By State Representative Rob Nosse
The short session has started and we at the Oregon Legislature have a lot on our plates. Here is a rundown of some of the things we are dealing with.
Since last summer, I have consistently used this column to share my thoughts and feelings about H.R. 1, also known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” It is the president’s signature domestic policy achievement. It passed by one vote (thank you very much Congressman Cliff Bentz!). At its core, President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill is simply an extension and expansion of the tax cuts from his first term. But when you dig in a little deeper, it is quickly revealed that the tax cuts are paid for by making big whacks at Medicaid and SNAP.
Those cuts are going to dominate both this session and several sessions to come as we figure out the best way we can to mitigate them.
In our first week, we will start with an updated revenue forecast from the state’s top economist. Unlike most long sessions, where the legislature receives two revenue forecasts, this will be the only forecast we will get to help us gain a clearer sense of the state of Oregon’s economy and how it is doing. While Oregon operates on a biennial budget cycle, we use the “short session” to adjust the state’s budget.
These quarterly forecasts can sometimes be surprising, as the November briefing the legislature received showed our state bringing in more corporate tax revenue than what was initially expected. However, the one constant since last summer is that H.R. 1 will mean less tax revenue for our state. Less revenue means the state government cannot pay for all the services and programs we are used to providing, which means cuts are coming. We won’t know how much will need to cut until we receive the forecast. I am going to do the best I can to protect core services, programs and education funding while we try to figure out how to live within our means, as the state is required to have a balanced budget.
And yet, in the wake of what seems like an insurmountable environment shaped entirely by the president and his actions, Democrats in our state legislature, and I do mean Democrats, are stepping up to resist the worst of what we can legally do.
In light of the president’s all-out attack on immigrants, my colleagues are introducing a slew of bills to protect immigrants in our state. There’s a bill strengthening legal protections for immigrants so they can work, access the legal system and participate in their communities without fear; a bill empowering Oregonians to sue federal agents for violating their constitutional rights; a bill demanding accountability and visibility from law enforcement by establishing guardrails on masking and officer identification practices, and protecting Oregonians from federal overreach; and even a bill protecting families, students and educators by requiring schools to notify parents and guardians when ICE has been confirmed on school campuses. I plan to vote yes on every single one of these bills. I am proud of my colleagues who are doing what they can to stand up to this way overzealous enforcement of immigration laws.
Approximately 70 percent of the people seen at Planned Parenthood are on Medicaid. H.R. 1 literally cut federal funding for Planned Parenthood outright, not just for abortion, but also for basic health care like pap smears and cancer screenings for one year. (The way our state pays for health care at Planned Parenthood used to be a mix of federal and state dollars.) Democrats are introducing a bill to shore up Planned Parenthood making them and similar service providers eligible to receive state-only dollars so that this important health care provider is reimbursed for the care provided and can stay in business.
There are other bills in the works too, but I only get so many words. I am also looking forward to making some needed reforms to the way we calculate the “kicker” but that probably would take up an entire column so I will save that for March.
One final thing to touch on that has been in the news quite a bit is transportation funding. All through 2024 and 2025 the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was sounding the alarm that they were not collecting enough gas tax revenue to properly keep the lights on at this vital agency so they could do their normal work. The legislature ultimately did pass a transportation package to meet ODOT’s needs, but a ballot measure to repeal those new gas tax dollars has qualified. With a looming ballot measure, Governor Tina Kotek has said she supports repealing the package altogether and forging an election. Whether that happens or not, or weather the legislature is even allowed to take the measure off the ballot, a ballot measure that would likely pass means we have to go back to the drawing board regardless and start all over. Transportation will continue to loom large in this session and for sure again in 2027.
If you want to follow more closely, go online to my state website (robnosse.com) and subscribe to my newsletter, as I will for sure make an update on all this every Monday morning. Stay tuned as I like to say.
