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Rep.SarahFingerMcDonald@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends,
We are nearing the finish line as Session is quickly winding down, with a target Sine Die date of June 18th. There are still hundreds of bills being worked, including our Coffin Butte Taskforce bill and the Wastewater Appropriation for Adair Village Workforce Housing. We hope to see movement on our two bills, and on other important policy's after the Next Revenue Forecast is delivered on May 14th.
If you'd like to help us advocate for our two bills in Ways and Means, you can email the following individuals and ask them to support and move them (House Bills 3794 & 3939)!
Ways and Means Co-Chair Rep. Sanchez - rep.tawnasanchez@oregonlegislature.gov
House Majority Leader Rep. Bowman - rep.benbowman@oregonlegislature.gov
House Speaker Rep. Fahey - rep.juliefahey@oregonlegislature.gov
House Democrats began this session focused on you. We came in committed to making things more affordable for your families, ensuring that your rights and freedoms are not eroded under the current administration, and that you have a state government that keeps us all safe, and keeps us moving forward.
As we head into the final sprint - let's take a look at some important bills that are still in play:
Housing
HB 2139 – Governor’s Middle Housing Bill requires the Housing and Community Services (OCHS) Department to give grants (financial help) to federally recognized Indian tribes in Oregon to help with housing and preventing homelessness in their communities.
- This means that Native American tribes in Oregon can get funding to support housing needs and reduce homelessness.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
HB 2258 – Governor's OR Homes Bill gives the Land Conservation and Development Commission the power to make rules that require local governments to approve certain housing development plans that have already been approved by the Department of Consumer and Business Services.
- This means that for some new housing projects, once the building plans are approved by the state, local governments won’t have to review them again, speeding up the process and increasing the state's housing supply.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
HB 2968 – The SDC Deferral Bill requires the Housing and Community Services Department to promise that a housing developer will pay certain fees to the local government, but only after people move into the new homes.
- These fees, called "system development charges," are for things like building infrastructure (roads, water, etc.), and the developer doesn’t have to pay them upfront—just after the homes are occupied. This approach can lead to more homes being built, potentially at lower costs, and could reduce waiting times for homebuyers.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
HB 3188 – This bill for Zero Down Payment Home Loans tells the Housing and Community Services Department to create a program that protects lenders from losing money on mortgage loans given to first-time homebuyers.
- This means that if a first-time buyer struggles to repay their loan, the program helps cover some of the lender's losses, making it less risky for lenders to offer loans to new buyers.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
HB 3054 - Addressing Manufactured Home Park Rents, this bill would make the rent for spaces in larger facilities can only increase by up to 6% per year, based on changes to the cost of living (the consumer price index). For people buying homes or dwellings in these facilities, the maximum rent increase will be limited to 10%.
- This helps make rents more predictable and prevents landlords from asking for unreasonable demands when selling a home in a facility.
- Status: Passed the House; Work Session Scheduled in Senate Housing and Development on May 14th.
HB 2077 - The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit extends the deadline for a property tax exemption (where they don’t have to pay property taxes) for nonprofit organizations that provide low-income housing.
- This means nonprofit groups that build or manage affordable housing for low-income people can continue to avoid paying property taxes for a longer time, which can help keep the housing more affordable.
- Status: Passed the House; Work Session Scheduled in Senate Finance and Revenue on May 12th.
HB 3560 - Childcare Super Siting Bill allows childcare facilities to be located in more places. There will be more options for where daycare centers and other childcare services can be set up, making it easier for parents to find care close to home or work.
- This makes it easier for families to find affordable and convenient childcare, which is an important part of making everyday life more manageable and affordable.
- Status: Headed to the Senate Floor.
Consumer Protection
HB 3167 - This bill addressing Ticket Resellers makes it illegal to knowingly sell or use software that is designed to bypass or mess with security or controls that ticket sellers use to make sure tickets are sold fairly, including during special presales.
- This means it's illegal to use special tools or programs to get around rules that make sure tickets are distributed fairly to everyone, like during early ticket sales.
- Status: Passed the House; Work Session Scheduled in Senate Labor and Business on May 15th.
HB 2561 - To address High-Interest Loans, this bill says that Oregon doesn't want certain changes made in a 1980 federal law to apply to loans for consumers in the state. Oregon is choosing to keep its own rules for consumer finance loans, rather than following some specific rules set by a federal law from 1980.
- This choice helps keep loan terms more reasonable and protects Oregonians from expensive or unfair lending practices that might come with federal changes.
- Status: Passed the House; Sitting in Senate Labor and Business.
HB 3533 - This bill to address Junk Fees would stop businesses in Oregon from showing a price for a product or service that leaves out extra fees—unless those fees are government taxes or reasonable shipping costs.
- This means the price you see in an ad or display must be the real price you’ll pay (not including tax or shipping), so there are no surprise charges at checkout.
