Table of Contents
Fall Special Session Delayed Until Interim Legislative Days
The special session convened by Governor Tina Kotek remains on hold while Sen. Chris Gorsek (D-Gresham) continues to recover from a planned surgery. The delay postpones the Senate’s consideration of critical transportation investments until interim legislative days, which will take place September 29 through October 1.
A stop-gap transportation funding package is required to avert mass layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation. Governor Kotek delayed layoffs of some 500 ODOT employees until mid-October to buy more time for a legislative fix.
The House of Representatives passed House Bill 3991 earlier in the month, a measure that represents a streamlined version of a prior transportation funding proposal. The bill would raise gas taxes, increase registration and title fees, and raise costs for drivers of electric vehicles.
September Revenue Forecast Released
On August 27, Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis released a September Revenue Forecast projecting an $888 million decrease in revenue for the 2025–2027 budget cycle. The forecast was presented before members of the House and Senate Revenue Committees.
State economists noted in the report that one primary contributor to the forecast figure was the federal measure HR 1, which is expected to significantly reduce state personal and corporate income tax revenue. Oregon’s tax revenues respond sensitively to changes in federal tax policy in large part due to the state’s “rolling reconnect” policy in which Oregon tax code automatically mimics federal code.
Among more promising indicators, Oregon’s chief economist Carl Riccadonna referenced a slightly decreased national probability of recession and less uncertainty around tariff policy than existed at the time of the last forecast. Riccadonna also acknowledged the partial offsetting effect on revenue loss of healthy capital gains tax payments due to market performance.
The next revenue forecast is expected to be released November 10 during the legislature’s “Committee Days.”
Bar Offers Training on Oregon Law Help to Constituent Services Staff
On October 22, bar staff will offer an orientation training on Oregon Law Help for legislators’ constituent services staff. The website is a public-facing first stop that connects Oregonians with civil legal information on a range of topics.
The training will acquaint staff with areas of the site that address frequent constituent challenges, and demonstrate through hypotheticals how to guide constituents through the site.
Often, community members contact the offices of their legislative representatives when they need help with a problem. In those instances when a constituent issue has legal components, staff can now use the Oregon Law Help resource and point constituents to it for additional support.
Oregon Law Help is a joint project between the Oregon State Bar, Oregon’s state court system, legal aid organizations, and other nonprofit legal providers in Oregon. Oregon lawyers write and review the legal information published on this website. The site was recently redesigned to enhance the self-guided function with expanded guided pathways and more consumer/small claims content. Since June, the site has been available in Vietnamese, Chinese, and Spanish as well as English.
LPRO Publishes Topical Legislative Summaries
Oregon’s Legislative and Policy Research Office (LPRO) has published a series of 2025 Legislative Summary Reports organized by policy area on its website. The reports summarize measures that received a public hearing in policy committees and were considered by the legislative assembly.
The reports are published in chapters by policy area and further broken down by subtopic. In addition to general legislative summaries, this year’s reports cover more than 15 major policy areas including Criminal Justice, Courts, Civil Law, Natural Resources, and Business & Consumer Protection.
Legislature May Consider Additional Funding for OPDC Trial Division in 2026
On July 24, 2025, Governor Kotek signed House Bill 5031, the general budget bill for the Oregon Public Defense Commission (OPDC). Concurrently the office of the Governor issued a letter expressing concern about insufficient investment in the state trial division. The Governor urged that investment in the trial division is a crucial component of addressing Oregon’s unrepresented crisis. The Governor also again urged the need for all agencies to prioritize resources in the current constrained funding environment.
OPDC has in turn expressed its readiness to work closely with the Governor’s office and the legislature to expand its trial division as it prioritizes lowering unrepresented volume through its action plan.
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2025 Oregon State Bar Officers and Public Affairs Chair
Myah Kehoe, President, Oregon State Bar
Tomás Hernandez, President Elect, Oregon State Bar
David Rosen, Immediate Past President, Oregon State Bar
John Marandas, Chair, Public Affairs Committee, Oregon State Bar Board of Governor
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Dominique Rossi, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer
Avery Pickard, Public Affairs Legislative Attorney