Oregon Legislative Issues
Last updated on March 3, 2023 by Eric Leaming, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2023 Legislative Session convened on January 17. This year is the “long session” as it’s an odd numbered year so they’ll be in session until June. Bill deadlines and key dates are posted on the Legislature’s calendar.
Joint Committee on Transportation
This committee consists of representatives and senators and focus on transportation issues. They meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 5:00 this session. Meetings are live broadcast online at the Joint Committee on Transportation’s website. Recordings are typically posted by mid-morning the next day.
Bills of interest this session:
Click on the bill number to open the direct link to Oregon State Legislature web page for the status and text of that particular bill. 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 by email or by phone at 503-986-3580.
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.
2022 Legislative Session
There were 275 bills, memorials, and resolutions introduced during the 2022 session and of those, the legislature passed 129.
2021 Legislative Session
There were 2519 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2021 session and of those, the legislature passed 719.
2020 Legislative Session
There were 283 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2020 session and of those, the legislature passed 3 impacting transportation.
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.
Last updated on March 3, 2023 by Eric Leaming, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2023 Legislative Session convened on January 17. This year is the “long session” as it’s an odd numbered year so they’ll be in session until June. Bill deadlines and key dates are posted on the Legislature’s calendar.
Joint Committee on Transportation
This committee consists of representatives and senators and focus on transportation issues. They meet Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting at 5:00 this session. Meetings are live broadcast online at the Joint Committee on Transportation’s website. Recordings are typically posted by mid-morning the next day.
Bills of interest this session:
- HB-2095 – Extends mobile photo radar to all cities, allows modification of residential speed limits by ordinance.
- HB-2101 – Establishes a local transportation program to provide state funding in exchange for federal surface transportation funding available to any city or county.
- HB-2137 – Establishes a task force looking at where a new bridge could be located in the mid-Willamette Valley.
- HB-2301 – Imposes tax on use of electricity to charge an electric vehicle battery.
- HB-2518 – Prohibits people from walking along an interstate.
- HB-2571 – Establishes a rebate program for qualifying individuals who purchase an E-bike.
- HB-2619 – overhauls membership criteria of the Oregon Transportation Commission
- HB-2658 – Assesses a fee on carbon emissions of motor vehicles
- HB-2662 – Requires a study of extending WES to Salem.
- HB-2677 – Requires ODOT provide funding plan to maintain new highway lane miles added in a STIP project while maintaining existing highways.
- HB-2691 – Requires that any agreement related to ultra-high-speed ground transportation in Oregon must include service to Eugene.
- HB-2692 – Requires ODOT to work with other agencies in the PNW to memorialize a shared regional approach to Cascades passenger rail planning, funding, and communications.
- HB-2756 – Requires jurisdictional transfer of Hall Boulevard (OR-141) to the City of Tigard.
- HB-2781 – Establishes a bridge district to look at where a bridge could be located in the mid-Willamette Valley and how to fund it.
- HB-2796 – Allows county governing body to designate ATV Highway Access Routes on county roads after consulting with ATV Highway Access Routes Advisory Committee.
- HB-2799 – Establishes grant program for public and private entities for installing and maintain livestock safety fencing along state highways.
- HB-2838 - Prohibits a person from sleeping on the ground within 10 feet of a roadway from sunrise to sunset.
- HB-2951 – Requires ODOT to establish a grant program to fund Spanish language traffic safety education courses.
- HB-3065 – Allows out-of-state applicants seeking occupational licenses in Oregon (like engineers or electricians) more time to meet Oregon licensing requirements if working in specific areas of eastern Oregon. Licensing boards (like OSBEELS) would establish rules for this allowance.
- HB-3113/HB-3516 – Appropriates funding to improve safety and access to walking/biking/transit on state highways that serve as community main streets.
- HB-3188 – Adds Marion County to list of counties eligible for ODOT to delegate speed zoning authority.
- HB-3202 – Requires shielding on outdoor lighting fixtures (including street lights), minimum brightness, maximum color temperature, compliance date.
- HB-3224 – Requires a feasibility study for a rail streetcar system in Salem connecting west Salem with major employers in downtown Salem.
- HB-3248 – Allows ATVs (Type 1, Type III, and Type IV) to operate on all highways (city streets, county roads, state highways), except interstates, if the ATV is registered and meets vehicle equipment standards.
