Oregon Legislative Issues
Last updated on January 27, 2020 by Kevin Haas, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2020 Legislative Session is scheduled to convene on February 3 and is constitutionally required to adjourn by March 8. Short legislative sessions that occur in even-numbered years tend not to tackle major transportation legislation but the 2020 Legislative Session could be an exception. Major changes are being proposed to how speed limits are set in the State of Oregon and there is significant attention being paid by the Legislature to major projects in the Portland metro area including the I-5 Rose Quarter project, the I-5 Columbia River bridge replacement, the I-205 widening project between Stafford Road and the Abernathy Bridge, and congestion pricing proposals for Portland metro area freeways. Any major bills of interest to Oregon ITE members will be posted here as I become aware of them. If you have any questions or comments concerning bills that are being currently discussed or that passed during previous Legislative Sessions please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone at 503-986-3583.
Recap of Previous Legislative Sessions
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) closely tracks legislation related to transportation and publishes a Legislative Summary Report after every Legislative Session. These documents provide summaries of most transportation bills, with effective dates, and in some cases an ODOT staff person responsible for implementing the bill. The most recent ODOT Legislative Summary Reports are linked below. Contact ODOT Government Relations for copies of reports from previous Legislative Sessions.
2019 Legislative Session
There were 2,768 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2019 session and of those, the legislature passed 1,205.
2018 Legislative Session
There were 260 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2018 session and of those, the legislature passed 142.
2017 Legislative Session
There were 2,829 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2017 session and of those, the legislature passed 881.
2016 Legislative Session
There were 283 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2016 session and of those, the legislature passed 61.
Last updated on January 27, 2020 by Kevin Haas, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2020 Legislative Session is scheduled to convene on February 3 and is constitutionally required to adjourn by March 8. Short legislative sessions that occur in even-numbered years tend not to tackle major transportation legislation but the 2020 Legislative Session could be an exception. Major changes are being proposed to how speed limits are set in the State of Oregon and there is significant attention being paid by the Legislature to major projects in the Portland metro area including the I-5 Rose Quarter project, the I-5 Columbia River bridge replacement, the I-205 widening project between Stafford Road and the Abernathy Bridge, and congestion pricing proposals for Portland metro area freeways. Any major bills of interest to Oregon ITE members will be posted here as I become aware of them. If you have any questions or comments concerning bills that are being currently discussed or that passed during previous Legislative Sessions please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone at 503-986-3583.
Recap of Previous Legislative Sessions
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) closely tracks legislation related to transportation and publishes a Legislative Summary Report after every Legislative Session. These documents provide summaries of most transportation bills, with effective dates, and in some cases an ODOT staff person responsible for implementing the bill. The most recent ODOT Legislative Summary Reports are linked below. Contact ODOT Government Relations for copies of reports from previous Legislative Sessions.
2019 Legislative Session
There were 2,768 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2019 session and of those, the legislature passed 1,205.
2018 Legislative Session
There were 260 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2018 session and of those, the legislature passed 142.
2017 Legislative Session
There were 2,829 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2017 session and of those, the legislature passed 881.
2016 Legislative Session
There were 283 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2016 session and of those, the legislature passed 61.
National Legislative Issues
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
It has been over 10 years since the first draft of the 2009 MUTCD was released and work is continuing at the federal level on development of the next edition of the MUTCD. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) indicated through a press release on October 5, 2018 that they intend to release a draft of the next edition of the MUTCD soon. Any draft documents are typically posted as part of the Federal Register and are open for public comment for a period of 6 months. Once a draft document is released ODOT will be coordinating comments with the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) which includes a representative from Oregon ITE.
The FHWA issued a final rule on the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD on December 16, 2009. ODOT offically adopted the 2009 MUTCD and an Oregon Supplement on December 21, 2011 as the official MUTCD for the State of Oregon. Practitioners need to familiarize themselves with both the 2009 MUTCD and the Oregon Supplement when performing work in the State of Oregon. You can view the latest information on the 2009 MUTCD and how it is applied in Oregon at the ODOT web site linked below.
Oregon MUTCD Implementation & Supporting Documents - This link provides access to an ODOT web page providing supporting documentation for Oregon adoption of the 2009 MUTCD and FHWA Interim Approvals in Oregon.
MUTCD Federal Register Notices- Information on Notices of Proposed Amendments (NPAs) and Final Rules (FRs) regarding the MUTCD.
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or “FAST Act.” It is the first law enacted in over 10 years that provides long-term funding certainty for surface transportation, meaning States and local governments can move forward with critical transportation projects, like new highways and transit lines, with the confidence that they will have a Federal partner over the long term.
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
It has been over 10 years since the first draft of the 2009 MUTCD was released and work is continuing at the federal level on development of the next edition of the MUTCD. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) indicated through a press release on October 5, 2018 that they intend to release a draft of the next edition of the MUTCD soon. Any draft documents are typically posted as part of the Federal Register and are open for public comment for a period of 6 months. Once a draft document is released ODOT will be coordinating comments with the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) which includes a representative from Oregon ITE.
The FHWA issued a final rule on the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD on December 16, 2009. ODOT offically adopted the 2009 MUTCD and an Oregon Supplement on December 21, 2011 as the official MUTCD for the State of Oregon. Practitioners need to familiarize themselves with both the 2009 MUTCD and the Oregon Supplement when performing work in the State of Oregon. You can view the latest information on the 2009 MUTCD and how it is applied in Oregon at the ODOT web site linked below.
Oregon MUTCD Implementation & Supporting Documents - This link provides access to an ODOT web page providing supporting documentation for Oregon adoption of the 2009 MUTCD and FHWA Interim Approvals in Oregon.
MUTCD Federal Register Notices- Information on Notices of Proposed Amendments (NPAs) and Final Rules (FRs) regarding the MUTCD.
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, or “FAST Act.” It is the first law enacted in over 10 years that provides long-term funding certainty for surface transportation, meaning States and local governments can move forward with critical transportation projects, like new highways and transit lines, with the confidence that they will have a Federal partner over the long term.