7 bills to watch in Oregon's Legislature this year

• More are expected to be filed before the session concludes in June, leading to concerns of a potential bottleneck and conversations about capping the number of bills in the future.

Here's a look at a few we're watching.

Unemployment for striking workers

Proponents of the proposal say it would help them maintain their livelihoods while on the picket line bargaining for a fair contract.

• Opponents — like grocery employers, chambers of commerce and the League of Oregon Cities — that testified in Salem last week said it could lead to longer and more frequent walkouts.

Raising local gas taxes

Part of the overall transportation package lawmakers hope to push through this session is a bill that would let cities raise gas taxes without voter approval.

• The funds would go toward repairing and maintaining degraded roads.

Updates to automatic voter registration

Following last year's revelation that more than 1,500 noncitizens were mistakenly registered to vote, Oregon Republicans are taking aim at the state's Motor Voter law.

• One bill would repeal it altogether, while another would direct the secretary of state to verify the citizenship of each person who is automatically registered to voter after getting a driver's license or state ID.

Requiring farms to report fertilizer use

In its first public hearing, this bill drew strong opposition from farmers and agricultural associations.

• It would require farms to report their annual fertilizer use to the state agricultural agency, which would keep track of how, and where, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are contaminating the water supply.

Mandating fertility coverage

Advocates are once again pushing lawmakers to require some health insurers to cover fertility care — such as in vitro fertilization, embryo transfers and intrauterine insemination — as 22 other states have done.

SNAP benefits for immigrants

This proposal would establish a Food for All Oregonians Program in the Department of Human Services for those who would have qualified for federal food assistance were it not for their immigration status.

• A similar measure died in committee in 2023, during the Republican-led walkout.

Loans for developers

Aimed at addressing Oregon's chronic shortage of affordable housing, this bill would establish a revolving loan fund with lower-interest, short-term construction loans for mixed-income developments.

• Financing, coupled with high construction costs, is one of the biggest obstacles developers say they face before they begin to generate income on a property.