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Legislative Report - Week of 4/28

Governance Team

 

Coordinator: Norman Turrill 

  • Campaign Finance Reform: Norman Turrill

  • Cybersecurity Privacy, Election Issues, Electronic Portal Advisory Board: Becky Gladstone

  • Election Systems: Barbara Klein

  • Redistricting: Norman Turrill, Chris Cobey

  • Voting Rights of Incarcerated People: Marge Easley

Please see Governance Overview here.


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Governance

By Norman Turrill


SB 686 would require large online platforms to pay digital journalism providers or donate to a Oregon Civic Information Consortium. This is an attempt to compensate small local media providers for news stories that are used by large national websites without compensation. It appears that Senate Rules will amend the bill and pass it out to the Senate floor. The League will likely testify in favor of the bill when it is heard in the House.


SB 983 would permit local public officials to discuss, debate and vote on the adoption of a local budget that includes compensation for the public official or a relative of the public official after announcing an actual conflict of interest. This is a clear conflict of interest for these public officials, even though there are ways these conflicts could be avoided.

SB 580 would require the election officer in each county and city to post within 2 business days on website any filed nominating petition, declaration of candidacy or withdrawal. The League is likely in favor of this bill in support of its Voter Services.

 

Resilience, privacy, consumer fees and over the horizon radar

By Becky Gladstone 


Bills with League testimony are progressing, reported here, and several not addressed in the first chamber will be considered for testimony in the second chamber:


  • HB 2581 Enrolled The Governor has signed this bill to coordinate expanded resiliency services with the State Resiliency Officer (SRO), passed in the Senate, 27 for, one against, two excused. League testimony in support.

  • SB 470 A had a public hearing in House Judiciary. After passing unanimously on the Senate Floor (Sen Woods excused). League testimony supported the original bill to protect lodgers’ privacy from illicitly taken videos

  • SB 473 A had a public hearing in House Judiciary to create a crime of threatening a public official, after passing unanimously on the Senate Floor (Sen Woods excused). League testimony, in support.

  • HB 3766 has passed unanimously from the House Floor (3 excused), and is referred to the Senate Judiciary. It would allow civil action against an adult who, unbidden, digitally sends intimate images (cyber-flashing) with the intent to harass, degrade or humiliate, League testimony in support.

  • SB 952 has been heard on the Senate Floor, carried over by unanimous consent three times, to be heard on April 28, to consider interim US Senator appointments, League testimony in support.

  • SB 430 -1 would improve consumer online transaction transparency. It passed in Senate Labor and Business on partisan lines, similarly passing on partisan lines on the Senate Floor,18 to 11, with a referral to House Commerce and Consumer Protection. Goods or services costs online must include all of the fees or charges (excluding taxes and shipping). Prices offered, displayed or advertised must be similarly included, also exempting listing taxes and reasonable charges for shipping goods or delivering services. An extensive listing of transactions and vendor varieties is included. The League anticipates submitting testimony in support.

  • SB 1121 creates a new crime of unlawful private data disclosure, punishable by a maximum of six months' imprisonment, $2,500 fine, or both. It passed with a unanimous Senate Floor vote, Sen Woods excused, sent to House Judiciary. The League anticipates submitting testimony in support.

  • SB 578 sets dates for candidates to file county voters’ pamphlet pictures or statements. It passed a Senate  Floor vote unanimously, referred to House Rules. The League anticipates submitting testimony in support.


PROPOSED OREGON HOMELAND SECURITY / US AIR FORCE RADAR DETECTION FACILITIES

It is unusual to see national defense news relating to Oregon. The Air Force opened a 45-day public comment period on April 18, 2025, in the Federal Register with a Notice of Intent (NOI) for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of potential environmental effects. They are evaluating proposed radar transmission and receiver sites in Oregon (Christmas Valley, Lake CO, and White Horse Ranch, Harney CO), also in Idaho, and Nevada, to enhance threat detection radar from hundreds to possibly thousands of miles. The draft EIS release is planned for early 2026 and the final EIS for summer 2027. Site decisions will not be made before 30 days after the final EIS is released.

This reminds us of infrastructure costs we described in our Hard Rock Mining study. 


Comments

The Air Force is  inviting comments with relevant information, studies, or analyses for potential issues, alternative actions, and environmental effects. The comment form is open at Over-the-Horizon Radar Environmental Impact Statement. Or send by USPS: OTHR NW EIS, 3527 S Federal Way, Ste. 103 #1026, Boise, ID 83705.


Public Meetings


More Information for Oregon

Canadian and US NORAD commitments continue but growing political tensions affect the defense sector. The US Air Force would build and operate northwest regional systems to enhance radar for long-range, early airborne threat detection beyond the conventional line of sight obscured by Earth’s curvature. They will consult with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, and federally recognized tribes. The EIS will include potential impacts assessment of all relevant resource areas, including reasonably foreseeable environmental effects.


In Oregon, the USAF would purchase and lease land currently owned and managed by the Oregon Military Dept and seek to withdraw BLM managed land for siting and construction. Both Oregon locations would have two separated sites, 140 acres for a transmitter site and 1,350 acres for a receiving array. Extensive supporting infrastructure is estimated at more than $500 million, over three years. This echoes our 2018 Hard Rock Mining Study, which used an example mining operation that had “a road improvement budget of $450,000”. 


References

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Homeland Defense 

Over-the-Radar at Northwest Region. The Federal Register (page), April 18, 2025.


Air Force eyes Idaho, Oregon and Nevada as potential homeland defense radar sites. Inside Defense, April 18, 2025.OTHR EIS This website includes a project overview, documents, public involvement, the schedule, and the public comment form link.


Interested in reading additional reports?  Please see our Climate Emergency, Revenue, Natural Resources, and Social Policy report sections.

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