Oregon Legislative Issues
Last updated on March 6, 2019 by Kevin Haas, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2019 Legislative Session convened on January 22 and the first 6 weeks of the session are now behind us. Last week was the deadline for new bills to be introduced and there are currently 2,367 bills in play! There may be a few more bills added between now and the end of session because a few committees are exempt from the deadline (Joint Committees, Rules, etc.), but the 2019 legislative universe is now fairly well defined.
On February 18, ODOT staff presented to the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) regarding revenue generated from the transportation package passed two years ago (HB 2017). The deadline for scheduling a work session for bills in the first chamber (House Bills in the House, Senate Bills in the Senate) is March 29, and the deadline for holding those work sessions is April 9. As we get closer to those dates, the pace of the session will really pick up as people scramble to keep their bills from dying.
Below are some of the key bills we're tracking with a link to text of the bill and current status. If you have any questions or comments concerning bills that are being discussed or passed during previous Legislative Sessions please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone at 503-986-3583.
Transportation related Bills from the 2019 Legislative Session
HB 2083 – Parks Funding for Bike/Ped Projects
HB 2236 – Farm tractors on state highways
HB 2314 – Motorcycle Lane Splitting
HB 2545 – Headlights when raining or foggy
HB 2682 – Bike Lanes through Intersections
HB 2702 – City of Portland Speed Authority
SB 397 – Designate lower speeds on Eastern Oregon highways without an engineering investigation
SB 528 – Firefighter Memorial Sign Program
SB 558 – Lower residential speeds in all cities
SB 559 – Fixed photo radar in all cities
SB 560 – Mobile photo radar in all cities
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.
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 2829 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 March 6, 2019 by Kevin Haas, Oregon ITE Legislative Chair
The 2019 Legislative Session convened on January 22 and the first 6 weeks of the session are now behind us. Last week was the deadline for new bills to be introduced and there are currently 2,367 bills in play! There may be a few more bills added between now and the end of session because a few committees are exempt from the deadline (Joint Committees, Rules, etc.), but the 2019 legislative universe is now fairly well defined.
On February 18, ODOT staff presented to the Joint Committee on Transportation (JCT) regarding revenue generated from the transportation package passed two years ago (HB 2017). The deadline for scheduling a work session for bills in the first chamber (House Bills in the House, Senate Bills in the Senate) is March 29, and the deadline for holding those work sessions is April 9. As we get closer to those dates, the pace of the session will really pick up as people scramble to keep their bills from dying.
Below are some of the key bills we're tracking with a link to text of the bill and current status. If you have any questions or comments concerning bills that are being discussed or passed during previous Legislative Sessions please don't hesitate to contact me via email or by phone at 503-986-3583.
Transportation related Bills from the 2019 Legislative Session
HB 2083 – Parks Funding for Bike/Ped Projects
HB 2236 – Farm tractors on state highways
HB 2314 – Motorcycle Lane Splitting
HB 2545 – Headlights when raining or foggy
HB 2682 – Bike Lanes through Intersections
HB 2702 – City of Portland Speed Authority
SB 397 – Designate lower speeds on Eastern Oregon highways without an engineering investigation
SB 528 – Firefighter Memorial Sign Program
SB 558 – Lower residential speeds in all cities
SB 559 – Fixed photo radar in all cities
SB 560 – Mobile photo radar in all cities
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.
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 2829 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 sometime during 2019. 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 sometime during 2019. 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.