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Oregon News
TRANSPORTATION
Gov. Tina Kotek signs road funding bill, as opponents vow to block it
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
Working alongside Diehl as co-petitioners are Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, and Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon. The group has built a volunteer base of more than 2,000 people since HB 3991 passed, according to Diehl, and will look to quickly collect at least 100,000 signatures to refer pieces of the bill to the November 2026 ballot.
“Oregonians will not be silenced, and their voices will not be ignored,” Starr said in a statement Monday. “They will have the opportunity to weigh in, hold their leaders accountable, and demand a transportation system that works for the people who pay for it.”
Gov. Tina Kotek signs Oregon transportation package over 1 month after it was passed
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason
Kotek has faced bipartisan criticism for not signing the bill sooner that she called a special session for.
"The Governor’s decision to stall signing the gas tax bill isn’t about deliberation—it’s about deflection. By waiting, she’s denying voters a voice on a tax that will hit every working household," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, said in an Oct. 23 newsletter.
Starr is one of the leaders of a referendum effort that has been preparing to collect the 78,116 signatures needed to refer the bill's cost increases to the ballot but could not do so until after the bill became law.
He's joined by Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, and Jason Williams of the Taxpayers Association of Oregon in spearheading the initiative, which plans to hold a "Sign Across Oregon" event on Nov. 22.
Attempts to pass new taxes with voter approval have historically been unsuccessful.
A phone poll of 500 Oregonians between Oct. 15 and Oct. 25 found 67% of those surveyed would be strongly or somewhat more likely to vote against the increases.
Gov. Tina Kotek signs controversial transportation funding plan as deadline approaches
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
She signed the bill Friday, more than a month after Democratic lawmakers pushed it through the Legislature along party lines. The delay appears to have been strategic. Republicans who hope to refer the tax increases to voters next year now have less than two months to gather roughly 78,000 required signatures to get it on the ballot.
Many Republicans have criticized Democrats for attempting to raise taxes instead of cutting transportation programs they view as non-essential or diverting other state dollars to the transportation agency.
The group hoping to get the tax increase on next year’s ballot says it has gathered the support of more than 3,000 volunteers to help gather signatures. The group is led by Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee, Republican Rep. Ed Diehl of Scio and Jason Williams, director of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
Although Kotek and top Democrats said passing the bill was an urgent task, she waited for weeks to sign it. Republican petitioners say her motivation to wait was obvious: their campaign only has until Dec. 30 to gather signatures, but they couldn’t start until the governor signed the bill, meaning her sitting on the plan shortened their window to raise money and collect signatures.
“She doesn’t think we can pull off collecting enough signatures to refer it to the ballot — and she’s doing everything she can to make it impossible,” Diehl said in a campaign email Thursday. “While the governor stalls on her transportation tax and fee bill, we are building momentum.”
On Monday, Diehl told The Oregonian/OregonLive the campaign is expecting to submit all the required paperwork with the Secretary of State’s Office this week to officially begin the signature-gathering process.
Oregon Gov. Kotek signs emergency transportation bill
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Referendum effort moves forward
While the date of Kotek's signing would not have an impact on when the package would take effect, leaders of the referendum effort were barred from circulating petitions until the bill officially became law.
The move angered State Republicans, who accused the governor of intentionally stalling to limit the time they would have to gather signatures in order to refer the bill to voters.
"There's no question that the Governor is delaying the opportunity for Oregonians to gather signatures to put this unpopular gas tax and fee bill on the ballot so voters get a chance to vote," said Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee.
The referendum effort, called "No Tax Oregon," is led by the chief petitioners: Senate Republican Leader Starr; Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton; and Jason Williams, director of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
To qualify for a voter referendum, petitioners would need to gather signatures from 4% of the total votes cast for governor in the most recent regular election, or approximately 78,000 signatures. The deadline to collect the necessary amount of signatures is Dec. 30—which is 90 days after the legislative special session ended.
The referendum would not refer the entire bill to the ballot. The only elements of the bill that would be referred are the increases to the gas tax, vehicle title and registration fees, and the payroll tax.