- Status: Passed the House; Sitting in Senate Labor and Business.
HB 3178 - Due to issue found in Car Purchases, this bill requires car dealers to try honestly to get a loan or lease approved by a lender using the exact terms the dealer and buyer agreed on.
- This means the dealer can’t secretly change the financing terms after the buyer signs—they have to stick to what was agreed and try to get it approved as-is.
- Status: Passed Both Chambers - Headed to the Governor!
HB 2563 - To address issue with Insurance Premiums, this bill makes it so Insurance companies must clearly explain why your premium (the amount you pay) is going up when they renew your policy.
- This helps people understand the reason for the price change, so they're not surprised and can make informed decisions.
- Status: Passed the House. Work Session Scheduled in Senate Labor and Business on May 15th.
HB 3865 - The Telemarketing Ban would make it illegal for telemarketers to call outside certain hours, call you more than three times in one day, lie about who they are, why they're calling, or where they’re calling from, or leave out important information they’re supposed to share during the call.
- This helps protect people from annoying, misleading, or dishonest sales calls; further, helping people avoid stress, protect their privacy, and reduce the risk of fraud.
- Status: Passed the House; Sitting in Senate Judiciary.
HB 3875 - To address the lack of privacy in Vehicle Data collection, this bill ensures that car makers and their partner companies must follow Oregon’s privacy laws when handling personal data they collect from people using their vehicles—no matter how many people they collect data from.
- This means your personal information from your car (like location, driving habits, or synced phone data) has to be protected just like data from websites or apps.
- Status: Passed the House; Headed to Senate Floor.
Utilities
HB 3179 - The FAIR Energy Act tells the Public Utility Commission to think about how a proposed price increase would affect customers overall—but only if that price increase would raise the utility company's total income in the state by 2% or more.
- The goal of this bill is to make it harder for utility companies to raise prices without considering how it will hit customers’ wallets—helping to keep utility bills more manageable.
- Status: Sitting in House Rules.
HB 3546 - The POWER Act tells the Public Utility Commission to create a special category or set of rules for businesses or facilities that use a lot of energy. This means big energy users (like factories or data centers) might get different rates or rules than regular households or small businesses.
- Preventing cost shifting to households and encouraging efficient energy planning, this bill can ensure fairness in energy pricing and protect people from paying more than their fair share.
- Status: Passed the House; Sitting in Senate Energy and Environment.
HB 3148 - The Oregon Lifeline creates a program that helps low-income people pay for phone or internet services permanent. This means that instead of being temporary or needing to be renewed regularly, the help will now always be available for those who qualify.
- Having this resource available would cut monthly payments, keep people connected, and provide stability to everyday life.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
HB 3792 - Ratepayer Assistance would double the amount of money that must be collected from electric company customers—from $20 million to $40 million—to help low-income people pay their electric bills or get emergency help.
- This money goes into programs that support people who are struggling to afford their electricity, especially during tough times.
- Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
Healthcare
 HB 2010 - Strengthening the Oregon Health Plan continues existing fees (or taxes) on money made by health insurance companies, payments to managed care groups, hospitals, and a program that helps keep insurance costs stable in Oregon.
- These fees help fund the state’s healthcare system, including coverage for low-income residents. HB 2010 has been signed into law by the Governor and will be in effect upon the end of the legislative session.
- Status: SIGNED INTO LAW!
HB 2385 - Funding Services for Low-Income Oregonians will stop drug companies from getting in the way of pharmacies or clinics that are trying to get, deliver, or give out low-cost 340B drugs to patients.
- The 340B program lets certain health care providers buy medications at discounted prices to help serve low-income or vulnerable patients.
- Status: Passed the House; Work Session Scheduled in Senate Health Care on May 13th.
HB 3243 - Balance Billing Ban would stop ambulance companies from charging patients extra (called "balance billing") in certain situations and sets up rules for how insurance plans should pay for ambulance services.
- This means that if someone needs an ambulance, they won’t get hit with unexpected, large bills that their insurance doesn’t cover. It also makes sure that insurance companies pay ambulance services fairly.
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Status: Sitting in Ways and Means.
Upcoming Events
Art About Agriculture Competition and Touring Exhibition 2025
May 5 – June 25
Giustina Gallery at The LaSells Stewart Center,
Oregon State University
Red Cross Blood Drive
Friday, May 30, 2025 - 12:00pm
Corvallis Community Center
2601 NW Tyler Ave
Pride Potluck
Friday, June 27, 2025 - 3:00pm
Corvallis Community Center
2601 NW Tyler Ave.
Teddy Bear Picnic & Kids Concert in the Park
Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 10:30am
Central Park
650 NW Monroe Ave
Yours truly,
 Representative Sarah McDonald
House District 16
email: Rep.SarahFingerMcDonald@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1416
address: 900 Court St NE, H-477, Salem, OR 97301
website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mcdonald
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