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Oregon News
POLITICS
Oregon Republicans line up behind transportation proposals that would cut pedestrian, transit and other climate-friendly programs – but not raise taxes
Oregon Live | By Carlos Fuentes
Oregon’s House and Senate Republicans proposed broad outlines of a transportation package Wednesday that would shore up funding for roads and bridges while cutting $184 million that would otherwise be designated for bicycle and pedestrian safety and infrastructure programs, passenger rail services and electric vehicle infrastructure and rebates.
The plan is the most deliberate effort yet by Republican lawmakers to avoid tax hikes and find some compromise with Democrats on a major transportation package this year. But the proposal is unlikely to gain much support from Democrats, who control both chambers and tend to support the climate-friendly programs that would be scaled back or outright eliminated under the plan.
Democrats have consistently signaled that any transportation package that passes this year will include a number of increased or new taxes. But Republicans have focused their efforts on narrowing the scope and spending of the state transportation agency, which has asked lawmakers for a massive funding boost to better maintain Oregon’s roads and bridges.
Democrats have been privately negotiating their funding plan with a small group of Republicans in the hopes of securing some bipartisan support. They have yet to announce the contents of a bill, although the House and Senate Democratic caucuses are planning to meet Thursday to discuss the ongoing negotiations.
Notably, the Republicans’ framework does not have the support of every caucus member, particularly the four who are negotiating with Democrats. Those participating in the closed-door meetings were not consulted on the plan, according to multiple lawmakers.
“They did not participate in this process,” Drazan said.
Five sources with knowledge of the negotiations said the Republicans at the table include Reps. Kevin Mannix of Salem and Jeff Helfrich of Hood River and Sens. Bruce Starr of Dundee and Suzanne Weber of Tillamook.
Republicans also proposed establishing an office to manage major projects that are currently managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation, which they say has allowed projects to skyrocket in cost without proper oversight.
“Oregonians are tired of being told the fix is always paying more,” Senate Republican Leader Daniel Bonham of The Dalles said in a press release. “Our plan puts common sense first — keeping roads clear, potholes filled, and the pressure off taxpayers. It’s about rebuilding trust and demanding accountability before asking families to dig deeper into their pockets.”
The proposal also recommends directing half of the state’s 0.1% payroll tax — which funds public transit programs across Oregon — to truckers in the form of tax credits for two years.
Republicans said temporarily sending that tax revenue to truckers would adequately compensate them for their yearslong overpayment for their share of Oregon’s roads, which the state has documented. Lawmakers of both parties have said more fairly balancing costs between truckers and car drivers based on their wear and tear of roads is a top priority this year.
Grand Old Podcasts: Oregon Republicans have a new messaging strategy
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
On a single day in February, two of the state senate’s most outspoken members — Mike McLane and Daniel Bonham — reported big purchases from the same electronics website, more than $35,000 combined.
About a month later, “Oregon D.O.G.E.” was born.
“I know it’s a controversial name,” said McLane, R-Powell Butte, of the politics podcast he and Bonham launched in mid-March. “I wanted to provoke thought. I want to be controversial. This is important.”
The title is a nod to the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency, the Elon Musk-led endeavor that’s slashed its way through the federal workforce this year. For McLane and Bonham’s purposes, it actually means “discussion of government efficiency.” And the two Republicans have found a lot to discuss.
In a little more than two months, “Oregon D.O.G.E.” has released 17 episodes digging into spending at state agencies and why McLane, Bonham, and their rotating cast of guests feel majority Democrats are doing it all wrong.
“Ultimately it’s a nerdy podcast because we’re going through budget by budget,” McLane said. “And we’re asking this question over and over to people: Is this the government that you want?”
But “Oregon D.O.G.E.” is just the tip of the spear in what has been an all-out blitz by state Republicans into the medium this year. With quality microphones, high-definition cameras and a professional-looking studio provided by Bonham and McLane, a growing cast of GOP lawmakers have emerged with their own shows.
Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, interviews colleagues and acquaintances in “The Starr Chamber”.
On “Back to Basics,” Rep. Jeff Helfrich, R-Hood River, promises his listeners ideas to “cut through red tape, get to simpler government, and get to stuff that works for you.”