If the necessary number of signatures is gathered and verified by the Oregon Secretary of State's Office, the tax increases would be referred to the November 2026 ballot.
On Monday morning, Rep. Diehl posted on X that he was headed to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office to submit the referendum.
"This bill will not take effect," said Diehl in an interview with KATU on Nov. 6. "We know exactly what we're up against and we have a machine that's ready to go."
Gov. Kotek signs emergency Oregon transportation package into law
KPTV
Last month, Oregon House and Senate Republicans criticized Kotek for delaying the signing of the bill. They accused her of stalling to avoid a potential voter referendum.
Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr released a statement Monday following the signing of the bill saying, in part:
“First, she ignored Republican legislators who were ready to craft a bipartisan package focused on preserving maintenance, operations, and frontline jobs within ODOT. Then, she ignored thousands of Oregonians who pleaded with her not to add more financial burden to their already expensive everyday lives. And finally, she ignored members of her own party who warned that her delay tactics undermine public trust and violate the basic values of democracy and good governance.”
Kotek signs stopgap transportation bill to fund ODOT
KGW | By Anthony Macuk
Kotek's signing letter notes that ODOT has already been hiring winter operations and maintenance staff and DMV frontline staff in the weeks since the bill passed, but the letter says nothing about why she waited so long to sign the bill.
Rick Metsger, a former Democratic state senator and transportation policy expert, told KGW in October that Kotek's delay was likely strategic; Republicans have vowed to try to overturn the bill's tax hikes by referring them to voters on the November 2026 ballot, but doing so requires them to collect over 78,000 signatures within 90 days of the bill passing the legislature.
"It's really not in her best interest to give her opponents any more time than absolutely necessary to try and overturn it," Metsger said.
Republicans certainly viewed the delay in those terms; state Rep. Ed Diehl, R-East Salem, called Kotek's delay "outrageous" in an interview with KGW in October, and confirmed that the "clock started ticking on Oct. 2" for Republicans to gather signatures.
"She can delay this all she wants; we're still going to gather the signatures," he added. "We're still going to get this on the ballot, and Oregonians will remind Salem who really runs this state."
‘Counting on us’: Gov. Kotek signs emergency transportation bill to prevent ODOT layoffs with tax hike
KOIN 6 | By Andrew Foran
After Kotek signed the bill, Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr (R–Dundee) shared the following response:
“After delaying for more than a month to keep Oregonians from weighing in on this historic tax increase, Governor Kotek finally signed her $4.3 billion transportation tax hike into law. First, she ignored Republican legislators who were ready to craft a bipartisan package focused on preserving maintenance, operations, and frontline jobs within ODOT. Then, she ignored thousands of Oregonians who pleaded with her not to add more financial burden to their already expensive everyday lives. And finally, she ignored members of her own party who warned that her delay tactics undermine public trust and violate the basic values of democracy and good governance.
“At every turn, she chose to protect a broken status quo that raises costs on struggling families while failing to fix the structural problems that created this crisis. But Oregonians will not be silenced, and their voices will not be ignored. They will have the opportunity to weigh in, hold their leaders accountable, and demand a transportation system that works for the people who pay for it.”
POLITICS
Capital Chatter: Can the Democratic wave hold?
Oregon Capital Insider | By Dick Hughes
My take is that the election results were more of a referendum on the economy itself than on the Trump administration per se. As Democratic political strategist James Carville infamously emphasized during Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign, “It’s the economy, stupid.”
A majority of Oregonians are already sour on Trump. However, our economic conditions are likely to dominate next year’s statewide campaigns. Company layoffs and federal firings have battered the Oregon economy, with more on the horizon. We’ll learn more from the state’s quarterly economic and revenue forecast on Nov. 19.
For many Oregonians, the big economic issue next year will be Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek’s increase in the state gasoline tax and transportation fees.
I’d be stunned if opponents failed in their effort to put the increases before voters at next year’s General Election. Kotek — assuming she runs again, as is expected — also will be on that ballot.
Longtime Investor Files 11 Initiatives for the 2026 Ballot
Willamette Week | By Nigel Jaquiss
John von Schlegell proposes constitutional amendments on a variety of issues, including education, public safety, mental health, land use, campaign finance and taxes.
