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Oregon News
POLITICS
US Sen. Ron Wyden plans to run for reelection in 2028
OPB | By Bryce Dole
The senior member of Oregon’s congressional delegation, Wyden plans to run for reelection in 2028, Hank Stern, a spokesperson for Wyden, said in a text message to OPB.
Wyden turns 76 on Saturday. He would be 79 when he’s up for reelection.
Oregon gas tax may rise less than projected after officials fixed key state transportation study
Oregon Live | By Carlos Fuentes
Oregon lawmakers are continuing negotiations for a massive transportation funding package, but there are fewer unknowns after the state said Tuesday that correcting a key study underpinning the plan will “incrementally” impact the recommended tax increases.
The upshot is that the state gas tax, paid by drivers of cars and other light vehicles, could rise slightly less than initially proposed, while the weight-mile tax, paid by owners of semis and other heavy trucks, will likely land slightly higher than earlier projected.
The updated results come weeks after a state economist discovered errors in the Highway Cost Allocation Study, which state officials oversee every two years to determine whether cars and trucks are paying their fair share for Oregon’s transportation needs.
The updated analysis, conducted by contracted consulting firm ECONorthwest in the last two weeks since the state first discovered errors, confirmed that truckers are on track to overpay for their share of Oregon’s roads, but not to the extent previously reported. In contrast, the updated study affirmed that car drivers would underpay for their road usage absent an increase in the gas tax or DMV fees, but not quite to the extent initially reported.
But in updated results dated Monday, ECONorthwest determined that heavy vehicles, defined as those weighing more than 10,000 pounds, are projected to overpay their share by 26%, not the 37% found in the initial report. Light vehicles are now projected to underpay their share by 11%, not 13%.
In other words: the updated results might not drastically impact the tax proposals that lawmakers are currently negotiating behind closed doors.
'Game-changer': Oregon Senate unanimously OKs bill to speed urban housing approval process, quicken pace
KTVZ
The Oregon Senate on Monday unanimously passed a bill that would set a 90-day deadline for decisions on land-development applications for housing in urban areas.
Senate Bill 974 also eases requirements for design review in urban areas on building style and landscaping, while maintaining standards on size, fire codes, and safety regulations.
An Oregon Senate Bill Would Make Tech Giants Share Their Wealth With the News Business
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
Senate Bill 686 would compel the dominant players in internet search, Google and Facebook, to compensate local news organizations for the content they provide.
SB 686, drawing on a concept that has been piloted in California, Canada and Australia, would require the big tech companies to pony up a share of what they earn in Oregon to a third-party administrator. Based on a formula that takes into account revenues and market share, that sum would be $122 million annually. The administrator would pay 10% to a fund at the University of Oregon to be distributed to small newsrooms and startup initiatives. The other 90% would be paid to existing newsrooms based on the head count of their journalists producing news for Oregon audiences.
Oregon lawmakers consider pay bump, new protections for rideshare drivers
OPB | By Dirk Vanderhart
In the decade since Uber barged into Portland, drivers for the rideshare app and its main competitor, Lyft, say working conditions have deteriorated.
Lawmakers are considering a proposal to improve the lot of drivers for so-called transportation network companies. Senate Bill 1166 would set minimum pay drivers must make, grant them paid time off, and require that ride hailing apps provide just cause when revoking a driver’s account.
While Oregon law grants most workers paid leave, it doesn’t apply to independent contractors like rideshare drivers.
The bill is a priority for Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-Portland, who says he’s become convinced by drivers in his district that labor conditions at Uber and Lyft are untenable.
The push and pull has become familiar around the nation. New York City, Washington state, and Minnesota have passed policies setting minimum driver wages. In response, ride hailing companies have at times threatened to leave entirely, though such threats have not panned out.
Even so, some Republican state senators voiced worry about what might happen to rideshare services in smaller Oregon cities if the bill passed.
"We finally have service in Hood River,” said Senate Minority Leader Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles. “I am nervous that right now we are hearing from a lot of people in Portland that have concerns. I have not heard from any of my local drivers.”
Oregon lawmakers pass bill to make lottery winners anonymous
Oregon Live | By Ted Sickinger
Lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that would make all lottery prize winners in Oregon anonymous, eliminating what was once considered a key transparency measure to maintain integrity and public trust in the games and the agency that runs them.
House Bill 3115 passed the Senate on a 23-to-5 vote. It’s not clear if Gov. Tina Kotek supports the legislation and will sign it into law, as her office has ignored multiple requests for comment during the last two weeks.
Portland cannabis businesses argue federal law preempts Oregon pot labor law, Measure 119
Oregon Live | By Maxine Bernstein
Two Portland cannabis businesses Tuesday urged a judge to halt enforcement of Measure 119, which requires them to set up labor agreements for their workers as a condition of licensing or their license renewal.
The measure requires cannabis retailers and processors to remain neutral regarding a labor organization’s communications with their employees yet would punish the business owners if an agreement isn’t executed.
Oregon bill would restrict flavored nicotine, tobacco sales
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
Oregon lawmakers trying to tackle teen vaping have amended a bill that would have banned flavored tobacco and nicotine products to limit their sale exclusively at liquor stores.