And while State Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, doesn’t have his own podcast yet, he’s pledged to release one soon with a title playing off of his initials: “No B.S. with D.B.S.”
At a time when Republicans hold super minorities in both chambers, McLane and Bonham say their party needs to expand its reach and speak directly to Oregonians. A mini-podcasting empire felt like the right move.
“The old days of a press release that shakes the fist at the majority party and says, ‘We should be outraged!’ Guess what? That’s not working,” McLane said. “How are you going to communicate to the generation that grew up with podcasts and Instagram reels?”
If you’re looking for razzle dazzle, keep scrolling through your podcast feed. The Republican offerings mostly consist of staid interviews and issue discussions — all with a conservative bent. They’re great for politics nerds, but not always gripping.
But the shows are well produced and designed to reach the masses. High-quality video allows the GOP to circulate clips featuring pointed critiques of Democrats on social media sites like X and Instagram.
“My niece yesterday was like… ‘Uncle Dan, I see you every day on Tik Tok,’” Bonham said in a recent episode. “We’re trying this new avenue [that’s] relatively untested.”
Oregon lawmakers are now considering a ‘cap-and-trade’ program to fund roads, wildfire prevention
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
As Oregon lawmakers frantically search for money to fund roads and wildfire prevention, they have landed on a surprising idea: Dredging up a fight over cap-and-trade that once dominated legislative attention.
That push has been led, according to four sources with knowledge of the talks, by Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee. But it appears to have gained traction as other proposals to raise money for road and bridge maintenance and firefighting face an uncertain fate.
Oregon lawmakers revive controversial effort to implement cap-and-trade system
Oregon Live | By Carlos Fuentes
A key group of lawmakers have proposed that Oregon shift to a market-based emissions allowance system that could fundamentally alter the state’s regulation of companies that emit pollution in order to help fund two of the Legislature’s top priorities this session.
The Democratic co-chairs of the legislative transportation committee unveiled the controversial proposal in a memo Thursday where they updated Democratic and Republican leaders on the progress of a major transportation package that legislators have been negotiating for months. They said the cap-and-trade system would encourage major polluters to reduce emissions and suggested that the profits could be used to fund Oregon’s struggling transportation network and wildfire fighting and prevention efforts.
With only five weeks until the deadline for the current legislative session to end, it’s unclear if lawmakers have enough time to reach a consensus on the system this year, especially given historic pushback to similar plans. Republican lawmakers and industry groups in Oregon have vehemently fought and successfully killed similar proposals put forward by Democrats in recent years.
Republican lawmakers walked out in strong protest of cap-and-trade bills in both 2019 and 2020, effectively killing those efforts and prompting then-Gov. Kate Brown to issue an executive order implementing an emissions policy of her own.
But this year’s effort appears to be different because it has at least some Republican support.
One source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations told The Oregonian/OregonLive that Republican Sen. Bruce Starr of Dundee, who has participated in the private negotiations on the transportation package with Democrats for weeks, is a primary supporter of implementing the cap-and-trade system.
Controversial Cap and Trade Policy Re-Emerges in Salem
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
Republican lawmakers walked out of the Capitol in 2019 and 2020 because of their vehement opposition to proposed carbon emissions reduction legislation referred to as “cap and trade.”
Those walkouts came after years of wrangling over the policy, which came in a series of iterations but would have used financial penalties or incentives to compel businesses to reduce their carbon emissions.
Despite that brutal history, the Democratic co-chairs of the Joint Transportation Committee today officially surfaced an idea that’s been brewing in Salem over the past week—inserting a new version of cap and trade into a transportation funding bill the committee and the Oregon Department of Transportation have been pursuing for more than a year.
In fact, on May 21, the House and Senate Republican caucuses released the latest version of their own ideas for a transportation bill. Those ideas include a variety of cost-saving measures but do not include anything about repealing Gov. Brown’s executive order and replacing it with a new version of cap and trade.
What makes the whole conversation even more fascinating is that the idea to wedge cap and trade into the bill appears to be the brainchild of a Republican who is his caucus’ point-man on transportation, according to the OBI email.
“Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Dundee), who is one of a few Republicans at a negotiating table set by the Speaker and Senate President, is exploring cap-and-trade legislation that would supplant the existing Climate Protection Program,” OBI writes, “with an eye toward increasing the overall funds available for transportation-related projects.”
Superintendents in Oregon’s Largest School Districts Bridle at Giving Striking Workers Unemployment Benefits
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
Eight superintendents from Oregon’s largest school districts wrote a letter Friday to members of the Oregon House of Representatives, urging them to oppose one of the most hotly contested bills this session: Senate Bill 916.
“We must share the serious financial strain and administrative burden this bill would place on school districts—especially during a time of profound fiscal uncertainty,” the superintendents wrote. “The core of our concern is simple: every public dollar intended for education must be spent in a way that directly benefits students.”
Education lobbyists who’ve opposed the bill say they worry it would encourage longer strikes and take money away from students. In the two states with similar bills to SB 916, New York and New Jersey, teachers are prohibited from striking.
Budgeting into the unknown
Oregon Capital Chronicle | Commentary by Randy Stapilus
The switch has flipped on the last stretch of this year’s Oregon legislative session and the central dynamic for the last and busiest phase ahead has been set. So, possibly, has the campaign dynamic for next year’s legislative elections.
The kickoff was a standard trigger of the Oregon legislative schedule, the release of the May Economic and Revenue Forecast from the Office of Economic Analysis. The last such report during this year’s session, it will form the basis for the legislature’s decisions on how much to spend and how much income should be brought in — through existing or new taxes. Normally, it can provide a clear direction for inking in policies and budgeting plans evolving up to this point.
The headline from this new report does say that less money is likely to be wrung out of existing state taxes than had been expected in previous estimates — a decrease not in revenue but in what was previously expected.
The Republican take on the budget appears to position this year’s budgeting cycle essentially like any other, with problems a function of the majority party’s inability to budget well enough. Senator Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, said for example, “This should be a wake-up call. With a half-billion-dollar shortfall, lawmakers must focus on core services and cut the waste.”
Look for the remaining month-plus of the legislative session to turn into a debate over the effect the Trump administration is having on Oregon. The contours of that discussion will likely shape politics in Oregon and beyond all the way to next November.
Oregon loves its Bottle Bill, but is it dragging down Portland?
Oregon Live | By Aimee Green
Naughton is among a throng of Portlanders who cite Oregon’s beloved, first-in-the-nation 1971 Bottle Bill as a source of the problem. They say rock-bottom prices for street drugs that dip as low as $1 to $5 per hit and the ability to turn in $35 worth of beverage containers per day have enabled leagues of addicted Portlanders to rely on redemptions to fuel their addictions. Some people who live near the busiest redemption sites say it also has dragged down their neighborhoods in the process.
Supporters say the Bottle Bill’s upsides are abundant: Oregonians redeem more than 2 billion beverage containers every year, nearly 500 per state resident. That prevents litter and helps the environment. Though nine other states now have similar laws, Oregon consistently maintains the highest redemption rate, at about 90%, more than double that of some states.
Gov. Tina Kotek says she may sign executive order banning cellphones in Oregon schools
Oregon Live | By Julia Silverman
If Oregon is to become the 22nd state in the country to have a statewide policy banning the use of cellphones in schools, it could be up to Gov. Tina Kotek to make it happen.
Sen. Suzanne Weber, a Tillamook Republican, said she was hearing concerns from school districts in her community about a lack of attached funding to help implement the policy. Many school districts told her they would have to purchase locking pouches or hire staff to patrol for phone usage to make the policy effective, Weber said.
A bill to ban cellphones in Oregon schools is dead
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
House Bill 2251 would have required all of the state’s 197 school districts to bar students from using phones from “bell to bell” — the start of the regular school day until its end. The bill offered limited exceptions to that rule for kids in special circumstances, but also required that districts create consequences for students who violate the ban.
Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, said she’d heard loudly from schools in her coastal district that a state mandate could be costly and tough to enforce.