- HB-3372 – makes county safety corridor program permanent; eliminates the County Safety Corridor Advisory Group.
- HB-3374 – replaces “vehicle accident” and “vehicle collision” with “vehicle crash” in numerous statutes.
- HB-3438 – permits combination of motor vehicle + trailer attached to motor vehicle + farm trailer attached to trailer.
- SB-014 – Requires ODOT to study options for restoring passenger rail service between Portland and Ontario (formerly the Amtrak Pioneer service).
- SB-016 – Requires ODOT study funding options to support transportation by rail.
- SB-301 – Repeals allowance for people on bicycles to treat stop signs as yield signs.
- SB-422 –Allows motorcyclists to travel between travel lanes under certain conditions.
- SB-431 – Appropriates $125M to fund construction of the Hood River-White Salmon Bridge.
- SB-445 – Establishes grant program for projects to install or improve traffic control devices and crosswalks in rural cities (a city, town, or other community with ≤15,000 population.
- SB-580/HB-2659 – Requires collaboration with local governments impacted by rules adopted in response to Executive Order 20-04; prohibits enforcement of climate rules until DLCD adopts amendments/replacement rules that include collaboration with local governments.
- SB-598 – Requires jurisdictional transfer of SE Powell Blvd (US-26) from SE 9th Ave. to I-205 to City of Portland.
- SB-645 – Extends studded tire season by 1 month in Deschutes County.
- SB-719 – Pauses freeway tolling program.
- SB-727 – Establishes a minimum staffing ratio for Oregon State Police of patrol troopers to state population.
- SB-771 – Allows for drivers registered with addresses within the City of Wilsonville to apply for an exemption from paying tolls for the I-5 Boone Bridge.
- SB-846 – Requires Metro to study existing rail corridors within Metro boundaries, including an inventory and feasibility study of using the corridors to carry passenger trains.
- SB-895 – Modifies exemptions for passing in a no-passing zone.
- SB-933 – Prohibits tolling on I-205 or I-5 with exception for I-5 interstate bridge.
- SB-1011 – Increases speed limits highways and county roads to 60 mph; 70 mph on I-5.
- SJR-019 – Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to prohibit a public body from assessing a highway toll, with exceptions.
- SJR-002 – Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to authorize use of motor vehicle related tax revenue for infrastructure that reduces traffic burden of, or pollution from, motor vehicles on public roads.
Click on the bill number to open the direct link to Oregon State Legislature web page for the status and text of that particular bill. 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 by email or by phone at 503-986-3580.
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.
2022 Legislative Session
There were 275 bills, memorials, and resolutions introduced during the 2022 session and of those, the legislature passed 129.
2021 Legislative Session
There were 2519 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2021 session and of those, the legislature passed 719.
2020 Legislative Session
There were 283 bills, memorials and resolutions introduced during the 2020 session and of those, the legislature passed 3 impacting transportation.
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.
National Legislative Issues
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
On December 11, 2020 the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) finally announced the Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) for the long-delayed next edition of the MUTCD. The draft documents for the next edition have been posted as part of the Federal Register. The public comment period is closed; comments and proposed changes are available on the federal docket under Docket ID FHWA-2020-0001.
ODOT coordinated comments with the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) which includes a representative from Oregon ITE.
Until the next edition of the MUTCD is officially adopted by ODOT for the State of Oregon, the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD remains in effect. ODOT officially 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.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The wide-ranging infrastructure law provides funding for infrastructure projects and reauthorizes several surface transportation programs through fiscal year 2026. Notably, Section 11135 of the IIJA requires that USDOT update the MUTCD on a 4-year cycle.
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD)
On December 11, 2020 the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) finally announced the Notice of Proposed Amendment (NPA) for the long-delayed next edition of the MUTCD. The draft documents for the next edition have been posted as part of the Federal Register. The public comment period is closed; comments and proposed changes are available on the federal docket under Docket ID FHWA-2020-0001.
ODOT coordinated comments with the Oregon Traffic Control Devices Committee (OTCDC) which includes a representative from Oregon ITE.
Until the next edition of the MUTCD is officially adopted by ODOT for the State of Oregon, the 2009 Edition of the MUTCD remains in effect. ODOT officially 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.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The wide-ranging infrastructure law provides funding for infrastructure projects and reauthorizes several surface transportation programs through fiscal year 2026. Notably, Section 11135 of the IIJA requires that USDOT update the MUTCD on a 4-year cycle.