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To contact me, please click here: Rep.VirgleOsborne@oregonlegislature.gov
Hello Friends & Neighbors,
Here is some news from week 3 of short session at the Oregon State Legislature.
~ Virgle
Democratic Oregon lawmakers advance bill to move up transportation tax referendum to May
KTVZ
More than 4,500 people submitted written testimony against the bill and more than 200 registered to speak against it at two public hearings this week, arguing it ignores the will of more than 200,000 Oregonians who signed referendum petitions expecting the vote to take place in November. Just 65 people submitted testimony supporting it. “I oppose this measure, not simply because it changes an election date, but because it fundamentally alters the balance of power between the legislature and the people of Oregon,” said Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Scio, one of the leaders of the campaign to refer the law to the ballot…
…“When the voters of Oregon take their time to weigh in how they did in such a short amount of time, with almost four times as many signatures as needed to cry out to their legislators to say, ‘We don’t like this, we’ve tried to use our voice in so many ways and this is all we have left,’ and we’re saying no… is so disrespectful,” House Minority Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, said. Elmer said the bill was rushed and sets a poor precedent for the future.
Did Bend lawmaker ‘verbally abuse’ his colleague after her vote on gun bill? Refuse to accept ‘no’?
The Oregonian/OregonLive
A gun-rights advocate has filed a conduct complaint against Democratic Rep. Jason Kropf, claiming that the Bend lawmaker appeared to “verbally abuse” and “intimidate” another lawmaker after she voted “no” on an amendment to his gun control bill Monday. The complaint alleges that Kropf left Portland Democrat Rep. Thủy Trần “visibly shaken” and with “tears in her eyes.” …
…The complaint was filed to the Legislative Equity Office by gun rights advocate and firearms instructor Derek LeBlanc, who alleged that Kropf wouldn’t accept Trần’s “no” vote on an amendment to House Bill 4145, to which Kropf is a chief sponsor. The bill would lay out some of the specifics of how voter-approved Measure 114 would be implemented. The measure was passed in November 2022 but has been highly controversial and tied up in courts ever since without taking effect. Legislative video of the work session captured Trần voting “no” and Kropf loudly inhaling for well over a second before abruptly pausing the meeting before all members of the House Judiciary Committee had a chance to vote. Without a “yes” from Trần, the amendment would have failed. The complaint claims that once Kropf and Trần had stepped outside the meeting room, Kropf “threatened” Trần, then reconvened the meeting. A clock on the wall shows nearly 20 minutes passed during the break. Kropf called for a re-vote on his amendment, which prompted Trần to pause in what appeared to be the beginning of an uncomfortable exchange…
…“What, excuse me, what are we…?” Trần asked. Before she could finish her sentence, Kropf answered: “This is the vote on the -3 amendment.” “Again,” explained Rep. Kevin Mannix, a Republican from Salem, who was sitting next to Trần…
…On Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Alek Skarlatos, R-Winston, appeared to rebuke Kropf’s actions. While speaking on the House floor, Skarlatos didn’t name Kropf as he described how Republicans handle differing views behind closed doors. “We all have these pretty heated debates ahead of time,” Skarlatos said. “We’ve almost gotten physical on a few occasions. … But one of the things, with all of our disagreements, that we would never do is we’d never pull a member out of a committee or off the floor and ask them to change their vote.” Skarlatos said he viewed that as “inappropriate.” “Frankly, everyone’s vote is sacred,” Skarlatos said. “ … I think it goes against our principles as a republic and I think it disenfranchises the dissenting member if their views can be forced to change.”
Oregon Republicans boycott floor session, delaying action on transportation tax referendum move
The Oregonian/OregonLive
Oregon Senate Republicans on Wednesday boycotted an afternoon floor session — successfully blocking action on a Democrat-backed bill to move up a statewide vote on a controversial transportation tax from November to May. Nearly half an hour after the chamber’s 30 members were scheduled to show up for a series of votes at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, none of the 12 Republicans had joined their Democratic colleagues on the floor, prompting Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, to call off any floor action until Thursday morning … In a brief interview Wednesday afternoon, Ashley Kuenzi, a spokesperson for Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee, said she hadn’t been told the specific reason the caucus walked out nor if they would remain away beyond Wednesday. “Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the majority and the minority,” she said in a text…
…Over in the House chamber, most Republicans also did not attend a Wednesday afternoon floor session. But Democrats, joined by at least four Republicans, maintained a quorum and passed several bills before adjourning … The boycott comes two days after top Republican leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Tobias Read asserting that lawmakers could not legally move the referendum date. The bill establishes special procedures for finalizing the ballot title and related information in time for the May election, which Republicans argue would bypass the process required by law. “You, as the secretary of state entrusted by the people of Oregon with the integrity of elections, have a choice: comply with the letter and spirit of the law and keep the vote” in November “or join the blatant partisanship and violation of law embodied in Senate Bill 1599,” wrote Starr and House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer of McMinnville.
