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To contact me, please click here: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends & Neighbors,
Here are some moments from the past few of weeks and valuable community insights to help you stay informed.
~ Virgle
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NOVEMBER LEG DAYS REVOLVE AROUND STATE’S BUDGET DEFICIT
Legislators and staff were back in the Capitol this week to work on policy ideas for the upcoming short session. The conversation largely revolved around Oregon’s projected $888 million budget deficit, which the majority party claims is the result of President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill," H.R.1.
But if the state government is losing all this money, where is it going? Back in the taxpayer’s pockets. The federal budget bill may not be as big a boogie man as some would have you believe.
The bill includes several provisions that relieve the financial strain on Americans by slashing taxes for the middle and lower classes and making it easier for businesses to succeed. It is estimated that H.R.1 will save the average Oregon taxpayer $3,157 in 2026.
Tax relief provisions include:
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No Tax on Tips — Establishes a temporary federal income tax deduction of up to $25,000 for “qualified tips,” including cash or charged tips received from customers or through tip sharing
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No Tax on Overtime — Establishes a tax deduction of up to $12,500 for qualifying employees receiving overtime pay that is reported on a Form W-2, Form 1099, or other specified statement
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No Tax on Car Loan Interest — Establishes a tax deduction of up to $10,000 on a loan used to purchase a vehicle for personal use that was made in the U.S.
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Increase in the Child Tax Credit — to $2,200 per child, and makes it a permanent, inflation-adjusted credit after 2026
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Deduction for Seniors — Adults age 65 and older may claim an additional deduction of $6,000. This new deduction is in addition to the current additional standard deduction for seniors under existing law
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Qualified Business Income Deduction — Makes the 20% qualified business income deduction permanent for pass-through entities, while also providing a minimum deduction of $400 for any business with $1,000 or more in qualified business income
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Enhanced Business Expensing and Depreciation — Raises Section 179 small business expensing limits to $2.5 million (up from about $1.29 million), with a higher phase-out threshold of $4 million, and restores full bonus depreciation for capital investments, canceling the remaining phase-down of this expensing benefit
Oregon’s politicians have become overly dependent on federal dollars. The tax breaks worked into H.R.1 will be a welcome relief to hardworking Oregonians. Maybe this budget deficit will encourage state leaders to strengthen the economy, stabilize existing revenue streams, and support families and businesses instead of squeezing their constituents.
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Oregon voters petition 'No' to Oregon's gas tax hikes
KEZI - At the Thurston Park and Ride on Main Street, Springfield residents gathered to sign petitions against the gas tax. The event drew community members despite the weather, all eager to voice their concerns over the tax's potential impact … Diehl highlighted the financial burden, stating, "The accumulative total of the taxes is 4.3 billion dollars over the next 10 years, it's several hundred dollars per person if you own a vehicle. These are taxes that Oregonian's just can't afford right now. We've got issues in the state, the fourth highest gas prices in the nation, Oregonians are feeling it," said [Representative Ed] Diehl … Debbie Bosche, the Thurston and Springfield captain of the campaign, shared her personal experiences. "Personally, because I have seen, and witnessed and experienced here living in Thurston for twenty years as a homeowner, how we are being hurt financially and we have a lot of friends and family that are moving out of state because it was just too difficult for people to survive here, and we are just dedicated to getting Oregon back," Bosche said.
OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICAN CAUCUS WELCOMES REPRESENTATIVE MATT BUNCH
This week, we welcomed a new representative to the House Republican Caucus.
Born and raised in eastern Oregon, and an alumnus of Oregon State University, Representative Matt Bunch built an impressive career in insurance and financial management, while also giving back to his community as a development officer for the Oregon FFA Foundation and a bus driver for the Oregon City School District. Bunch and his wife of 40 years, Maryjane, have three children and four grandchildren.
Bunch was appointed to fill former Representative Christine Drazan’s seat after she was appointed to fill an open Senate seat. Bunch ran for House District 51 last cycle, but stepped down and endorsed Drazan when she announced her bid. He has already filed for reelection.
Even though I’ve only known Rep. Bunch for a few days, it is easy to see that he shares my love for Oregon and its people, and possesses a fierce passion for fiscal responsibility, local governance, and improving public safety and education.
I am looking forward to working with Rep. Bunch and am positive he will be an invaluable addition to the caucus.
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Everyone on SNAP will need to reapply for benefits, Trump official says
The Oregonian/OregonLive - Every person who receives SNAP benefits will soon have to reapply, according to Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. Rollins appeared on Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt Tonight on Thursday and reiterated that the Trump Administration is serious about “clamping down” on fraud within the SNAP system. This has been the messaging of the USDA under Rollins since she took office. She made an X post featuring a clip from a Fox News interview at the beginning of the month, talking about a Trump executive order, which attempted to compel states to transmit SNAP benefits data to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. Only 29 states willingly participated. Rollins claimed in an X post that just two states had sued the Trump Administration over the issue.
However, Oregon and 20 other states came together to sue the Trump Administration and won. The states won the right to keep the sensitive information of SNAP beneficiaries -- including home addresses, social security numbers and immigration status -- out of the hands of federal agencies. The lawsuit was announced in July and argued that the information would likely be shared across federal agencies and used for immigration enforcement, which is illegal. During the same Fox News segment, Rollins said the USDA was asking for this data to “better understand how this explosion of SNAP benefits happened under Joe Biden. We increased almost 40% on this program in just a couple of years under the Biden administration.” “Of course, we know they were trying to buy the election, but that’s a conversation for another time,” she continued. The USDA’s own data shows that under the Biden administration, the number of SNAP beneficiaries went from 41.6 million people in 2021 to 41.7 million in 2024.
Oregon has a program to pay seniors’ property tax bills, but few people use it
The Oregonian/OregonLive - Oregon is one of at least a dozen states that will pay property tax bills so people can stay in their homes. The state gets its money back, plus 6% annual interest, whenever the home is sold. The property tax deferral program dates to the 1960s and was once very popular. It had more than 13,000 participants each year during parts of the 1980s and paid more than $20 million worth of property tax bills as recently as 2011. These days, though, the program has just 3,500 participants and is paying out less than $12 million a year. It’s running a big surplus because the program is bringing in far more from tax repayments than it’s paying out to cover current participants’ property taxes. The Legislature took $27 million from the deferral fund this year to pay for other programs.
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Join us on Friday, November 28th at Champagne Creek Ranch and bring some non-perishable donations.
Champagne Creek Ranch would like to thank the donors and helpers who graciously pitched in to help feed our community!
Senator David Brock Smith, Representative Alek Skarlatos, Representative Court Boice, Representative Virgle Osborne, Commissioner Tim Freeman, X-treme Off-Roaders 4x4 club, Twin Peaks Off Road, and several others.
All trails will be open and all 4x4 vehicles will be welcome. We are striving to beat our 2024 canned food donation of more than 1300 lbs. of canned foods for those in need.
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Yours Truly,
 Representative Virgle Osborne
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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