But opponents of Senate Bill 702 argue shifting sales to liquor stores will not keep flavored tobacco and nicotine products out of the hands of teens and will hurt local retailers who sell the products.
Tobacco is the No. 1 cause of preventable death and disease in Oregon, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Tobacco use killed more than 8,500 Oregonians in 2022 and cost nearly $5.7 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity, according to the OHA. From 2019 to 2022, there were over 33,000 tobacco-related deaths.
Employment Program for Homeless People Halved in County Chair’s Proposed Budget
Willamette Week | By Anthony Effinger
The program served 1,388 people in the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, and was budgeted to serve 750 in fiscal 2025 (which ends in two months). But estimates show it will likely serve 1,746 people this year, according to the program offer. That figure more than doubled because of “an enrollment increase reported in the first two quarters.”
But that success wasn’t enough to keep the program off the chopping block.
In fiscal 2025, the program got $5.6 million. This year, it’s slated to receive $2.7 million, and that cash is coming from video lottery money allocated to Multnomah County to be used for the purpose of “furthering economic development.”
State lawmakers launch group to spur ‘guaranteed income’ cash to residents
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Kevin Hardy
The lawmakers want to see states play a larger role in guaranteed income programs, which aim to help residents in need by handing out no-strings-attached cash.
The concept of basic income programs took off following a 2019 experiment in Stockton, California. There, 125 individuals received $500 per month for two years, which researchers found improved their financial stability and health.
While the concept has gained traction across the country, Republican state lawmakers have pushed bills to ban basic income programs, arguing they disincentivize work.
Trump cuts to a federal agency could disrupt funding stream that ‘saves lives’ in Oregon
Oregon Live | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes
As the Trump administration continues to slash staff and funding at federal agencies, it would be easy to overlook the $5 million from the tiny U.S. Family and Youth Services Bureau that 11 Oregon nonprofits count on to help homeless and runaway youth.
That money has steadily flowed to Oregon nonprofits, until now. But staffing cuts and changed priorities at the small federal bureau have thrown the continuation of the grant program into question.
Oregon joins Washington, other states in lawsuit fighting Trump administration over Head Start cuts
OPB | By Natalie Pate
Advocates argue the Trump administration’s recent actions targeting the preschool programs undermine ‘the very premise of Head Start.’
A coalition of parents and Head Start providers on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s efforts to dismantle the Head Start program. Oregon is joining the fight.
The administration has frozen funding, conducted mass layoffs at the regional offices for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and “slow walked” grants — which advocates say left hundreds of families scrambling to find childcare. Now it’s proposing to eliminate Head Start completely.
Portland's mayor, police chief and Oregon governor stand by sanctuary statuses
KATU
After President Donald Trump signed a new executive order Monday aimed at sanctuary cities, Portland’s mayor, the city’s police chief and the governor of Oregon are standing behind sanctuary statuses despite potential legal action against them.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Oregon ranks high for states with worst drug problems: WalletHub
KOIN | By Andrew Foran
From open-air drug markets to overdoses in the streets, Portland has seen its fair share of drug issues.
According to a new report by WalletHub, Oregon ranked 12th worst in the United States for drug problems.
The report compared all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C. in three categories: drug addictions and usage, law enforcement, and drug health issues and rehab, and in two of those categories, Oregon was among the worst, resulting in the overall low score.
Oregon also ranked high for drug health issues and rehab, falling at the eighth worst in the country. The category looked at the number of adults who couldn’t get treatment for drug addictions, the number of substance abuse treatment facilities and the accessibility of Narcotics and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Judge allows removal of homeless campers in national forest outside Bend to proceed
Oregon Live | By Lillian Mongeau Hughes
A group of homeless campers who have come to call a portion of the Deschutes National Forest home are set to be evicted Thursday after a federal judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order.
The group, which originally numbered close to 200, was first notified in January that the area of the forest in which they’ve been living would be closed for restoration May 1.
Grants Pass grapples with how to balance needs of community, both housed and unhoused
OPB | By Elizabeth Castillo, Allison Frost
For the last year, Grants Pass has been at the center of a national conversation about where people who are homeless can stay. A lawsuit brought against the city by a group of homeless people had made its way all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court: Grants Pass v. Johnson.
NATURAL RESOURCES & WILDFIRE
Is Portland ready for a catastrophic wildfire in Forest Park?
Oregon Live | By Gosia Wozniacka
The home assessments have become one of several key strategies to better prepare for what Portland fire officials say is an increasingly real possibility of a major wildfire in Forest Park, the city’s largest natural area and a top wildfire priority.
The park’s position on an east-facing slope and exposure to strong local winds that could fan fire growth, its limited water supply and restricted fire lane access also pose risks.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Electricity demand in Northwest could double in next 20 years, forecast finds
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
Demand for electricity in the Northwest could double by 2046, according to a new energy forecast from regional experts.
Over the next two decades, demand could increase by between 1.8% and 3.1% annually, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council heard Tuesday. The projected growth will come primarily from companies building more data centers in the region, more electric vehicles on roads, electrifying buildings, computer chip manufacturing and the production of “green hydrogen” created by running an electrical current through water to split the molecules into hydrogen and oxygen.
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