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To contact me, please click here: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends,
Here are a few updates for you this week.
~ Virgle
Officials reverse course on inner tubes rule for new Oregon boating fee law
Statesman Journal
Oregon boating officials reversed course and clarified that people floating in two inner tubes tied together won't need a Waterway Access Permit after all. The clarification, issued July 15, came on the heels of an uproar created by passage of House Bill 2982, which was signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek and goes into effect Jan. 1, 2026. The law centers on raising additional funds to combat invasive mussels getting into Oregon rivers and lakes by funding boat checkpoints. One way it does that is by requiring non-motorized boats under 10 feet to have a $20 annual Waterway Access Permit. Previously, boats under 10 feet were exempt.
PacifiCorp's Oregon wildfire lawsuit toll nears $500M with new verdicts
Portland Business Journal
It was more of the same for PacifiCorp on Thursday as a Portland jury added about $56 million to the Berkshire Hathaway utility company's toll in a massive 2020 wildfire class-action lawsuit. The verdicts, involving 11 plaintiffs, brought damages so far to around $485 million in what's known as the James case. With some 2,000 additional people waiting to have their cases heard, it's shaping up as one of Oregon's most expensive lawsuits ever. This was the sixth damages-only trial this year, all based on a 2023 jury's determination that PacifiCorp was willful, grossly negligent and reckless in sparking four big wildfires the night of Labor Day 2020.
I understand the urgency for our state highways and roads to be taken care of. I
especially understand the consequences of lack of maintenance in the winter periods
around Douglas County and the rural areas that receive snow and ice.
As a first responder myself, I have witnessed how ODOT has been on scene for
wildfires, landslides and snowstorms to help with safety and aid when needed.
My hope is that our governor and the majority party can come to an agreement the
people of Oregon can afford. The initial plan included a tax increase that 70% of
Oregonians could not accept. This bill included massive spending on DEI programs
and environmental protection and fossil fuel reductions along with massive tolling
opportunities and an increase to registrations and road use fees. To add to the
increase the total would have increased payroll taxes on all Oregonians.
The majority party is a “supermajority” and had the ability to pass this tax bill and not
even ask for a single republican vote. Instead, the majority (democrat party) took a
common sense approach knowing the good people of Oregon could not afford this
increase and they could not get enough votes in their own party to put this burden on
taxpayers' backs.
There is a high likelihood of a special session in the future. If our governor and the
majority party can come up with a plan that will not overburden citizens and reduce the
DEI and climate change spending, I would guess it would pass readily. Just to put facts
on the problem, the DEI spending last biennium was $28 million and was expected to
grow to $29 million. Special interest groups such as Seeding Justice were scheduled to
get even more dollars in the name of “green” climate protections.
The moneys spent on DEI alone would have employed half the folks that were laid off if
ODOT was allowed to focus on the “core” mission and not special interest spending.
Some further digging found the ODOT budget to be twice that of some neighboring
states that have more roads and people.
I will do my very best to help with this situation with common sense solutions. I do not
want a single ODOT employee to lose their job over this mismanagement of our state
budget.
Hang in there, I’m sure we will find a solution soon. Please write, email or call your
representative and let them know how you feel!
Yours truly,
 Virgle Osborne, State Representative, House District 2
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1402
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-375, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/osborne
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