US Supreme Court won’t hear Oregon prison union case
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down a right-wing group’s lawsuit aiming to strike down an Oregon union’s policy that allows it to charge correction workers who opt out of joining for the costs of representing them.
Oregon lawmakers quietly hire their family members with taxpayer money — and little oversight
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
At least 17 legislators paid their spouse or child to work as an aide this year, employee records indicate. Fifteen of those lawmakers are Republicans; most represent rural areas.
HOMELESSNESS
Metro-Area Homelessness Persists Despite $1.3 Billion Raised Since 2021, Point-in-Time Count Shows
Willamette Week | By Anthony Effinger
Even with a hoard of new cash, the three Portland-area counties can’t keep up with the number of people becoming newly homeless.
Portland ‘livability at risk’ if City Council cuts funds for homeless camp removal, mayor warns
The Oregonian | By Shane Dixon Kavanaugh
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson sounded the alarm Sunday on a City Council proposal that would slash millions of dollars from a program that cleans and removes homeless encampments, telling Portlanders “your neighborhood livability (is) at risk.”
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Oregon ranked as one of the top worst states for jobs in 2025
Statesman Journal | By Ginnie Sandoval
Oregon has been ranked one of the worst states to find a job in 2025.
A study by personal finance website WalletHub determined the best and worst states for jobs in the U.S. The study used 34 key indicators to find which states had the best and worst job-market strength and economic health.
Oregon’s largest electric utilities halt service cutoffs for vulnerable customers until year end
The Oregonian | By Ted Sickinger
Oregon’s two largest electric utilities said Friday that they will halt service disconnections for qualified low-income and medically vulnerable customers until the end of the year.
Oregonians are getting a little more frugal, spending data shows
The Oregonian | By Mike Rogoway
The free-spending days that followed the pandemic are over.
Oregonians’ spending grew by just 5.1% last year, according to recently published data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s down sharply from 2021, when consumer spending grew by more than 13% as federal stimulus payments loosened up purse strings — and as inflation drove up the cost of most everything.
EDUCATION
Whistleblower sues Oregon over school funding formula that shortchanges poor students
The Oregonian | By Julia Silverman
A former data analyst for the state of Oregon has filed a wrongful termination suit alleging that he was dismissed after trying for months to call attention to systemic problems with the state’s method for funding schools that serve large numbers of students from low-income families.
A 2025 check in with Oregon’s ambitious education goal, 40-40-20
OPB | By Elizabeth Miller
It’s 2025 and Oregon hasn’t reached its lofty education goal. Now what?
College program for migrant students loses federal funding
Northwest Public Broadcasting
A federal program that helps young people from migrant families attend college abruptly halted this year after the Trump administration eliminated funding for migrant education.
HOUSING
Bend City Council clears path for housing project to help school employees
OPB | By Kathryn Styer Martinez
The Bend City Council voted Wednesday to rezone a nearly two-acre parcel of land next to a high school. It’s one of two parcels that Bend-La Pine Schools, or BLS, is selling in order to create housing for its workers.
TRUMP ADMIN VS. OREGON
A group of Senate Democrats agree to end the government shutdown — Oregon and Washington’s senators are not among them
Associated Press
All four senators from Oregon and Washington disagreed, voting no on the legislation.
Federal judge rejected claims that Oregon sanctuary law hampered police outside ICE facility
The Oregonian | By Maxine Bernstein
A closer review of Oregon U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut’s 106-page opinion — permanently halting the federal deployment of National Guard troops to Portland — reveals how she tore apart the testimony of a key Trump administration official who was called as a witness and largely dismissed Federal Protective Service officials’ complaints that Oregon’s sanctuary law have hamstrung local police.
Trump administration tells states to ‘undo’ full SNAP benefits paid for November, Oregon won’t
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Jacob Fischler
Following a late Friday emergency ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, the Trump administration has instructed states that authorized full November nutrition assistance benefits to return a portion, another unprecedented reversal for a program that helps 42 million people afford groceries.
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