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Dear friends,
I hope everyone enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate the year-end holidays with family and friends. It's a time of reflection, celebration, and renewal.
Sadly, that time was immediately followed by a troubled start to the new year when President Trump authorized an unprovoked attack on January 2 against Venezuela — a sovereign nation — without Congressional approval. The federal administration is breaking international law, leading our country into uncertainty, and diminishing our reputation around the world. Please join me in contacting our Congressional delegation to demand that Congress use its powers to halt this unbridled overreach by the executive branch. Please encourage your friends and family who reside in other parts of the country to also reach out to their delegations. Congress must step up and enforce the checks and balances in our political system.
In advance of the six-week (35-day) 2026 "short" session that begins February 2, I invite Senate District 4 residents to join me; Speaker Julie Fahey; Senator James Manning; and Representatives Lisa Fragala and Nancy Nathanson for a joint town hall on Saturday, January 24, 11 a.m. at Harris Hall. Eugene Mayor Karrin Knudson will moderate this joint town hall to provide constituents the opportunity to ask questions, share your concerns, and learn about my colleagues' and my 2026 priorities. Attendees can RSVP and submit a question in advance using this link.
What: Joint Eugene-Springfield legislative town hall
When: Saturday, January 24, 2 p.m.
Where: Harris Hall (125 E 8th Ave., Eugene)
This coming week, the Legislature will meet in Salem for a final set of "legislative days" before the short session. This is an opportunity for committees to hold informational hearings. The Senate Committee on Judiciary, which I chair, will meet on Tuesday, January 13, at 2:30 p.m. for informational hearings, introduction of committee bills and to preview concepts for possible member bills for the 2026 short session. You can review committee agendas and watch live proceedings (and recordings) using the Legislature's Online Information System (OLIS).
Below you will find information on:
- New Laws for 2026
- Students Should Apply Now for 2026-27 Scholarships and Grants
- Dept. of Aviation and LCC Partner on UAS Tech for Wildfire Mitigation
I hope this information is helpful and informative for you or someone you know. As always, feel free to share your comments, questions or concerns with me by phone, mail or e-mail.
New Laws for 2026 Address Consumer Protections, Health Care, and Safety
New state laws now in effect safeguard Oregonians' rights as consumers and tenants, improve access to health care, and protect personal safety. Oregon House and Senate Democrats made these issues priorities in 2025, defending workers and families here. The following are highlights among bills that became effective January 1:
Protecting Consumers and Household Stability
HB 3167: This legislation, dubbed the Fan Fairness and Transparency Act, bans use of software "bots" to get around a ticket seller's limits and bans the resale of tickets obtained using those bots. HB 3167 also prohibits look-alike websites that confuse buyers trying to purchase tickets directly from an entertainment venue's website.
SB 430: This legislation, which I was proud to champion, prohibits extra costs like "convenience charges" or "service fees" from being tacked on to online purchases without warning. Under SB 430, anyone selling goods or services online to Oregonians must include required fees and charges in the price they advertise or display on a website. Taxes or actual costs to ship a product do not have to be included in the price figure, but the seller still must declare those costs to the purchaser.
SB 688: This legislation ties utility profits to performance metrics, allowing the public utility commission to require that investor-owned power companies meet certain performance targets if they want to raise rates. Those targets can include reducing costs, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and ensuring low-income Oregonians aren't cut off from power.
HB 3865: This legislation, dubbed the Telemarketing Modernization Act, expands the definition of "telephone solicitation" to include texting; prohibits solicitations after 8 p.m. and limits allowable solicitations to three times per day.
SB 426: This legislation holds developers and contractors accountable when construction workers serve on a project but don’t get paid. This new law allows workers to sue project owners and direct contractors for unpaid wages, whether the workers are direct employees or subcontractors. It allows civil action to recover wages, benefits, and penalties, while requiring subcontractors to provide payroll and worker information upon request. The provisions will help prevent wage theft and improve transparency in Oregon's construction industry.
HB 3521: This legislation gives prospective tenants more protections for getting back a deposit they put in before signing a rental agreement. Landlords must return the deposit if the potential tenant finds serious problems that make the home not habitable. Those could be things like a leaky roof or window, inadequate heat, unsafe drinking water, accumulated trash, or nonworking locks.
HB 3378: This legislation requires landlords to give tenants options for safely locking and unlocking a rental home's doors without relying solely on an app on the tenant's own mobile phone. Landlords must offer alternatives like an access code, fob, key card, or another physical key.
Improving Access to Health Care
SB 605: This legislation stops medical debt from going on your credit report. Beginning Jan. 1, medical service providers — like hospitals and clinics — are prohibited from notifying consumer reporting agencies that you owe money for your care or how much. The reporting agencies also are banned from including in your report any amounts they know or should know are medical debts.
HB 3064: This legislation requires health plans regulated by the state to cover treatment of perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause. The health plans include individual and family plans, small business plans, and plans overseen by the Oregon Educators Benefit Board (OEBB) and the Public Employees' Benefit Board (PEBB). Such plans must pay for services like hormone therapies, osteoporosis prevention and treatment, and hormone therapies.
