multi-billion dollar tax-and-spend package aimed at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), a plan that’s only going to make it harder for Oregonians to keep more of their hard earned paychecks. This proposal, while promising improvements, comes at a time when families across Oregon are already struggling to make ends meet.
Here’s what this plan means for everyday Oregonians:
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Gas tax increase by $0.20 (a 50% hike)—driving up fuel costs for everyone, especially rural families who rely on longer commutes.
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Car registration fees will jump by $66—an added burden when the cost of living already feels overwhelming.
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DMV and title fees increase by $90—increasing yet another fee on the everyday transactions that rural communities can’t avoid.
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Truckers: those who help transport goods across Oregon—will see a 16.9% increase in the weight-mile tax, raising prices across the board for everything from groceries to construction materials.
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New car tax: a 1% “one-time system use fee” on new cars, making it even more expensive to replace aging vehicles.
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Car sales tax increases by 60%—raising the cost of buying vehicles that are often essential in rural areas.
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Payroll taxes increase by 125%—a staggering hike that could lead to fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, and fewer chances to make a living.
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Tire tax: a new 3% tax on tires—punishing rural drivers who depend on their vehicles to work, to get to town, and to keep things moving.
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A new EV road use charge
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Delivery vehicle charge: forcing businesses and communities to pay even more for deliveries, raising the costs of goods and services.
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Bike tax increase by $9.50
This package asks rural Oregonians to pay billions more, while getting less in return. It’s time to ask: whom is this plan really helping? Certainly not the working-class people across Oregon, especially in rural areas where we already carry the weight of high transportation costs. ODOT has failed to deliver results, and now they’re asking us to pay for their mistakes.
A recent University of Oregon report shows out-of-state businesses are actively recruiting Oregon workers, using tax incentives as “by far the most commonly offered” incentive to leave the state.
Researchers surveyed nearly 400 traded sector businesses and conducted more than 30 interviews. The results show:
- 24% of businesses reported being approached by recruiting agencies outside Oregon.
- 68% of businesses contacted by a recruiting agency reported moving or expanding outside Oregon.
- 60% said external recruitment efforts have increased in the past three years.
The fact that Oregonians are being enticed to leave our state is an indictment on the tax structure and regulatory environment that is forcing businesses to plan to grow beyond state lines.
The researchers recommended that the Governor’s office make economic development a more prominent priority, writing, “While we understand the rationale and urgency behind the Governor’s key priorities, we argue that economic development (thought of in terms prosperity for all Oregonians) is deeply linked with the state’s housing affordability and homelessness crises.”
This report concluded what House Republicans have been saying all along: To strengthen our economy, our state must support businesses by improving incentives and cutting taxes and regulatory burdens.
My colleagues and I penned a letter to the Speaker of the House, Julie Fahey, requesting fair hearings, work sessions, and Floor votes for our top priority bills that will help you and your family keep more of what you earn.
In our letter to Speaker Fahey, we asked for three bills to be prioritized to help provide desperate relief to hard-working Oregonians like you. My Republican colleagues and I are united and prepared to use every tool to advance these bills and address Oregon’s affordability crisis.
HB 3753 – Helps working families and tax-burdened Oregonians keep more of their paycheck by nearly tripling the standard deduction allowed for personal income taxpayers.
HB 3914 – Creates a personal income tax subtraction for tips received by thousands of Oregonians in the hospitality and service industries, helping them keep more money in their pockets as they face inflation and rising costs.
HB 2234 – Creates a personal income tax subtraction for overtime pay received by Oregonians who work extra hours to support their families. No tax on overtime is a great way to give working Oregonians real, tangible relief from rising costs.
Oregonians continue to struggle to pay the bills and afford basic necessities like groceries, utilities, gas, and rent. Oregon ranks as the 10th most expensive state to live in and it has the 5th highest individual income tax rate. Only California, Hawaii, New York and New Jersey have higher individual income tax rates than we do.
A recent January poll revealed that 79% of Oregonians favor cutting taxes to make Oregon more affordable and 70% favor eliminating state income taxes on tips and overtime pay. The same poll showed 56% of Oregonians say that taxes are too high.
I promise to continue to fight for policies that lower the cost of living and work to make Oregon a more affordable place for you and your family.
As we come up on the last half of the 2025 long session, I will keep fighting for my hard-working constituents in rural East Lane County.
Best regards,
Representative Darin Harbick
House District 12
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1412
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-376, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.DarinHarbick@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/harbick
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