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Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
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Oregon lawmakers rush to finalize $11B transportation package
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Time is running out on the Oregon legislative session, and lawmakers are still working on a . With just three days to go, questions remain about what it will include and if they can finish in time. Wyden doubles down on fight to keep Trail Blazers in Portland in Rolling Stone interview On Wednesday night, a was introduced under House Speaker Julie Fahey's name. Republican lawmakers said they are not thrilled about the timing. The Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment met Thursday for a public hearing and work session to discuss the amendment — the committee elected to advance the plan with the amendment on Thursday evening. This new version cut out a lot of tax increases the original had, but it still would raise over $11 billion over 10 years. The amendment includes a bump to the gas tax. The original would raise it to 55 cents by 2028, but the new version raises it to 52 cents next year. KOIN 6 News asked what sticking points remain as the deadline approaches. 'I think it's just the size and the scope of the tax,' Sen. Bruce Starr (R-Rural Polk & Yamhill Counties) said. 'It's a massive tax, over $11 billion that they're going to pull out of Oregonians' pockets. I think that's really the issue.' 'Not working': Gov. Kotek responds to criticism over attempt to ditch Preschool for All Democrat Sen. Khanh Pham, the co-chair of the transportation committee, shared the following statement. 'Ultimately, is a compromise bill that provides some resources, at least for the next few years, to maintain our existing roads and keep our buses running at just current service levels, no extension, and just invest in safer streets in our communities.' If this bill does pass the House, it still has to go through the Senate. Stay with KOIN 6 News as this story develops. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
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Divided Oregon panel sends massive transportation funding bill to House floor
Oregon Department of Transportation workers fill a pothole on U.S. Highway 97 near Chemult in 2016 (Oregon Department of Transportation/Flickr) Oregon's long-awaited transportation funding bill is headed to the House floor, but it remains to be seen whether it will make it to the end of the legislative session without running out of gas. The 12-member Joint Committee on Transportation Reinvestment voted 7-5 along party lines Friday to advance an amended version of House Bill 2025, a plan to generate nearly $14.6 billion over the next 10 years with new and higher taxes and fees to fund the Oregon Department of Transportation and transportation needs throughout the state. Supporters say it's a way to reverse decades of underspending, caused by Oregonians paying far less than their neighbors in other western states in vehicle-related taxes. 'We can see the result of that disinvestment in our road system every day, when we see the potholes on our streets, the bridges that now are weight-limited so trucks cannot go over them, which affects our economy,' said Sen. Khanh Phạm, D-Portland. 'We see that in the exploding traffic fatalities when county roads can't even afford a shoulder, when kids can't even bike and walk to school, and we have parents in my district who are crying every day because of the injuries and and the fatalities that are happening.' The bill now moves to a vote by the full Oregon House. It would need to pass both the House and Senate by Sunday June 29, the final possible day of the legislative session. But the measure's path forward is more of a steep, curving, poorly maintained mountain road than a smooth stretch of highway. Republicans remain strongly opposed to it, as do some Democrats. 'These are massive, massive tax increases, and ultimately, I think they're going to be dangerous to our economy,' Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, said before voting against the bill. 'I understand that there is a need for long-term funding for our state for highways and highways, and this Republican was willing to negotiate how and where we raise those additional taxes as additional fees.' Under House Bill 2025, fees and taxes would rise to pay for $14.6 billion in transportation costs over the next 10 years: State gas tax would go from $0.40 to $0.55 per gallon, starting with a 10-cent increase in January 2026 and additional 5-cent increase in 2028. Diesel would also be taxed at the same rate as regular gasoline. Vehicle registration fees would rise from $43 to $113 for passenger vehicles; $44 to $110 for mopeds and motorcycles and $63 to $129 for low-speed vehicles, medium-speed electric vehicles and light trailers. Title fees would increase from $77 to $182 for new titles. A new transfer tax on cars 26,000 pounds or less, and sold for more than $10,000, would be taxed at 2% if new, or 1% if used. Transit payroll taxes would go up from 0.1% to 0.18% starting in 2026, then increase to 0.25% in 2028 and 0.3% in 2030. Privilege tax and commensurate use tax would rise from 0.5% to 1% percent of the sales price of a vehicle. A privilege tax is a tax for the privilege of selling vehicles in Oregon, and the use tax applies to vehicles purchased from dealers outside of Oregon that are required to be registered and titled in Oregon. Road usage fee or per-mile fee for EV drivers would be required. Electric vehicle drivers could elect to pay a $340 annual fee or a per-mile road usage charge. Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, on Friday removed Sen. Mark Meek, a Gladstone Democrat opposed to the measure, from the committee and took his place. Wagner, who voted for the measure, said committee members led by co-chairs Rep. Susan McLain, D-Forest Grove and Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, had worked hard and produced something they could be proud of. Meek, who remained sitting at the committee dais, said he would have been willing to vote for a tax increase and to spend the entire weekend working on a compromise, but that it was 'fundamentally flawed' in its current form. 'I was removed from this committee because I'm gonna be a 'no,'' Meek said. 'I will be a 'no' on the Senate floor if this is the version that comes across, and you will see what happens.' Rep. Annessa Hartman, D-Gladstone, shared a message to her Instagram story criticizing Wagner's move as 'absolutely ridiculous' on Friday. 'We are here to elevate the voices of our constituents and we are saying NO to insane tax increases!! And this is what happens! Shame,' Hartman wrote over a picture of a memo about Wagner replacing Meek. Any measures to create new taxes or increase existing ones require support from at least 36 representatives and 18 senators. Democrats hold exactly 36 and 18 seats, meaning they would need united caucuses if no Republicans support the measure. The bill, which lawmakers dubbed the Transportation Reinvestment Package, or TRIP, aims to provide the state transportation agency with funding needed to avoid a $350 million deficit in the year ahead and to avoid laying off up to 1,000 employees that agency officials earlier this year suggested would be necessary to remain solvent. Meanwhile, Republicans opposed to the bill have begun leveraging it to raise money for political campaigns — 'TRIP is a TRAP!' the Oregon Republican Party declared in a fundraising email this week. Republicans including former Sen. Brian Boquist, who represented Dallas and was a key player in crafting the 2017 transportation package, are preparing to refer the new fees and taxes to the ballot. The bill does not include an emergency clause that would make it effective immediately upon passage, so Republicans would have 90 days to raise the 78,000 signatures needed to refer it to the November ballot. Anticipating such a referral, the House voted 31-18 Friday to pass House Bill 3390, allowing the Legislature to choose ballot language if any laws they pass this year are referred to voters. House Minority Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, told Oregon Public Broadcasting on Tuesday that Republicans would also consider a walkout over tax increases. Because Oregon is one of only a handful of states that require two-thirds of lawmakers to form a quorum, Republicans who hold 12 seats in the 30-member Senate and 24 in the 60-member House can stop the Legislature from functioning by skipping floor sessions as a group. Voters in 2022 sought to stop walkouts by passing a measure that punishes any lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences by blocking them from running for reelection, but there are fewer than 10 days left in the session. Drazan submitted her own proposal late Tuesday, while the committee was already discussing four new amendments added by Democrats within an hour of the meeting's start. Her proposal is a replica of an earlier Republican proposal, House Bill 3982, which avoids taxes and instead redirects funding from climate initiatives, public transit and passenger rail services, bicycle programs and payroll taxes. Republicans on the committee sought unsuccessfully to adopt Drazan's amendment on Friday. Rep. Kevin Mannix, a Salem Republican who worked more closely with Democrats than most other Republicans, said neither Drazan's proposal nor the Democratic proposal were perfect. The Democratic proposal is 'grossly obese' and Drazan's amendment is 'too thin,' Mannix said. 'So what sort of choices do you make? Well, if you've got something that's slim and thin, you can add some weight to it over time,' he said. Republicans also failed to adopt another amendment Mannix offered that would have had smaller tax increases, which Mannix described as a compromise. Rep. Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie, and Phạm, two of the most progressive members of the Legislature, had introduced their own amendments that would have included significantly higher taxes than any other proposal. Gamba said 'That is the amendment that puts us between the two pretty broadly spread ends of the spectrum here, at one end, attempting to get us back to parity with most of the rest of western United States, and at the other end, attempting to erode our system even further,' Gamba said. 'I think the (co-chairs' amendment) does find the sort of sweet middle.' Revenue collected from vehicle use fees, state gas tax, titling and registration must go to the state highway fund for roads and bridges under the Oregon Constitution. That means the bulk of money in this bill is for vehicle infrastructure. Specific projects that would be funded with the revenue by 2027 include the Interstate 5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project in Portland's Albina neighborhood, upgrading the Abernethy Bridge and widening Interstate 205 in the Portland metro area, improving the Newberg-Dundee bypass in Yamhill County, and upgrading a Salem bridge off Center Street and State Highway 22 to make it strong enough to endure earthquakes. When it comes to aging bridges, Oregon Department of Transportation Director Kris Strickler said Tuesday the funding will help pay for more bridge replacements per year. Most bridges built in Oregon can only be replaced every 900 years given the agency's current budget — about three a year. Under House Bill 2025 funding, 'by the time you get to 2029-31, it's roughly a 550- to 600-year replacement cycle. We're able to pick up two to three more bridges a year, which is significant,' he said. The bill would provide counties an average of 40% more money for transit projects, according to Mallorie Roberts, a lobbyist for the Association of Oregon Counties and the Oregon Association of County Engineers and Surveyors. She said it would allow counties to invest in long-overdue capital projects on roads and transportation infrastructure rather than just operations and maintenance. Taxes on car and bike sales and payroll taxes are allowed to go to pedestrian pathways, bike trails and rail transit. The privilege taxes on new car sales would provide an extra $1 million per year in funding for bike and pedestrian pathways. Additional revenue from the higher payroll tax would provide up to $400 million per year in new funding for rail operations and projects. The package includes the directive to undertake a number of studies, including a study of the costs and benefits of providing all Oregonians 22-years or younger with free access to public transit, and the costs and benefits of expanding the Westside Express Service, a commuter rail line serving parts of Portland, Beaverton, Tigard, Tualatin and Wilsonville, to include Salem and Eugene. Seven years ago, lawmakers poured more than $5 billion into the Oregon Department of Transportation to improve roads, bridges and public transit. Some of those projects have been criticized for being ineffective, and investigations by the Malheur Enterprise and the Capital Chronicle found two rail centers meant for cargo shipments that cost taxpayers $70 million are still nonoperational. Between 2019 and 2025, transportation officials agreed to $296 million in voluntary budget cuts, Strickler told lawmakers Tuesday. Strickler said they have been paying for those cuts in employee morale. 'I would not be telling the full truth if I didn't say that the funding issue looming over us was significant on the morale of the agency,' he said. The agency and its director would also undergo more regular scrutiny from the Legislature and the governor under House Bill 2025, which would restore her power to hire and fire the head of the transportation department — a decision that has since 2017 been up to the Oregon Transportation Commission. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
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Doing more good: why Oregon needs to rebuild its civic information infrastructure
A bill now advancing through Oregon's legislature has catalyzed a critical conversation about the future of journalism, an industry advocate says. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon stands at a pivotal moment in reimagining how we sustain local news and strengthen our civic life. Senate Bill 686, now advancing through the legislature, has catalyzed a critical conversation about the future of journalism, democracy, and public trust. Some have expressed concern about Senate Bill 686, which would require dominant tech platforms like Google and Meta to fairly compensate local news outlets for the content that helps make their platforms useful. The worry is that if the bill passes, companies like Meta could follow through on threats to block news links, potentially cutting off a significant channel for audience reach at a time when many outlets are already struggling. Rather than debate whether tech giants should be protected from public policy because they might retaliate, let's focus on what this framing overlooks: it narrows our collective vision for what Oregon's news and civic information ecosystem could become. It's not enough to avoid harm, not when communities across our nation already suffer from a lack of trusted, accessible information. This is a moment to do more good. Our 'Oregon Local News and Information Ecosystem' report lays out a vision for how we get there, through a collaborative, cross-sector model supported