After pushback, Oregon lawmakers ditch proposal to cut voters out of local gas taxes
OPB
Oregon lawmakers grappling with the financial fallout of a blocked gas tax hike recently considered a notable idea for funding the state’s deteriorating roads: Letting cities and counties more easily raise gas taxes on their own. An amendment to House Bill 4007, a wide-ranging “omnibus” transportation bill, would have rolled back a 17-year-old law that requires local governments to ask voters before raising fuel taxes. Had the proposal moved forward, cities and counties could have passed the taxes on their own, avoiding a hurdle that has repeatedly sunk road-funding measures around the state in recent years. But the idea ran into opposition. Between the amendment’s emergence on Friday afternoon and a work session on the bill Monday morning, the proposal’s author, state Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, said he concluded it was not politically viable. “I was truly entertained by the scale and scope of the communicated threats and observations sent to my office over the weekend,” Evans said Monday. “Especially [those] suggesting things that I’m pretty sure I physically cannot do to myself” … “You don’t rebuild trust in government by taking decisions away from voters — especially when polling shows more than 70% of Oregonians want to keep their right to vote on local gas taxes,” said Mike Freese, a lobbyist for the fuels group. “Doing so also seems politically shortsighted, given that the central fight of this session revolves around a transportation package being referred to voters.”
Petition to ban hunting in Oregon gains traction for November ballot
KOIN
A petition to ban hunting in Oregon is picking up steam. Animal rights advocates are fighting to change the law in Oregon, including banning most hunting, fishing and animal research. One of the people leading the charge of getting this petition out there says they have been trying to get this on the ballot for years, getting more and more signatures each time, though he knows it won’t likely pass. Supporters call the proposal the PEACE Act, short for People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions … If passed, it would change the current Oregon animal cruelty laws, which currently protect pets such as dogs and cats, and would expand coverage to wild animals, livestock and animals used in research. Exemptions would be made for veterinarians and for self-defense…
…“There are a handful of predators that do make a huge impact on our herbivore species, like deer, throughout the state,” said Oregon Hunters Association Hoodview Chapter President Levi Barrera. “If you take away hunting, there will be an out-of-control effect on the population.” Barrera warns that outlawing hunting could create a huge economic impact on Oregon, especially for those who rely on it to put meat on the table, while grocery prices are at an all-time high. “Even bigger towns that rely on the agricultural side of things, not just the economy and fishing side of things,” he said. “It has great impacts through communities that rely on hunting and fishing and that really sustains their communities and their families throughout the year. The industries that rely on hunting and fishing, you know, coastal towns, rely heavily on the fishing and salmon fishing” … The chief petitioner says they have more than 100,000 signatures so far. By law, they need 117,173 verified signatures by July 2 to qualify for the ballot in November.
Dutch Bros plans 2026 expansion. How many new locations will it open?
Statesman Journal
The Dutch Bros corporation reported a record financial year in 2025 and plans to expand by opening more than 180 new locations across the United States in 2026. Where will those new locations be? The company hasn't said. The Oregon-born coffee chain released its 2025 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings report on Feb. 12, showing that the company generated $1.64 billion in revenue in 2025, up 27.9% from $1.68 billion the prior year. The company's net earnings were also 76.4% higher, rising to $117.3 million compared to $66.5 million in 2024. Dutch Bros opened 154 new shops across 22 states in 2025, and plans to open another 181 shops in 2026, according to the company's report. The expansion includes 20 locations that were gained in a $20 million acquisition of Clutch Coffee Bar, a coffee chain found in North and South Carolina, in January.
KQEN
Live from Salem, State Representative Virgle Osborne covers this week hot topics in the short session of the Oregon State Legislature.
https://kqennewsradio.com/2026/02/19/inside-douglas-county-02-19-26/
Tune in Wednesday, February 25th at 12:30 p.m. for more updates.
ROSEBURG OPTIMIST CLUB RESPECT FOR LAW BANQUET
Friday night I attended the 50th Annual Roseburg Optimist Club Respect for Law Banquet. I am proud to be part of this event and will always back our law enforcement.
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Register to testify!
- If there is a bill you are particularly passionate about, you can register to testify either in support or opposition to the bill.
- Advance registration is required! Registration closes 30 minutes before the hearing is scheduled to begin.
- To register, go to https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1, select the “Bills” icon on the top right corner of your page, enter the bill number, and select “Register to Testify.” Or, call 1-833-588-4500.
- You will want to fill out the “Public Testimony Registration Form.”
- You will receive an email confirmation with an option to join Microsoft Teams if you can not testify in person.
Submit a Written Testimony!
- If you prefer not to testify in person, you can also submit written testimony in support or opposition to a bill.
- To submit written testimony, follow the same steps as you would to register to testify in front of the committee, but you will select “Submit Testimony” and fill out the “Written Testimony Submission Form.”
- Written testimony must be submitted up to 48 hours after the committee meeting start time.
Testifying on a bill gives you a voice in Oregon’s legislature. The voice of the people is the cornerstone of democracy! Let yours be heard today.
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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