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Oregon News
POLITICS
Opinion: Refocus ODOT and let’s get Oregon out of the mud
The Oregonian | Op-Ed by Rep. Christine Drazan, Sen. Daniel Bonham
Families across Oregon are tightening their belts as they experience the crushing weight of high taxes, rising grocery store prices, unaffordable housing costs and the sixth highest transportation costs in the nation.
At the same time, the roads we built over the last century are in desperate need of repair and Oregonians are wondering why having among the highest taxes in the nation isn’t enough to plow the snow in Eastern Oregon, fix the potholes that dot the roads connecting the Portland suburbs to the Oregon Coast, or ensure that bridges don’t collapse in Corvallis.
ODOT – the agency tasked with addressing these basic needs – has lost the trust of the people they serve. Not only did the agency recently admit a billion-dollar budget blunder but its record is riddled with projects that have blown past their budget or remain undelivered years after they were promised.
It’s time for legislators to give the same clear direction to ODOT as lawmakers did more than a century ago: Get Oregon out of the mud.
We must provide safe and reliable roads – without asking Oregonians to pay more.
Oregon House and Senate Republicans see a better way to move Oregon forward.
Oregon lawmakers to consider cap-and-trade in transportation funding
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
Legislators are discussing a carbon emissions cap-and-trade program to partially fund the Oregon Department of Transportation and major highway and bridge projects, according to a May 22 memo.
But one of the senators overseeing creation of the ODOT funding bill told the Statesman Journal there is not enough time left in the session to draft a proposal that would include a system limiting greenhouse gas emissions and allowing companies to buy and sell credits, or permits, to pollute.
"There's nothing wrong with us exploring cap and trade, but we're not going to do it in five weeks," Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, a co-chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, said in an interview after the memo signed by him and another co-chair, Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove, was sent to legislative leaders. The 2025 Legislature must adjourn June 29.
"We're having some challenges in terms of unrealistic expectations," Gorsek said.
Gorsek told the Statesman he believes discussions about the cap-and-trade program will have to wait until after the session ends.
Bill extending unemployment to striking Oregon workers advances
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
A proposal to extend unemployment benefits to striking workers in Oregon was sent to the full House on May 21 for a vote following an hour-long discussion in the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards.
Oregon should bypass California’s stalled Clean Trucks program and steer its own into the fast lane
Oregon Capital Chronicle | Commentary by Ken Johnson, affiliated with the Climate Reality Project: Silicon Valley Chapter; Adam Sweeney, co-director of the Climate Reality Project: Silicon Valley Chapter's Legislation and Public Policy Committee; Dan Galpern, executive director of the Eugene-based Climate Protection and Restoration Initiative California has set ambitious goals for EV truck adoption with its Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which imposes steeply escalating statewide EV sales quotas on truck manufacturers over the next decade. However, the state only generates about 2% of global transportation-related GHG emissions, so its initiative will not have a significant climate impact unless ACT motivates national- and global-scale action on truck electrification.
ACT has so far been adopted by only 10 states, of which six currently have legislation pending to delay ACT implementation. This includes Oregon’s HB3119, which provides that “the Department of Environmental Quality may not implement or enforce the Advanced Clean Trucks regulations … before January 1, 2027.” Oregon cannot simply develop its own vehicle air pollution restrictions because Section 177 of the federal Clean Air Act prohibits states from adopting such emission standards that differ from federal standards unless they are “identical to the California standards.”
In response to ACT-induced disruption in the Oregon market for large trucks, Gov. Tina Kotek recently directed DEQ to “quickly develop a solution for Class 7 and 8 trucks that considers the current circumstances while still maintaining the integrity of the ACT program for all other classes.” One option being considered is “credit pooling” (interstate trading of compliance credits).
Oregon Legislature expands single-use plastic ban
Statesman Journal | By Tracy Loew
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.
It now must go back to the Senate for approval before heading to the governor for her signature.
State Rep. Bobby Levy weighs in on bills close to family business while lawmakers weigh regulations
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Alex Baumhardt
On Feb. 5, state Rep. Bobby Levy, R-Echo, urged legislators at a hearing in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire to oppose a bill that would have required large farm owners to report their fertilizer use to the Oregon Department of Agriculture. The goal of the bill, which died in the committee after the hearing, was to help curb groundwater pollution that’s become a growing issue in Levy’s district in northeast Oregon.
