LOC News
Less than 10 Days Left in the 2026 Legislative Session
We are nearing the end of the 35-day, fast-paced legislative session. Policy bills have made it through their committees, and the budget reductions are expected to be released over the weekend. We will share more about that in next week's LOC Bulletin.
In the meantime, the LOC team has made progress on priority bills and has worked to improve bills on behalf of cities. This is one of the final opportunities for our member cities to make their voices heard. Here is the latest action alert for the week and updates on LOC bills:
- ACTION ALERT: SB 1585, which lowers grant matching requirements for small cities on a sliding scale, received a public hearing this week. The bill moved to the House Committee on Rules instead of the House floor – your voice is needed to keep this bill moving! Reach out to your Representative (find them here) and ask them to support this bill. We need legislative leadership to schedule the bill for a work session and move it to the House floor for a vote.
- The LOCAL Act (HB 4148) passed from the House with a strong, bipartisan vote (40-12-8)! The bill provides flexibility in the use of transient lodging tax to support critical local services and is headed to the Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue for a public hearing. We expect this bill to make it to the Senate floor and, ultimately, Governor Kotek’s desk.
- The Oregon Government Ethics Commission package is moving forward. HB 4159 and HB 4161 will receive a public hearing today in the Senate Committee on Rules and will be voted on next week. HB 4177 is advancing through the budget committee and is expected on the House Floor next week.
- HB 4005, creating a “Water Professionals Appreciation Week,” passed both chambers with strong bipartisan support this week. The bill is now headed to the governor’s desk.
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 Legislative webinars page on the LOC website.
Contact: Nicole Stingh, Legislative Director – nstingh@orcities.org
Last Updated 2/27/26