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Oregon News
POLITICS
Oregon lawmakers can move transportation referendum date under conditions, SOS says
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Mia Maldonado
Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee and a co-petitioner with the No Tax Oregon campaign, said he opposes moving the measure to May, citing concerns that it would limit voter turnout. In the state’s last gubernatorial election year in 2022, voter turnout reached 37% in the primary, compared to 67% in the general election.
Starr was in the majority on a transportation committee when a 1999 transportation bill passed and set the referendum election date for May. In that election, more than 87% of voters rejected a gas tax increase.
“I understand that it is the prerogative of the majority to try to change that election,” he told reporters Wednesday afternoon. “We will hopefully engage with the 200,000 Oregonians to sign the petition to encourage my colleagues to not do that.”
Immigration enforcement, budget cuts, taxes: Oregon lawmakers prepare for packed 2026 legislative session
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
Politically, the short session will provide top Democrats and Kotek an opportunity to redeem themselves and unify their caucus after they failed in last year’s session to pass multiple versions of a transportation funding package, a top priority for the party.
Republicans will again enter the session in the minority and with new leaders in both chambers as the party continues to grapple with frequent leadership turnover. One Republican in each chamber is also running for governor, meaning the session will likely bring plenty of political grandstanding.
Republicans, meanwhile, are eager to roll back some of the Democratic-backed proposals that they view as unnecessary or hostile to businesses. For example, Republicans are sponsoring a bill that would repeal a controversial law passed last year that granted unemployment benefits to striking workers, a large win for unions. With Democrats holding supermajorities in both chambers, the repeal is unlikely to happen.
At Wednesday’s event, leaders of both parties expressed a desire to work together to address the long list of Oregon’s crises. It remains to be seen whether they will succeed.
“I’m hopeful ... that we come together to solve the challenges facing Oregonians, and we leave some of the more controversial and divisive bills that are out there,” Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee said. “I’m hopeful that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will thoughtfully engage with the minority as we move forward on a limited agenda.”
Oregon legislative leaders preview upcoming session, lock horns over immigration
KGW | By Jamie Parfitt, Blair Best
Democrats hope to have the matter resolved, one way or another, by stealing a march on Republicans and voting to have the referendum appear on May primary election ballots instead of in November. Regardless, lawmakers are having to discuss contingencies now.
"As we go into the 2026 legislative session, one thing is clear," said Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, one of two Republican lawmakers who led the referendum signature-gathering campaign. "Oregonians are paying attention, and they are fed up with the status quo."
"I will say that there have been very thoughtful specific conversations about existing dollars in the Oregon Department of Transportation, and these are tough choices," said Kotek.
Republicans insist that ODOT's problems can and must be solved without raising taxes. But it remains to be seen how that might be done without gutting funds for local public transit or needed improvement projects.
Fahey and Bowman said that Republicans have been invited to the table on a transportation funding solution since the beginning.
"The challenge is (that the) Republicans have to choose to sit at that table when there is a seat for them," Fahey said.
"To speak very plainly, it would be like being asked to come to a table that was already set with a menu that was already pre-approved," Elmer countered, "and you have a food allergy and can't eat any of the food, but that’s the only choice you’re given. So that is where we find ourselves often — it's not that we don’t want to be part of the conversation and it's not that we don’t want to be at the table. but it has to be a table where we can also speak and eat and walk away without passing out."
On eve of Oregon Legislature’s short session, budget crisis and transportation funding top lawmakers’ agenda
KTVZ | By Spencer Sacks
Senator Bruce Starr said voters are sending a clear message about spending.
"The message from voters could not be clearer: Stop reaching deeper into their pockets and start taking responsibility for how existing dollars are spent," Starr said.
Oregon lawmakers might once again debate the ‘kicker’ tax rebate this year
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
Prozanski told OPB recently he wasn’t sure what kind of legs his bill might have, but that he wanted to begin a discussion.
It’s a conversation Senate Republicans aren’t interested in having. The party in recent years has insisted the kicker rebate is an essential check on the growth of state spending that should not be tampered with.