SB 1137: This legislation requires health insurance plans to cover breast reconstruction surgery that uses a patient's own tissue for reconstruction, instead of implants. The plans must pay for this form of breast reconstruction under the same or better terms and conditions they have for reconstruction procedures with implants.
Protecting Personal Safety
HB 2299: This legislation strengthens Oregon’s laws against non-consensual intimate image distribution. The definition of such images has been expanded to include AI‑generated deepfakes. The bill creates first- and second‑degree offenses, elevating the crime to a felony for repeated violations and extending protections to all victims of intimate-image abuse.
SB 548: This legislation raises the state's legal minimum age for marriage from 17 to 18 years old. Until now, 17-year-olds could officially marry in Oregon when they had one parent or guardian's permission, and the young person's own consent was not required. The previous policy had allowed more than 2,900 adult men to get Oregon marriage licenses with teenage girls between 2000 and 2021. Prior to Senate Bill 548, an adult's sexual contact with a minor who is three or more years younger is a crime, but not if the two were married. Raising the minimum marriage age strengthens legal protections against sexual exploitation
SB 170: This legislation toughens penalties on people who commit workplace violence repeatedly. It makes assault in the fourth degree a more serious crime when the victim is assaulted while performing their job duties and the defendant has assaulted others while at work or because of a victim’s occupation. Aimed at deterring repeat violence against workers across professions, this law reinforces protections for employees in vulnerable roles and promotes safer working environments throughout Oregon.
Students Should Apply Now for 2026-27 Scholarships and Grants
Oregon's Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) encourages everyone pursuing postsecondary education in 2026-27 to apply for grants and scholarships using OregonStudentAid.gov. The HECC Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) has opened the OSAC Scholarship Application for the next academic year. Through the application, students can apply for many awards at one time.
Among the hundreds of OSAC scholarships, funds are available to support students pursuing a wide variety of postsecondary opportunities, whether they're planning on attending a community college, a university, or an eligible career training program, and whether they are seeking a certificate or degree. Private scholarship funds support students across the state — including graduating high school seniors, GED completers, and adult learners — and students can apply whether they know their field of study or are just starting to consider their plans. Explore more than 600 scholarships, including newly added funds, in the full scholarship catalog here. Those who submit their scholarship application by the early bird deadline of February 17, 2026, will have the chance to win a $1,000 scholarship, and the final deadline is March 2, 2026.
In addition to private scholarships, visit OregonStudentAid.gov to learn about and apply for numerous state- and federally-funded grant programs, such as the Oregon Opportunity Grant (the state's largest need-based program), the Oregon Promise Grant, and more.
Completion of the FAFSA is required for federal aid such as the federal Pell Grant, and completion of the FAFSA or ORSAA is required to be considered for state grants and numerous private scholarships. There is not an explicit deadline to submit the 2026-27 FAFSA or ORSAA, but students are encouraged to submit one of these forms as soon as possible to be considered for grants.
To be considered for available aid, students should complete the required applications for each program and the FAFSA or the ORSAA. Students should mark their calendars for upcoming applications and deadlines:
Consider joining a webinar to get help with the application process. The HECC Office of Student Access and Completion offers a number of resources for students, families, educators, and community members to help with the financial aid process and with college and career planning. OSAC has webinars scheduled in January and February for FAFSA/ORSAA drop-in hours where anyone can show up virtually to get assistance from OSAC staff, or find presentations about the OSAC Scholarship Application to help students create a strong application. Check out the full schedule on the OSAC website now. Under the Resources section of the website, you can also find videos on financial aid topics, request a live presentation, and download or order free publications about financial aid opportunities.
In the last application cycle, OSAC awarded more than $14 million in privately funded scholarships. OSAC administers these funds in partnership with private donors and partner organizations that establish the funds. More than 500 of the scholarships were established through the Oregon Community Foundation, and OSAC also works with numerous other partners. In addition to the continuing scholarships, several new scholarships have been added for the 2026-27 academic year.
Dept. of Aviation and LCC Partner on UAS Technology for Wildfire Mitigation
The Oregon Department of Aviation (ODAV) and Lane Community College (LCC) have entered into memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the use of un-crewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced sensors for wildfire mitigation research and workforce development. The partnership establishes a cooperative framework to explore drone-based technologies, including beyond visual line of sight operations and visual detection systems, to enhance wildfire detection, suppression, and public safety across Oregon.
Under the agreement, LCC will integrate real-world data, case studies, and field testing
results into its UAS curriculum. Students will have the opportunity to participate in joint flight demonstrations, technology evaluations, and research projects supporting ODAV's statewide initiatives. The two-year partnership will also support statewide workforce planning and stakeholder engagement as ODAV continues to develop infrastructure and regulatory frameworks for integrating drones into Oregon' s airspace.
LCC students and staff displaying UAVs.
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