Sen. Noah Robinson, R-Cave Junction, appeared supportive of the bill, saying he worried deeply about student cellphone use, but said he didn’t like the idea of punting the decision to another committee.
Oregon Legislature expands single-use plastic ban
Statesman Journal | By Tracy Loew
The Oregon House has passed a bill expanding the state’s ban on single-use plastics.
In 2019, lawmakers passed a bill to phase out plastic film grocery bags but allowed stores and restaurants to provide thicker “reusable” plastic bags.
Senate Bill 551 would prohibit stores and restaurants from providing those heavier bags, as well as fabric checkout bags, as of Jan. 1, 2027. The bill does not define fabric checkout bags.
The bill was amended from an earlier version passed by the Senate, which would also have banned restaurants and convenience stores from automatically providing single-use utensils or condiments, and prohibited lodgings with 50 or more rooms from providing small sizes of toiletries, plastic-wrapped soaps, or other single-use items.
It now must go back to the Senate for approval before heading to the governor for her signature.
Oregon lawmakers pass pay stub clarity bill
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
The Oregon House passed a bill May 20 requiring employers in the state to provide employees with a written explanation of earnings and deductions shown on their pay stubs when they are hired, and review and update the information at the beginning of the year.
Supporters say the bill will provide necessary clarity to all workers, including state employees. Some advocates cited problems with the rollout of Oregon's new payroll system, which resulted in at least two lawsuits.
BOLI could fine employers who fail to provide the written information $500.
The bill now goes to Gov. Tina Kotek.
Rideshare drivers win more benefits, protections despite industry pushback
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Madyson Fitzgerald
The rideshare industry is not as heavily regulated as independent taxi drivers or taxi companies, which are subject to rules on permitting, background checks, vehicle inspections and more, depending on the state or locality.
Rideshare drivers and labor advocates across the country are urging state and local leaders to require rideshare companies to provide benefits for drivers, including paid sick leave, minimum wages and workers’ compensation.
Uber has opposed the Oregon bill, saying that the company needs more time to work with the state on drafting the measure.
Oregon lawmakers shield rural filled lands from state ownership claims
Capital Press | By Mateusz Perkowski
Rural landowners would be off the hook from having Oregon’s government claim ownership of certain riverside properties under a bill recently approved by the Legislature. However, urban landowners with potentially valuable parcels would still face that possibility for another three years under Senate Bill 165, which has now passed both the House and Senate unanimously. The bill seeks to clear up longstanding uncertainties over properties that were created when dredged materials were historically deposited along the banks of rivers.
Just Before Midnight, The City Council Votes to Divert $1.9 Million in New Funding from the Police Bureau to Parks
Willamette Week | By Sophie Peel
By the end of the heated debate—right at 11:50 pm—the City Council had voted 7-5 to divert $1.9 million in new funding from the Portland Police Bureau’s staffing budget to backfill maintenance cuts at Portland Parks and Recreation.
Oregon, U.S. DOJ argue Trump's tariff executive orders in court
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
A lawsuit co-led by Oregon challenging four executive orders on tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump had its first hearing May 21 in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
Oregon, SW Washington politicians react to 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' passing
KATU
House Republicans stayed up through the night to pass the "One Big Beautiful Bill" - a multitrillion-dollar tax break package and a priority of President Donald Trump.
Following the passage of the act, several representatives who voted on the legislation - along with other local politicians - issued statements in response to the bill's passage.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Roseburg moves forward with ban on public needle exchanges
Jefferson Public Radio | By Jane Vaughan
Roseburg city employees have recently found more hypodermic needles in public parks, and four have even been poked by used needles, according to a staff report.
The proposed ordinance would ban the distribution or exchange of hypodermic needles on property that is owned, leased or managed by the city, including public parks.
Nonprofit organizations could still exchange needles on private property.
Oregon sees first decline in fatal overdoses since 2016 with 22% drop in past year
KVAL | By Tiffany Lewis
For the first time since 2016, Oregon is seeing a decline in fatal drug overdoses - a 22% drop from 2023 to 2024.
State and local health officials say the turnaround may be thanks to a mix of treatment expansion, public awareness, and harm-reduction strategies.