Asked about Prozanski’s proposal on Tuesday, the Senate Republican Office sent OPB a lengthy response making clear its members would oppose any attempt to alter the kicker law.
“Oregon’s budget has more than doubled over the past decade,” spokeswoman Ashley Kuenzi wrote. “Our caucus has been very clear and consistent on the kicker for years: it is taxpayers’ money, and it should be returned to them, period. Oregonians overwhelmingly support the kicker and expect it to be protected.”
Kuenzi added, “Before Democrat lawmakers ask Oregonians to give up money they are constitutionally owed, they should demonstrate that the massive resources already available are being spent responsibly and aligned with Oregonians’ actual priorities.”
Oregon kicker proposal sparks debate over tax refunds, government spending
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
Republican leaders and other critics say the kicker is intended to enforce budget discipline and ensure taxpayers receive refunds the state did not expect to collect.
House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer blasted the idea, saying the kicker should not be treated as a fallback funding source when lawmakers struggle to balance the budget.
5 outdoor issues to watch in the 2026 Oregon legislative session
Statesman Journal | By Zach Urness
The 2026 Oregon legislative session is set to get underway Feb. 2, and there's a few bills that could have a big impact on Oregon’s outdoors.
Here’s four bills and one state agency leader nomination to watch.
‘Corner crossing’ would allow accessing public lands (Senate Bill 1545)
Senate Bill 1545, authored by state Sens. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, and Anthony Broadman, D-Bend, aims to end the confusion by protecting people’s right to corner cross while immunizing landowners from liability.
“Legal clarity improves access to public lands and protects landowners,” McLane said. “Oregonians deserve common sense from Salem on how and when we can access public resources.”
Transportation, education and juvenile justice: Oregon SOS reveals new audits for the year
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
Secretary of State Tobias Read on Thursday announced his audit plan for the upcoming year, charting a course forward for how his office plans to look under the hood of several state initiatives since his election in 2024. His office said that the agency had previously failed to adequately document the various concerns it assessed to determine which audits it would conduct — an issue that came to a head when former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned in disgrace in 2023 over revelations that she had accepted a $10,000-per-month side gig with a marijuana company involved in an audit the office led.
Former Preschool for All Director Alleges County Officials Knew She Owned a Preschool
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
In a legal notice, Leslee Barnes says the county used a WW story as a pretext to oust her.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Oregon's take-home pay on $200K salary lowest in nation, study finds
Statesman Journal | By Ginnie Sandoval
Oregonians who earn $200,000 take home less than similarly paid workers across the rest of the country, a recent study found.
Oregon’s population barely changes as Washington adds more than 70,000 in 1-year period
OPB | By Kyra Buckley
Washington state’s population appears to have increased by 73,000, clearing 8 million people for the first time in 2025, even as population growth slowed in the Pacific Northwest.
Meanwhile, Oregon saw a relatively small increase of 8,200 people and experienced one of the slowest growth rates in the country from July 2024 through June 2025.
HOMELESSNESS
Oregon homelessness rose 34% in two years, according to PIT count data: 'More work remains'
KGW | By Jamie Parfitt, Blair Best
A PSU report compiling 2025 Point-in-Time count data in Oregon noted over 27,000 people experiencing homelessness, both within shelter and without.
EDUCATION
As Graduation Rates in Oregon Climb, Questions Remain What a Diploma Means
Willamette Week | By Joanna Hou
Oregon Department of Education officials are interested in bringing back an essential skills test to prove proficiency.
Portland Public Schools calls on lawmakers to use reserve funds to fill budget gap
KATU
Portland Public Schools is calling on state lawmakers to use reserve funds to prevent devastating budget cuts next year.
CRIME & PUBLIC SAFETY
Mother, daughter who ran Tigard adult foster care home face new forced labor charges
The Oregonian | By Maxine Bernstein
The mother and daughter who ran a Tigard adult foster care home on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to a new 12-count indictment charging each with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and forced labor.
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