by what we call the 'three-legged stool:' public, private, and philanthropic sectors all working together. To do more good, we must recognize journalism not as a struggling industry, but as vital civic infrastructure. Just as roads and broadband connect people physically, journalism connects people socially and politically, helping them navigate crises, understand public policy, and participate in civic life. Oregon's civic information infrastructure is under strain. Newsroom closures, shrinking coverage in rural areas, and underinvestment in BIPOC and ethnic media have left many without access to essential information. Rebuilding it to a standard that The Civic Information Index outlines means acting across all three sectors. The public sector has a unique responsibility to rebalance the market and protect civic infrastructure, and SB 686 is Oregon's boldest attempt yet. The bill, introduced by Sen. Khanh Pham, requires dominant digital platforms like Google and Meta to compensate Oregon journalism outlets directly, intended to increase the number of journalists covering the state and contribute to an independent Oregon Civic Information Consortium, modeled after New Jersey's. That nonprofit body would then distribute grants to strengthen local news and civic information initiatives across the state, with specific provisions ensuring micro and startup publications and media projects in underserved communities, rural areas and ethnic media outlets are included. While some critics worry about unintended consequences, SB 686 is built with flexibility and equity. It has attracted national attention, spurred bipartisan dialogue, and inspired complementary ideas like consumer news tax credits. However, structural change of this kind requires bold public leadership through the lens of Oregon, where public media plays a significant role and hedge fund-owned outlets are less dominant than in other states. Inaction would let the current inequities and information gaps deepen further. The private sector, especially tech companies, has an outsized role in shaping information flows. Google and Meta heavily determine what news is seen, shared, or monetized, and have benefited from local journalism without proportionate reinvestment. When faced with legislation like SB 686, they've threatened to block news links, as Meta has already done in Canada. Yet in both Canada and California, Google has agreed to multi-million dollar settlements to support journalism through collective funding models. In Canada, it now contributes to the Canadian Journalism Collective, a consortium of 140+ outlets, under the country's Online News Act. These models show that when guided by clear policy and public pressure, even dominant platforms can participate in rebuilding civic infrastructure. While the tech giant's support of the news industry through its Google News Initiative is commendable, its growing influence on how news is distributed deserves scrutiny. AI-powered search summaries rely heavily on high-quality journalism but often bypass the original sources, reducing referral traffic and undermining publishers' sustainability. Tech companies must fairly compensate the journalists whose work powers these tools. Philanthropy forms the third leg of the stool, uniquely positioned to fund innovation, center equity, and reach places where market and policy solutions can't. At the Agora Journalism Center, we've advocated for creating a Press Forward Oregon Local Chapter, modeled after the national campaign to revitalize local news: Press Forward. A coordinated state-level initiative would offer regional foundations and grant-making bodies ways to align efforts, pool resources, and fund community-rooted solutions. Local funders already support health, education, the arts, and climate resilience, all of which depend on an informed public. The opportunity is to see civic information as part of that essential infrastructure. That means sustaining those serving local communities' information health and investing in what's possible, especially in communities long excluded from traditional coverage. Doing more good requires collective leadership. No one sector can fix Oregon's civic information crisis alone, but together, they can build something stronger, more inclusive, and more sustainable. This isn't about saving legacy institutions for nostalgia's sake. It's about rebuilding trust, re-centering local voices, and helping communities face everything from natural disasters to housing and mental health challenges with the information they need. The Agora Journalism Center and the broad and diverse supporters of SB 686 are ready to help make that vision real. The stool is ready to be built. The question is whether we will step up, not just to avoid harm, but to do more good for every Oregonian. Note: Oregon Capital Chronicle Editor Julia Shumway is board treasurer of the Greater Oregon Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, which supports the bill referenced in this column. She did not participate in the editing of this item. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
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Oregon bill could impact local newspapers — Have your say
