Sen. Thatcher: Transportation accountability vs. excess

By Oregon State Senator Kim Thatcher,

Transportation: Accountability vs. Excess

Oregon’s roads and bridges are in dire need of repair— the solution shouldn’t come at the expense of hard-working tax paying Oregonians. —but Democrats are proposing over a BILLION DOLLARS in new taxes and fees instead of prioritizing accountability and efficient spending.

House Bill 2025 includes:

•  A 15-cent gas tax hike, raising Oregon’s gas tax to 55 cents per gallon—already among the highest in the nation
• A new car tax of 2% on new vehicles and 1% on used cars over $10,000
• A tripled payroll tax for transit, increasing it from 0.1% to 0.3%
• Additional fees for electric and fuel-efficient vehicles
• Higher registration, licensing, and vehicle fees across the board

Meanwhile, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) continues to mismanage projects, operate with outdated systems, and fail to deliver results. An independent review recently exposed major inefficiencies within ODOT, including workflow bottlenecks, surging costs, and antiquated financial software.

Republican legislators have proposed, House Bill 3982, a no-new-taxes alternative that prioritizes real infrastructure needs without increasing costs for families. Our plan redirects $730 million from existing funds and cuts waste in ODOT, ensuring that taxpayer dollars actually go toward fixing our roads—not growing bureaucracy.

“Better outcomes come from better priorities, not bigger budgets.”
—Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles