Jan. 1, Thursday marked the first day of the 2026 new year, and with that, a new set of laws passed by the Oregon Legislature will take effect.
They span from stronger accountability provisions for utility companies to criminal penalties for spreading AI-generated revenge porn. Oregon’s Democratic leaders said in a Dec. 17 statement that they made issues such as improving consumer rights and increasing public safety a top priority even as they continued to resist the policies of the Trump administration.
“Oregon families are being squeezed by rising costs, and these new laws will help people afford everything from rent to concert tickets to medical care,” said House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, in a statement announcing the new statutes. “Oregonians shouldn’t get stuck paying hidden costs just to live their lives.”
It’s a balance that state leaders will have to continue to strike as they await future economic forecasts and stare down potentially significant cuts to state agency services because the state automatically replicates changes to federal tax code. Some lawmakers have also told the Capital Chronicle the upcoming February 2026 short legislative session will see legislation responding to the federal government’s increasingly aggressive immigration policy.
Last year’s legislative session saw a historic number of bills — more than 3,400 — introduced in at least two decades. Far fewer bills will appear in the next legislative session, which begins Feb. 2 and must conclude by March 8.
In the meantime, here are some major new laws that will affect Oregonians statewide. Nearly all of them passed with little to no Republican support in the Democrat-controlled House and Senate.
Consumer rights from utilities to health care
Senate Bill 430 prohibits online retailers from adding convenience charges and service fees to purchases without warning. Instead, business owners online must include such fees in the price they advertise or display on their website, though shipping costs do not have to be included in the up-front figure. Breaking the law would constitute an unlawful business and trade practice under state law and could subject the business to fines.
Senate Bill 688 could more directly benefit consumers’ pocketbooks. The law allows the Oregon Public Utility Commission to “provide incentives and penalties” to utility companies based on key performance outcomes. That could include targets to reduce emissions or ensure cost reductions and access to utilities for low-income Oregonians.
When it comes to renting, Oregonians seeking to get back a deposit for an apartment or dwelling they later discover has serious problems may have more luck.
House Bill 3521 gives protections to prospective tenants should they find undisclosed issues such as a leaky roof or window, a lack of heat, unsafe drinking water or nonfunctional locks on a door. Landlords will have to return the deposit under the law should a tenant make such a discovery. Another new law also prevents landlords from relying upon mobile phone apps for safely locking and unlocking doors, mandating renters be offered alternatives such as an access code or key card.
And in the health care sector, Oregon lawmakers took a key step to help residents protect their credit scores. Senate Bill 605 prevents medical debt from going on an individual’s credit report by prohibiting hospitals and clinics from notifying consumer reporting agencies about how much money an individual owes for receiving care. The ban also prevents these agencies from including what they know to be medical debt in a credit report.
Stronger worker protections
Perhaps the most controversial labor rights bill passed this past session was Senate Bill 916, which made Oregon the first state in the nation to guarantee unemployment benefits to striking public and private sector workers. Its legislative process pitted some school board and business leaders against labor rights advocates and unions who disagreed over whether it would incentivize longer strikes. The Oregon Employment Department told the Capital Chronicle it is planning to track claims from striking workers and will report the figures to the Legislature.
And Senate Bill 906 will require annual updates starting at the beginning of every year from employers to newly-hired employees detailing their earnings and deductions on pay stubs. The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, under the law, is directed to create model guidance in English and Spanish and other languages upon request. Employers who fail to comply could face civil penalties.
Domestic violence, consent laws for criminal penalties
Until this year, 17-year-olds in Oregon could marry with parental or guardian permission and authorization from a court, even if they did not consent. Now, under Senate Bill 548, Oregonians must be 18 years of age and those exemptions no longer apply. Supporters of the nearly unanimously passed law pointed out that nearly 3,000 adult men received Oregon marriage licenses with teenage girls from 2000 to 2021, according to state data.
Oregon lawmakers also addressed exploitation as it relates to the distribution of intimate images without the subject’s consent. House Bill 2299, which passed with no opposition, will now include AI-generated images in state law creating a first and second degree offense for intimate image abuse, with the goal of stemming repeated violations and protecting victims of abuse.
Additionally, workplace violence drew the attention of state legislators, who voted to make assault in the fourth degree in certain circumstances an even more serious crime. Under Senate Bill 170, that heightened designation is for when the assault takes place during the performance of an employee’s duties, and when it implicates an individual who has assaulted others because of their occupation or while they are at work. The penalty could be up to five years in prison and a $125,000 fine. The law passed the Senate unanimously, while four progressive Portland-area lawmakers opposed it in the House.
“The laws taking effect in 2026 show Oregon leaders stepping up for working families by protecting consumers, widening access to health care, and keeping people safe,” Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-Portland, said in a statement, “even as the federal government prioritizes tax breaks for huge corporations and grows more hostile to everyday people.”
Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
Commented