The Oregon Legislature has passed a bill that will fund ODOT and prevent over 500 layoffs. The bill passed on a party line vote. It will raise the gas tax six cents a gallon, increase vehicle title and registration fees and double the payroll tax. In the future, electric vehicle owners will have to pay a per-mile tax or road usage charge. The bill goes to the Governor.

“The people who came together to solve this crisis don't always agree, but they recognized the urgency of the situation. Oregon families were counting on us,” Governor Tina Kotek said. “When winter weather hits this year, Oregon families will be able to depend on road crews to get to where they need to go, businesses will be able to move their goods, and first responders will be able to get to emergencies.”

Service cuts would have slowed emergency response times, left basic necessary maintenance like filling potholes and clearing brush undone, and closed roads that Oregonians rely on during winter storms. Service cuts to transit agencies would have reduced essential transportation Oregonians rely on to go about their lives, especially in rural parts of the state.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan responded:

“Despite the thousands of pieces of testimony from Oregonians who overwhelmingly opposed this bill, Democrats passed one of the largest transportation tax increases in Oregon’s history,” said Rep. Drazan. “Republicans proposed multiple alternative funding options and introduced amendments to this bill that protected struggling Oregonians from higher costs, but Democrats rejected them. The process to pass this bill was sloppy and careless, and Oregonians will pay the price – at the pump, at the DMV, and out of their pocketbooks.”

"Legislators did the right thing to keep Oregonians safe," Jason Lawrence, vice president of SEIU 403 ODOT Sublocal 730 said. "This funding keeps experienced ODOT crews on the job -- repairing roads, clearing hazards, and responding when emergencies happen -- so families, school buses, and commerce can drive safer all year round, especially in winter when snow can make traveling dangerous."

"When inclement weather happens, it’s not just ODOT workers out there keeping our local roads safe and accessible,” Benton County Public Works employee Joe Moore said. “Our county and city transportation workers are making sure that roads are plowed, floods are mitigated, and sinkholes are filled. Passing this transportation bill and keeping the State Highway Fund intact was the right choice for our local communities, because it not only saved hundreds of county and city jobs, but it ensures that we are able to continue to keep the residents of our communities safe and moving.”

The funding is paired with accountability measures that provide greater oversight of ODOT's spending and operations. These measures, developed by Republican Senate Leader Bruce Starr, received broad bipartisan support. The legislation also simplifies weight-mile rates to reduce administrative burdens on trucking companies and the state. It also raises the point of taxation for diesel fuel to reduce complexity and fuel tax evasion and align Oregon with other states.

Counties and cities across Oregon are also supported through House Bill 3991A, which crucially maintains the state's commitment to local road safety, sending 30% of State Highway Fund revenue to counties and 20% to cities.

“Hood River County depends on a well-coordinated road maintenance response effort in order to address our constituents needs, from access to emergency health care to food and shelter,” Hood River County Commission Chair Jennifer Euwer said. “Students will have access to buses so schools can stay open. Emergency services will be able to continue reliably. And a supply chain route that our businesses need will stay open.”

With a funded budget, ODOT cancelled the closure of 12 maintenance stations across the state and will maintain current winter service levels on Oregon’s highway system.

A private effort to send the issue to voters is under consideration.

Calendar Events