SALEM — Oregon lawmakers are asking for the public's input on a bill that could have big impacts on local newspapers, and tech giants like Google and Facebook. The Oregon Journalism Protection Act would require large online platforms, such as Google, to either pay newspapers for making money off online news articles or contribute to a statewide civic media fund aimed at strengthening local news. 'When newsrooms close, Oregonians lose,' said the bill's author, Senator Khanh Pham, D-Portland. 'This bill creates a lasting solution for Oregon's local news crisis that will protect journalism jobs, spur start ups in news deserts, and better inform Oregonians. Local journalism is vital to a healthy democracy, keeping our communities connected and engaged, and holding powerful entities to account.' Newsrooms across Oregon have faced dire financial challenges for years, as advertising revenue has shifted massively to digital platforms, especially Google and Facebook, leaving newspapers without the revenue needed to stay open. Proponents say the bill would rebalance the online ads market and reinvest in Oregon's local journalism. Representatives from several media outlets, including reporters and publishers from the Carpenter Media Group, attended the bill's first hearing on Wednesday. 'Local news media is the heartbeat of our small towns in Oregon,' said Senator Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City. '…They help connect family-owned restaurants, hardware stores, and fishermen in the community where they serve. But as Big Tech swallows up all the ad dollars, these local media companies are fighting to stay afloat.' Under the bill, platforms make direct payments to qualifying news sites and donate to a newly established Oregon Civic Information Consortium, which would issue grants to newsrooms. Platforms would also be required to publish annual transparency reports detailing which news articles they promoted and how compensation was distributed. 'I miss my local newspaper,' said Senator Sarah Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis. 'We still have a paper that is printed, but it is just filled with words from other places, from people that don't live in the town that I live in…Our local papers are critical to civic engagement, to building community, to helping people have a sense of place, of understanding what makes their community unique, and helping them understand how they can make a difference in that community.' Members of the public can submit written testimony until 1 p.m. on Friday.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
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Oregon's Polluters Pay Act could charge fossil fuel companies for climate damages
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Oregon state lawmakers are considering a bill that would make the largest fossil fuel companies pay 'their fair share' of damages to the state for emissions driving climate change. On Monday, the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment held a hearing on , the Make Polluters Pay Act, which would require large fossil fuel companies to pay into the Oregon Climate Superfund to help Oregon become more resilient to climate change. 'It's simple: if you make a mess, you help pay to clean it up,' said Senator Khanh Pham (D-Outer Southeast & Northeast Portland), a chief sponsor of the bill. 'Oregonians are already paying the price of climate disasters fueled by the fossil fuel industry. SB 1187 will ensure the companies most responsible for the climate crisis finally contribute to our recovery and resilience.' DON'T MISS: Eagle Creek Fire led to hundreds of debris flows in Columbia River Gorge Senator Pham highlighted the importance of passing the bill as Oregon is 'on the frontline of climate change,' seeing climate emergencies from wildfires to extreme heat. 'I'm here today because during the , temperatures hit 124 degrees in my district – a new record,' Pham said. 'Oregonians died in the heat, mostly people in urban heat islands, like in my own neighborhood.' 'So how will the climate super fund work? The state of Oregon will assess the damages from climate change-driven disasters that have already happened, such as the 2021 heat dome, as well as forecast future damages for disasters that will be inevitable due to the warming baked in by the emissions of covered entities from 1995 to 2024,' Pham explained. 'The state will also develop a plan for permanent adaptation and resilience investments that are necessary for our state because of the inevitable warming from emissions.' REAL IDs will be required for air travel in May: What you need to know Under the bill, the Department of Environmental Quality would have the authority to identify the businesses responsible for the climate damages. Fossil fuel companies would be charged if they have produced one billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions globally in the last three decades. DEQ would then calculate each fossil fuel company's share of damages then issue cost notices. The state would then disperse the funds to help implement plans to adapt and protect communities from further climate damages. Sen. Pham's office told KOIN 6 News they estimate the climate superfund would generate billions of dollars, noting they don't have an exact estimate because DEQ will determine costs if the bill passes. In terms of which businesses could face fees under the bill, Pham's office pointed to large oil companies such as Exxon Mobile, BP, Shell and Chevron, which all have business presence in Oregon. 