Levy’s opposition to the fertilizer reporting bill — Senate Bill 747 — did not include any mention of her own farmland holdings or the income she gets from her family business, Windy River, proprietor of those fields of corn.
Senate Joint Resolution 9, sponsored by state Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, would refer a ballot measure to Oregon voters in November to decide whether to amend the state constitution to prohibit legislators from voting on bills when they’ve declared a conflict of interest. Little action has been taken on the proposal, which has been sitting in the Senate Rules Committee since January.
Oregon child welfare agency has ‘undone’ part of rule requiring public inquiry into child deaths, senator says
Oregon Live | By Sami Edge
Last summer, two medically fragile children who lived in the same southern Oregon foster home died within a month of one another.
When a child dies of potential abuse or neglect and the state has fielded concerns about abuse in their household within the previous 12 months, the Department of Human Services is supposed to conduct a “critical incident review” to evaluate how it handled those calls and identify improvements to prevent future deaths.
But only the second child’s death in the southern Oregon home triggered a public review – prompting questions from Corvallis Democrat Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, who accused the department of circumventing the intent of the law by disqualifying the first child from a critical incident review.
Oregon’s effort to bridge the digital divide at risk after Trump’s announcement
OPB | By Barabara Ortutay, Claire Rush
There are programs in Oregon teaching older people, including some who have never touched a computer, how to navigate in an increasingly digital world.
It all came crashing down this month when President Donald Trump — on his own digital platform, Truth Social — announced his intention to end the Digital Equity Act, a federal grant program meant to help bridge the digital divide.
New Oregon law allows tribes to petition for removal of state control from tribal affairs
OPB | By Melanie Henshaw
A tribally backed bill that could simplify the jurisdictional patchwork in Oregon Indian Country was signed by Gov. Tina Kotek on May 22 after sailing through the state Legislature.
Passed unanimously by both legislative chambers, the new law will create a formal process for tribes to petition the state for the reversal of a 1953 federal law as it applies on tribal lands within the boundaries of Oregon.
Jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases on tribal lands is a complex picture that changes based on the Indian status of the people involved, making the crimes the potential responsibility of federal, state or tribal authorities.
Portland added people last year for the first time since 2020, population estimates show
OPB | By Kyra Buckley
Portland’s population decline appears to be reversing.
Estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and Portland State University show the city’s population increased last year. It comes after shedding more than 10,000 people in the years immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oregon Sen. Wyden reintroduces Vote at Home Act amid SAVE Act concerns
KOIN | By Michaela Bourgeois
Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) reintroduced a bill on Friday that could change the way Americans vote across the United States.
Initially introduced by Wyden in 2017, the Vote at Home Act would give eligible voters the option to vote by mail (including via drop-off site), provide pre-paid envelopes to return ballots and would automatically register citizens to vote at DMVs.
5 ways Trump’s tax and spending bill would change Medicaid in Oregon
Oregon Live | By Kristine de Leon
The proposal — branded by President Donald Trump as the “big, beautiful bill” — would alter Medicaid rules and introduce new restrictions on health care coverage, while also extending prior tax cuts and boost funding for immigration enforcement. A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the package would trim at least $700 billion in federal Medicaid spending over the next 10 years.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Overdose deaths, drug-related calls for service declining in Multnomah Co.
KATU | BY Christina Giardinelli
According to recent CDC data, overdose deaths nationwide are on the decline, and Oregon — a state that in previous years had seen one of the steepest increases nationwide — is now among states with the steepest declines.
In the state's most populated county, those numbers are also reflected in a decline in drug-related calls for medical emergency services.
Portland is the epicenter of Oregon's Fentanyl crisis, where the declining deaths are accompanied by a declining number of 911 calls related to drug emergencies. Police say enforcement efforts and changes to drug possession laws may also be playing a role.
ECONOMY
Opinion: Portland, the city that works for 28-year-olds
The Oregonian | Op-Ed by John Tapogna, President Emeritus of ECOnorthwest
Portland finds itself in a perplexing spot. Core public services—police, fire, prosecutors, parks—are underfunded, while new initiatives like prekindergarten and clean energy sit on huge unspent balances. Police took an average of 20 minutes to respond to a life-threatening crime during the past year. Thousands of our neighbors live in tents. Our top personal income tax rate trails only New York City’s, and the tax bill for Portland-based businesses jumped 82% between 2019 and 2023.
