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Dear friends,
On Friday, March 6, Oregon's 83rd Legislative Assembly adjourned its 2026 "short" session. This was a tough one: We took on pressing issues facing Oregonians, from combatting constitutional overreach by the current federal administration to a budget deficit. Difficult decisions and prioritizations had to be made. My colleagues and I advanced legislation to ease the cost of living, create economic opportunity, improve public safety and protect Oregon consumers.
The 2026 session presented opportunities to move Oregon forward. I've highlighted two bills below in this e-bulletin. Future editions (starting in June –– please see below) will feature more detailed summaries of key legislation that passed during the short session, including more than a dozen bills fighting the constitutional overreach by this federal administration. Among those, one of the Senate Judiciary Committee bills that I introduced as the chair of the committee was SB 1516, limiting use and retention of automated license plate reader (ALPR) data. Nationally, ICE has been utilizing ALPRs to track vehicle locations, creating a massive surveillance network to identify, target, and deport people. SB 1516 limits their ability to do so.
Another noteworthy bill worth mentioning now is SB 1517, also introduced by the Senate Judiciary Committee. This legislation, referred to as "recreational immunity," specifies that most waivers for ordinary negligence — signed by participants in a sport, recreation, or fitness activity— can be enforced in Oregon.
SB 1517 allows operators of indoor and outdoor gyms, ski areas, and other recreation activities to require that participants sign waivers releasing the businesses from most claims for damages or injuries that occur while performing the activity and that result from ordinary negligence. At the same time, the legislation preserves every Oregonian's right to seek redress through the courts when they've been wronged by the acts of an operator (or an operator's agent) from certain ordinary negligence claims or claims based on greater than ordinary negligence.
Without this legislation, insurers have been reluctant to issue coverage — or have charged extra-steep rates — for Oregon ski resorts and other recreation businesses due to ambiguity about the enforceability of waivers. I was proud to work with colleagues and stakeholders to negotiate a final version of SB 1517 that achieved these goals. It passed the House 55-2 and the Senate concurred unanimously, 27-0!
Locally, I am deeply concerned by the decision of PeaceHealth, which operates Sacred Heart Medical Center RiverBend and Cottage Grove Community Medical Center Medical Center, to allow a takeover of its contract with Eugene Emergency Physicians by ApolloMD. This drastic shift to an Atlanta, Georgia, health management support corporation puts at risk emergency department physician services. Together with colleagues in the Eugene-Springfield legislative delegation, I sent this letter to PeaceHealth laying out our grave concerns over their decision We've also initiated engagement with the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon Department of Justice on this matter.
The Eugene-Springfield legislative delegation will discuss these matters and more at an upcoming virtual town hall on April 9 at 6 p.m. Please watch your inbox for a registration link later this week.
On February 17, I had the honor to welcome Eugene's own former State Representative Paul Holvey back for a visit to the Capitol. Paul and his wife, Terrie, dropped by to check out recently reopened portions of the Capitol that had been closed for seismic retrofits over the past five years. While they were here, Paul attended a Senate floor session, where he was greeted warmly by former colleagues.
Former State Rep. Paul Holvey attending a Senate floor session on February 17. Credit: Senator Courtney Neron Misslin.
This will be my last e-bulletin until June. As a candidate in the upcoming primary election, I am subject to Senate Rule 14.20, prescribing a so-called "blackout period" that Senate members who are also candidates in an upcoming election cannot send mailings, press releases, notices and newsletters until after the election.
Below you will find information on:
- Session Highlights: Kristil's Law and Urgent Care
- Lane County Conversation About Consumer Rights: March 18
- Request for Action: Addressing Diaper Need in Lane County
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.
Session Highlights
In this e-bulletin before the "blackout period" begins, I want to highlight two bills that haven't necessarily made headlines but are nonetheless of importance to Oregonians. On March 2, I carried HB 4045 to passage in the Senate. This bipartisan bill, which I co-championed with Republican Representative Kevin Mannix, will require social media companies to share information regarding cases of stalking, domestic violence, and homicide with law enforcement within 72 hours of being served a search warrant and requires all communications providers to comply with search warrants for such cases within five business days. About 54 percent of all victims of domestic violence homicide reported being stalked before their lives were taken.
HB 4045, or "Kristil's Law," is named after Kristil Krug, who was a Colorado mother and engineer killed by her husband after he impersonated her ex-boyfriend and digitally stalked her for months. Her cousin — Eugene attorney Becky Ivanoff, who helped lead passage of this important legislation — told the Senate and House Judiciary Committees that if communication companies complied with warrants faster, Kristil would have known who was threatening her and might still be alive.
Another bill of consequence that I co-chief sponsored with Rep. Nancy Nathanson and that passed the Legislature is HB 4107, setting minimum requirements for urgent care clinics. As hospitals and primary care providers experience growing patient loads, urgent care clinics have become an increasingly essential part of the health care system. Despite their role in treating people's health needs, they are undefined and unregulated in Oregon. One of the goals is to limit use of the term "urgent" to clinics that meet the minimum standards of services provided at the clinic.
HB 4107 ensures that clinics labeling themselves as "urgent care" provide key services, such as tests for common respiratory diseases; splints for strains, sprains, and fractures; and sutures for simple lacerations. Urgent care clinics will also be required to describe the services provided near their entrance and on their website including: types of health care professionals on-site, types of insurance accepted, and any associated clinics. This will allow patients to check ahead of time and avoid being turned away if a clinic does not provide a needed service or accept their insurance. It will also help other professionals who are advising a patient to go to an urgent care clinic. HB 4107 builds on years of work with local health officials and clinics to relieve pressure on our emergency departments by referring patients to the appropriate level of care. This is especially important for the Eugene community since it no longer has a hospital.
Lane County Conversation About Consumer Rights: March 18
Tomorrow, the nonprofit Oregon Consumer Justice is hosting a free community event to share resources and start a conversation about consumer rights with Lane County residents. This event will take place at the Eugene Public Library from 12-2 p.m. Lunch will be provided. It will include a presentation on consumer rights and an interactive discussion of community issues, like rising costs, increasing scams, and pushy debt collectors, along with solutions to address them.
What: Community gathering hosted by Oregon Consumer Justice where Lane County residents can learn and discuss local consumer issues and available resources. Lunch included. Dependent care support and translation services are provided with advance registration.
When: Wednesday, March 18, 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Where: Eugene Public Library (100 W 10th Ave (Bascom-Tykeson room)
To learn more and register, visit ocj.org/rights-exchange. Questions can be directed to communications@ocj.org or 503-406-3311.
Request for Action: Addressing Diaper Need in Lane County
A few months ago, Lane County Diaper Bank (LCDB) shared recent data showing the scale of diaper need in our community. According to the Urban Institute, families in Lane County with low-to-moderate incomes are millions of diapers short every year to ensure their children are clean, dry, and healthy.
Since 2019, LCDB has been working to fill this need. Currently, they distribute about 245,000 diapers annually — covering less than 5 percent of the need. This gap leaves thousands of families struggling to afford something as basic as a clean diaper. Because diapers are not covered by government assistance programs, families are often forced to choose between diapers, food, or rent.
LCDB operates with a small, restricted budget. They receive no state or government funding. With just one staff member, the organization is heavily reliant on volunteers, donations, and community partnerships to carry out this vital work. Please consider donating time, money or diapers and learning more by visiting LCDB's website: https://lcdiaperbank.org/.
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