The Oregon Pioneer, commonly known as the Gold Man, is a 23-foot-tall, 8.5-ton statue atop the state Capitol in Salem. (Photo by Mia Maldonado/Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Republicans during Oregon’s 2026 legislative session repeatedly criticized Democrats, who hold the majority in the Legislature, for not working across the aisle on measures such as moving the date of a gas tax referendum and policies they said conflict with President Donald Trump’s tax and immigration agenda.
Democrats hold 18 of 30 seats in the Senate and 37 of 60 in the House, meaning they can generally pass legislation without Republican votes so long as they stay unified.
There are tactics Republicans can use to stall or block a bill from a vote. That includes denying a quorum by leaving the chamber — which they did at least twice this session. The House requires 40 members present and the Senate 20 to conduct business. However, under a 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment, any lawmaker who racks up ten unexcused absences from skipping session is barred from running for reelection.
Despite those tensions, both parties by the end of the session that adjourned Friday worked together to pass funding to renovate Portland’s Moda Center, to keep a rural Coos Bay hospital from closing and to fund statewide wildlife conservation.
Nearly 90% of bills — or 128 of 143 — that passed both chambers received at least one Republican vote, according to the Oregon Senate Majority Office.
Below is a non-exhaustive list of some of the bills where Oregon lawmakers worked together. Some have already been signed into law by Gov. Tina Kotek, while others await her signature She has 30 business days to sign or veto bills.
Rural Oregon
- Stabilizing Bay Area Hospital: House Bill 4075 approves a $44 million loan from the state’s unclaimed property and estates fund to loan a rural Coos Bay hospital. It is awaiting a signature from the governor.
- Farm stores: House Bill 4153 allows for “farm stores” of up to 10,000 square feet on lands zoned exclusively for farm use. It is awaiting a signature from the governor.
- Transient lodging tax: HB 4134 increases a tax on short-term lodging from 1.5% to 2.75% and declares those funds be distributed toward conservation efforts, including combatting poaching and invasive species, wolf management, wildlife law enforcement and protecting fish, wildlife and natural habitats. It is awaiting a signature from the governor.
- Liability waiver reform: Senate Bill 1517 aims at protecting small businesses by strengthening liability waivers that ski areas, gyms and rafting guides offer. After several rounds of amendments, the bill received nearly unanimous support in both chambers. It awaits a signature from Kotek.
Affordability
- Banning speculative ticketing: House Bill 4024 bans people and websites from selling event tickets they don’t actually have, unless they have a written contract to obtain the ticket from an initial sale. It received unanimous approval in the Senate and a 55-2 vote in the House. Kotek already signed it into law.
- Cervical cancer costs: Senate Bill 1527 eliminates out-of-pocket costs for cervical cancer screenings and procedures for Oregonians. It received unanimous approval in both chambers and Kotek already signed it into law.
- Tariff relief for small businesses: House Bill 4061 allocates $950,000 to Business Oregon to administer tariff relief grants for small businesses, and work with other state and local agencies to update the state’s unified trade strategy. It received near unanimous support in both chambers and awaits Kotek’s signature.
Education
- Free books for kids: House Bill 4022 establishes the Oregon Imagination Library Program to provide a free book each month to eligible children ages 1-5 and encourage literacy. It received near unanimous votes in both chambers and was signed into law on Thursday.
- Requiring emergency response plans in schools: House Bill 4160 requires that schools have a cardiac emergency response plan in place, including ensuring access to automated external defibrillators and that all coaches be trained in CPR/AED use. It was unanimous in the Senate, nearly unanimous in the House and awaits a signature from Kotek.
- Supporting homeless students: House Bill 4149 directs school districts to adopt for homeless students policies that ensure immediate enrollment, school placement and provision of critical services, such as transportation. It also directs the Oregon Department of Education to designate a state coordinator for the education of homeless students. Its passage was nearly unanimous in both chambers and awaits a signature from Kotek.
Housing
- Restoring damaged dwellings: Senate Bill 1561 requires local governments to approve the rebuild of a home damaged in a natural disaster, ensuring it is not considered a land use decision that is open to further regulation and appeals. It passed unanimously in both chambers and awaits a signature from Kotek.
- Oregonians over private equity: House Bill 4128 gives families, individuals and small real estate businesses a 90-day head start before private equity firms can purchase single-family homes for sale in Oregon. It awaits a signature from Kotek.
- Urban growth boundary expansion in rural areas: House Bill 4082 is a one-time expansion of urban growth boundary rules, with the condition that additional land be used for manufactured housing or housing specifically for people more than 55 years old. It lets cities with populations of 25,000 or more to bring in 100 additional acres for development, and those with smaller populations to bring in up to 50.It awaits a signature from Kotek.
Other
- Moda Center & Abiqua Falls: Senate Bill 5701 allocates $365 million to pay for renovations at the Moda Center, and $2.1 million to acquire 200 acres of the Abiqua Creek area near Silverton, including the 92-foot-tall Abiqua Falls. It also allocates $45.7 million for public university projects and $100 million for affordable rental housing. It passed nearly unanimously in both chambers and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
- Campaign finance reform: House Bill 4018 would enforce by 2027 campaign finance limits first passed in 2024. It effectively doubles legal spending limits established in 2024 by applying them to calendar years rather than two-year election cycles, increases allowances for in-kind contributions and allows donors to create multiple LLCs to contribute money to a candidate as long as it’s not for the “sole purpose” of circumventing the law. It allocates $1.5 million to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office to enforce the contribution limits. Stricter disclosure requirements from big donors, however, would not be enforced until 2031. It awaits a signature from Kotek.
- Liability for traffic violations: House Bill 4137 frees Oregonians from liability for traffic citations for vehicles if they are no longer the owner. The bill received unanimous votes in both chambers and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
- AI chat bots: Senate Bill 1546 would require AI programs such as ChatGPT to remind users more regularly that they are speaking to an artificial intelligence tool, not a human. It passed unanimously in the House, nearly unanimously in the Senate and awaits a signature from Kotek.
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