With the tax-service proposition so out of balance, it’s fair to ask: is this city working for anyone? It is. But for an increasingly narrow group—post-college, young adults.
And when the city is really working, 28-year-olds don’t just pass through. They start families. They start businesses. They serve on school boards and city commissions. They become the next generation of civic leadership. Retaining them isn’t about vibes – it’s a long game for economic and social stability.
But here’s the thing: No city thrives on one demographic alone. A healthy Portland must work for young families trying to buy their first home. For workers who don’t remote in from a laptop. For retirees who want to walk their grandkids to a safe, clean park.
HOUSING
Struggling housing market could slow enough for prices to dip
KATU | By Austin Denean
Unaffordability woes that have driven a multi-year freeze in the housing market may be showing some signs of improvement as houses start to pile up on the market with fewer buyers looking to jump into homeownership amid economic uncertainty and a challenging interest rate environment.
Redfin said in a report released last week that housing prices could fall 1% on a national average by the end of the year if the current trend continues.
Homebuying options remain slim for middle-income earners
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Tim Henderson
On a national level, households making $75,000 to $100,000 — typical of teachers, nurses and skilled trades workers in many states — face a daunting lack of homes they can afford. That’s according to new research by the National Association of Realtors and Realtor.com based on listings in March of this year compared with 2024. However, the numbers showed an encouraging 20% increase in homes for sale, affordable or not.
Despite more houses for sale, those moderate-income buyers — which the report called “middle- and upper-middle-income buyers” — are much more hard-pressed to find an affordable home than they were in 2019, when almost half the homes on the market were affordable to them. This year they can afford only 21.2% of homes on the market — a slight improvement compared with 20.8% in 2024, according to the report.
Fair Housing Council of Oregon will scale back after losing federal grants
Oregon Live | By Jonathan Bach
An Oregon nonprofit that investigates and litigates allegations of housing discrimination says it will halt its work in many cities, and may lay off staff, after the Trump administration cut off nearly $1 million in grants over three years.
HEALTH CARE
Opinion: Oregon legislators must follow through with action on youth addiction crisis
The Oregonian | Op-ed by Tony Vezina, executive director of 4D Recovery and a person in long-term sobriety. He also co-founded Oregon’s first sober high school, Harmony Academy.
Oregon ranks near the bottom nationally in youth addiction care – 48th to be exact, according to Mental Health America. Roughly 41,000 Oregon youth between the ages of 12 to 17 are believed to need treatment, according to the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, but only about 8,000 receive it.
Regardless of the many needs Oregon must fund, legislators can no longer ignore the gaping holes in our youth care system. We’ve lost hundreds of young people in the past five years amid a raging drug crisis that Oregon was poorly equipped to handle. Legislators should commit now to advancing the state’s strategy for youth substance use disorder and mental health services by funding sober high schools, preventing kids from using substances, and funding addiction treatment services.
A group of advocates, including myself, opened the first one in 2019 – Harmony Academy - which has shown success by helping nearly 500 teenagers on their road to recovery. Our group later helped pass legislation to open eight more by 2029, including two that opened in the Portland and Salem school districts. But funding for the next three was left out of this legislative budget, leaving other hopeful communities around the state devastated.
Legislative leaders should step up now and show their commitment to the concept by supporting House Bill 2502, which ensures the funding for these three schools — $8 million — is put back into the budget.
NATURAL RESOURCES & WILDFIRE
Butte Creek Fire in Oregon grows to 3,000 acres Monday
KATU | By Barry Mangold
Oregon's first large wildfire of the year grew another 1,000 acres in size on Monday, and is now covering 3,000 acres.
The Butte Creek fire sparked on Sunday afternoon. The cause is still under investigation, and there is no containment of the fire yet.
How prescribed burns are reshaping Southern Oregon forests and communities
OPB | By Juliet Grable
In fire-prone Southern Oregon, residents of the Green Springs joined forces to carry out a 12-acre prescribed burn — lighting controlled fire to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest health. The effort reflects a growing movement to use “good fire” to reshape landscapes and build community resilience.
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