'To our knowledge, no Oregon based companies, including Northwest Natural, would meet this threshold but Oregon DEQ would do that analysis,' Pham's office said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now During the bill's hearing dozens of community members testified, including some who shared concerns about Oregon's growing wildfire seasons. Testimony included that of Caren Caldwell of Jackson County, who shared her story from the Almeda Fire, which destroyed her son's manufactured home. 'Our communities continue to work toward replacing what was lost by those who had the least. Many of our neighbors are still living in RVs or temporary housing,' Caldwell said. 'Many others moved out of town and have not been able to return because of the higher costs of housing. I want the polluters to pay their fair share of the cost for us to recover. Make Polluters Pay could make it possible for those people to come home again.' Small plane skids off runway into water at North Bend airport, 5 hospitalized Another chief sponsor of SB 1187, Sen. Jeff Golden (D-Ashland), testified, 'These catastrophes inflict damages on people, property and communities that regularly run into the billions of dollars…We have no realistic way to pay these bills. We're struggling to pay for any of the preventative programs that could spare us from billion-dollar-plus catastrophes next year and the year after that.' 'There are two options here,' Golden added. 'One, we join other states in holding the enormously profitable industry – whose products fuel these catastrophes – responsible for some of the damage. Or two, we turn away and keep this crushing financial burden on the shoulders of Oregon families and taxpayers who had nothing to do with these fires, and in some cases, had their lives devastated by them.' Citing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Rep. Mark Gamba (D-Milwaukie), who's also a chief sponsor of the bill, highlighted how costly recent wildfire and storm damage was for Oregon, noting, the 2020 wildfires cost Oregon over $19 billion, a winter storm in 2021 cost the state over $27 billion and droughts and heatwaves in 2022 and 2023 cost $38 billion. 'We have an opportunity to take bold action,' Gamba said. 'SB 1187 will help safeguard Oregon's future while ensuring our most vulnerable communities are not left behind. Costs like these cannot continue to be borne by the taxpayers of Oregon. They certainly can't be borne by small cities that are going to suffer these things.' Multnomah County Board members unveil plan to put county in 'driver's seat' of economy Larry O'Neil, Oregon's state climatologist, was among others who testified, describing the impact climate change will have in Oregon. 'Overall, the past century has seen significant warming of earth's climate and Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest have been no exception to its adverse impacts – including human health and safety, water resource management, agriculture, wildland fire, hydropower, timber industries and the tourism sectors.' 'More recently, observations indicate that last year, actually, finishes Oregon's sixth warmest year on record despite the fact that we had a rather cold start and a really large ice storm in January,' O'Neil said. What salary do you need to actually take home $100K after taxes in Oregon? According to the state climatologist, hot weather is continuing to increase in frequency, noting, 'Salem, for example, used to average only 17 days per year with high temperatures above 90 degrees during the 20th century. Over the last five years, however, that number has doubled to 34 days and by 2070, that number of 90-degree days is projected to exceed 70 (days) or nearly every single day of the summer.' O'Neil noted that 90-degree days can have adverse impacts on human health and infrastructure, adding that by the end of the century, summer temperatures in the Willamette Valley will mirror summer temperatures currently experienced in the Sacramento, California valley. 'The temperatures above 105 degrees Fahrenheit as occurred during our heat dome a few years ago in 2021, are projected to be an annual occurrence in Salem rather than a once-in-a-generation event,' O'Neil furthered. KOIN 6 News has reached out to Republican members of the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment, Sen. David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford) and Sen. Noah Robinson (R-Cave Junction). This story will be updated if we receive a response. A second hearing for SB 1187 is scheduled April 9 after the committee ran out of time to hear all testimony on Monday. The bill could also undergo a work session the same day. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
