Rep. Yunker: They’re blocking cities from fixing homelessness

By State Representative Dwayne Yunker and Ed Diehl 
May 21, 2025

Representative Dwayne Yunker (R-Grants Pass) made a motion on the House Floor to bring House Bill 2432 to a vote—legislation that would repeal the disastrous 2021 law, House Bill 3115, which handcuffed cities and counties’ ability to manage public camping and homelessness.

Every House Republican voted Yes on the motion. Democrats voted it down.

“We don’t want people dying in our streets,” said Representative Yunker. “HB 3115 is a failed experiment that tied the hands of local leaders. In my district of Grants Pass, despite a Supreme Court win in Johnson v. Grants Pass, we’re being forced to expand homeless camps in residential neighborhoods. The result is chaos—open drug use, rising crime, and families living in fear.”

“Oregon’s doom loop will continue until we restore local control,” added Representative Ed Diehl (R-Stayton). “The road to recovery starts with this legislative session. We must give our communities the tools to fight back—while there is still time to save them.”

At a May 16 roundtable in Portland hosted by the House Economic Development Committee, Portland business owners shared heartbreaking stories: shuttered storefronts, broken windows, and the inability to keep employees safe. Their message was clear—they can’t survive like this.

“Oregon has become the most comfortable place in the nation to be a criminal or drug addict, and we’re attracting more by the day,” said Representative Yunker. “Executive salaries at well-funded homelessness nonprofits—many connected to the Governor’s allies—continue to grow, but results don’t follow. Today’s vote made one thing clear: Democrats have no intention of fixing this crisis.”