LOC News
Legislative Session Passes Halfway Mark
Deadlines are passing quickly as political tensions rise and fall in Salem. By this past Monday (Feb.16), all bills had to be voted out of their policy committee. By Wednesday, Senate Republicans denied the chamber quorum to vote on bills on the floor. The walk out ended by Thursday, and legislators were on the floor passing pass bills. By the end of Friday, policy bills needed to be scheduled for a vote in the second chamber’s policy committee (i.e. a House bill without a budget or revenue impact would need to be scheduled for a vote in its Senate committee).
The session has passed the halfway mark, but the LOC is not done working for cities – and we need help from our members! Please review the following action alerts and support cities in the Legislature:
ACTION ALERT: There will soon be scheduled hearing on SB 1585, which lowers grant matching requirements for small cities on a sliding scale. The bill passed the Senate floor this week with broad bipartisan support and will be heard in the House Committee On Economic Development, Small Business, and Trade on Tuesday, February 24. The agenda is not posted as of Friday February 20 at 7:30 a.m. Please contact LOC Lobbyist Michael Martin at mmartin@orcities.org if you want to provide testimony on the bill.
ACTION ALERT: Contact your legislators in support of HB 4177, which provides necessary clarity to laws governing public meetings and serial communications. This bill is part of a broader package to provide clarity to local governments - the one pager here describes the full package. Visit this website to find your city’s Representative or Senator and access their contact information.
ACTION ALERT: Contact your legislators in support of the LOCAL Act (HB 4148)! The bill provides flexibility in the use of transient lodging tax to support critical local services and is headed to the House floor with a “do pass” recommendation from the House Committee on Revenue. Visit this website to find your city’s Representative or Senator and access their contact information.
For more about what’s happening in Salem, tune into our weekly legislative update webinars on Fridays during the noon hour on Zoom. To join the conversation, watch past updates, or review presentations, visit the LOC website.
Contact: Nicole Stingh, Legislative Director – nstingh@orcities.org
Last Updated 2/20/26