Oregon State Police seize 60 pounds of fentanyl in traffic stop
KATU
A routine traffic stop on I-5 led to the seizure of around 60 pounds of powdered fentanyl, according to the Oregon State Police.
ECONOMY
Portland approves biggest water, sewer rate increase in more than a decade
OPB | By Alex Zielinski
Portlanders will be seeing an increase to their utility bills this summer.
Portland City Council approved a plan Wednesday to increase combined water and sewer bills by more than 6%. With the increase, the average household will pay a total of about $160 per month for the services — or nearly $2,000 annually.
The increase is expected to generate $439.9 million in utility revenue in the next year.
This is the highest rate increase the city has seen in more than a decade.
HEALTH CARE
Oregon bill aimed at health insurer care denials likely to pass
The Lund Report | By Lynne Terry
For years, providers and patients have complained about an insurance practice that can block or delay needed care. So, lawmakers responded with a bill to tackle so-called prior authorizations, and it’s sailing through the Legislature.
But it’s been drastically scaled back.
Many insurers require providers — and pharmacies — to obtain their approval before patients can access certain care. Insurers say prior authorization prevents unnecessary procedures and helps control health care costs, while providers say the requirement means they have to spend countless hours — and dollars — on wasteful paperwork while patients await treatment.
The Oregon Medical Association proposed House Bill 3134, which would have curtailed prior authorizations by giving certain providers with good track records of approvals an exemption from the process. The proposal was modeled after a 2021 Texas law that gives providers with high rates of prior authorization approvals a “gold card” status exempting them from the process.
NATURAL RESOURCES & WILDFIRE
For borderland cattle ranchers, a trade war with Mexico adds to the list of troubles
Oregon Live | By Palabra
In Donald Trump’s first 100 days, the borderland’s cattle industry faced a huge challenge: threats of a trade war already hitting consumers in the gut with rising beef prices, from Texas to New York, to California. The on-again-off-again tariff impositions and worries in February and March jolted Mexican cattle producers with mounting economic losses.
Free trade agreements protect around half of all goods coming from Mexico into the U.S., including beef. But for many in the industry, the uncertainty surrounding federal U.S. policies has ranchers spooked.
Cattle imports from Mexico’s sprawling border state of Chihuahua remain crucial to the U.S. livestock economy, especially with a U.S. beef shortage and the highest-ever beef prices, say ranchers here from Unión Ganadera.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
Think Out Loud: How proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act could affect salmon, other species in Oregon and beyond
OPB | By Rolando Hernandez
The Trump administration is proposing changes to the definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The proposed changes would prohibit actions that only directly relate to hurting or killing an animal. Historically, the word “harm” has been defined broadly to include habitat loss, which is a leading cause of extinction for endangered species. Noah Greenwald is the endangered species director for the Center for Biological Diversity. He joins us to share more on the broader impacts this change could have in Oregon and across the U.S.
Oregon reopens electric vehicle rebate program with up to $7,500 in savings
FOX12 News
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday reopened its Clean Vehicle Rebate Program, offering up to $7,500 back on eligible electric car purchases and leases.
National News
2 Israeli Embassy aides are killed in a shooting in Washington, D.C., officials say
OPB | By Becky Sullivan
Two staff members from the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot and killed Wednesday night outside an event at a Jewish museum by a man who chanted “free, free Palestine,” police said.
In suit against Trump administration tariffs, states argue president exceeded powers
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhart
President Donald Trump is misusing a 1977 law and falsely claiming an “unusual and extraordinary threat” to the United States to justify costly tariffs on nearly all imported goods, lawyers representing Oregon and 11 other states told judges on Wednesday
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and 11 other Democratic attorneys general filed that case — against Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its leader, Kristi Noem, and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and its leader, Peter Flores — on April 23. No decision in the case was made Wednesday. Rayfield at a news conference after the hearing said that judges had fast-tracked the case and are moving quickly.
Oregon and the other attorneys general — from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York and Vermont — are challenging four of Trump’s executive orders since April that have added fluctuating tariffs on most imports from China, Mexico and Canada and a 10% tariff on most all other goods imported from other countries to the U.S.
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