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Oregon News
POLITICS
Oregon Democrats quietly narrow business tax break they touted
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
As they blocked a series of congressional tax breaks last month, Oregon’s legislative Democrats offered aggrieved business groups a consolation prize: The party would create an entirely new tax credit for businesses that hire new workers – up to $1,000 for each new job.
The credit would hand out up to $12.5 million a year in tax breaks, Democrats said, a piece of the party’s broader efforts to boost the state’s economy.
Now, even before it’s signed into law, lawmakers could wipe out most of the tax benefits the credit was expected to provide.
A provision tucked into another bill earlier this week would alter the tax credit, limiting it to industries the state has made a priority for economic development – areas like semiconductors, outdoor apparel, and food and drink manufacturing.
As a result, revenue analysts expect Oregon to dole out far fewer of the credits.
The job creation benefit is now expected to cost the state just $1.1 million in the current budget, down from an anticipated $4.6 million before the change.
Democrats said this week the change will allow the state to more efficiently award credits to job creators. But business groups say limiting which industries qualify further weakens a tax credit they’d never asked for in the first place.
The two lawmakers who authored the credit, Broadman and state Rep. Nancy Nathanson, D-Eugene, told OPB this week they weren’t aware how much the change would reduce the credit’s projected use. Broadman said the amendment was designed to ensure the state was using tax benefits in the areas that are most primed to add jobs, and would make the new credit less costly to oversee.
Live updates: 2026 legislative session draws to a close
Oregon Capital Chronicle
A controversial bill that changes campaign contribution limits in Oregon established in 2024 and delays implementation of strict disclosure requirements, passed its final Senate vote on Thursday in a 20-9 vote. House Bill 4018 passed in the House earlier in the day and now goes to Gov. Tina Kotek.
Oregon Senate Democrats passed a bill that would further safeguard providers of reproductive and gender-affirming care, blocking an attempt by Republicans to turn the bill into a state-backed study on gender-affirming care for minors.
Oregon Senate waters down controversial gun control bill, winning Republican support.
The 2026 legislative session is nearly over: What's passed and what bills await action?
KATU | By Vasili Varlamos
KATU is On Your Side, breaking down what bills lawmakers have passed, what action they are taking today, and what bills still need action.
Here are a few key bills passed by the Oregon Legislature over the 2026 short session
KGW | By Amy Xiaoshi DePaola
Here's a snapshot of some of the bills that are ready to be signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek, if they haven't been signed already.
Oregon Legislature votes to give cities, counties flexibility in tourism revenue
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Julia Shumway
A bill headed to Gov. Tina Kotek would let cities and counties spend up to 50% of transient lodging tax on services.
“My communities are drowning,” Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, said on the Senate floor Thursday. “We’ve had consistent reductions of revenue and simultaneous massive increases to demands on services.”
Oregon Senate waters down controversial gun control bill, winning Republican support
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
Oregon state senators on Thursday gutted this year’s legislation to bolster the rollout of a 2022 voter-approved gun control law currently being litigated, despite Democrats expending significant political capital to push a wide-ranging firearm safety bill through the House.
“I want to thank the leadership and the Senate Republican Caucus and all the work that has gone into the amended version that we have here on the floor,” said Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford. “That frankly should have been what came over from the House.”
Oregon lawmakers propose deal to acquire Abiqua Falls in Santiam State Forest
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Mia Maldonado
Sen. Fred Girod, the Silverton Republican behind the plan, said the acquisition is personal to him. Born and raised in the Santiam Canyon, Girod said he is following the example of the late Oregon Gov. Tom McCall, who championed public ownership of all of Oregon’s beaches.
“This is one of the nicest things I’ve ever had to work on,” Girod told lawmakers on the state’s budget-writing Joint Ways and Means committee Tuesday afternoon.
Woodburn gets path to expand, build housing under new bill
Statesman Journal | By Bill Poehler
“The amendment respects Oregon’s land use process while allowing Woodburn to deliver housing at a scale to a community that desperately needs it,” said Muñoz, who co-sponsored the Senate bill along with Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer.
Oregon lawmakers pass bill to raise lodging tax
The Oregonian | By Jonathan Bach
Jason Brandt, president and CEO of the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, said the bill “dismantles one of Oregon’s last remaining revenue streams dedicated for economic development, completely ignoring Gov. Tina Kotek’s efforts to boost prosperity throughout the state.”
Backers, meantime, stressed that it would shore up funding for habitats and wildlife.
‘This bill will save lives’: Oregon passes AI safeguards for youth mental health
KOIN 6 | By Michaela Bourgeois
House lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1546, which requires AI chatbot platforms – such as ChatGPT, Grok and Claude – to implement safeguards if users express ideas of suicide or self-harm.
Oregon bipartisan duo push for compensating committee aide wrongfully accused of misconduct
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Shaanth Nanguneri
It’s unclear if the measure has the time or support to pass in Salem by the end of this year’s short legislative session.
Oregon Employment Department still takes more than an hour to answer calls; the state has 101 ideas to fix that
The Oregonian | By Mike Rogoway
Six years after the Oregon Employment Department suffered a historic meltdown during the pandemic, the agency still routinely exasperates laid-off workers and typically leaves them on hold for more than an hour when people call to find out why they’re not getting their benefits.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Oregon cost of living report shows rising debt, financial hardship across the state
KPTV | By Julia Lopez
Oregon’s 2026 Cost of Living Report shows financial hardship is growing more common across the state, with food, housing, and credit card debt causing the most stress.
Data collected by State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner shows 73% of Oregonians have cut down on expenses to pay for food, and 53% say they still struggle to pay bills. Steiner said nearly half of Oregonians cannot afford a $500 emergency expense.
“By the end of the month, they’ve run out of money and until they get their next paycheck — and so as a result, more Oregonians are using credit cards to pay for essential things like food or gas or utility bills,” Steiner said.
2026 ELECTION
Gov. Kotek loses out on two previous endorsements as 2026 election looms
KOIN 6 | By Mia Villanueva
Both the Oregon Education Association and the Working Families Party have declined to endorse the Governor’s reelection bid, marking a significant change from the 2022 cycle.
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