Sen. Brock Smith: My Legislation

By Oregon State Senator David Brock Smith:
Newsletter excerpt of sponsored and chief-sponsored bills,

CHIEF SPONSORED LEGISLATION

HB4075 – Digest: This Act makes the State Treasurer use unclaimed moneys to guarantee a loan to a hospital. Requires the State Treasurer to use up to $44 million from the Unclaimed Property and Estates Fund to guarantee a loan made to a rural hospital for financial stabilization.

HB4097 – Digest: This Act lets the Oregon Ocean Science Trust form a nonprofit. Authorizes the Oregon Ocean Science Trust to create and maintain a nonprofit organization.

HB4153 – Digest: Allows farm stores on farmlands. Allows counties to approve farm stores as nonfarm use on lands zoned for farm use.

SCR204 – Digest: Honors the AOC on the 120th year since it was founded. Honors the Association of Oregon Counties on the 120th anniversary of its founding.

SCR206 – Digest: Pays respect to the life and memory of Aaron Woods. In memoriam: State Senator Aaron Lionel Woods, 1949-2025.

 CO-SPONSORED LEGISLATION 

HB4045 – Digest: The Act requires a response within a specified time for certain search warrants. The Act goes into effect when the Governor signs it. Requires a social media platform to respond to a search warrant within 72 hours of service, and all other communications providers to respond within five business days of service, when the warrant pertains to an investigation of stalking or a crime constituting domestic violence.

HB4047 – Digest: The Act tells OHA to create a new hospital license type. Requires the Oregon Health Authority to adopt rules and procedures to allow a hospital to apply for a license as a rural emergency hospital.

HB4052 – Digest: The Act makes a new tax credit for new banks. Creates a corporate excise tax credit for each of the first three years that a bank does business in this state. Applies only to Oregon-chartered banks that commence business in tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2027, and before January 1, 2033.

HB4099 – Digest: This Act creates the Task Force on Responding to Veterans in Crisis and makes the task force submit a report to the legislature. Establishes the Task Force on Responding to Veterans in Crisis and directs the task force to submit a report to the interim committee of the Legislative Assembly related to emergency management and veterans no later than September 15, 2026. Sunsets the task force on December 31, 2027.

HB4102 – Digest: This Act changes the way DEQ can agree to make a regulatory process work faster or better. Modifies the authority of the Department of Environmental Quality to enter into agreements with regulated entities to expedite or enhance a regulatory process.

HB4108 – Digest: This Act lets Eugene add some noncontiguous land to the city. Allows the City of Eugene to annex noncontiguous land upon receipt of a petition from all owners of the land that satisfies four eligibility criteria.

HB4121 – Digest: The Act creates new systems and structures and changes law to improve emergency response in the state. Creates authority to coordinate emergency management. Requires state agencies to designate liaisons for emergency management. Imposes duties on the Oregon Department of Emergency Management related to management of emergency preparedness assets. Modifies the definitions of and grant requirements for Resilience Hubs and Resilience Networks. Authorizes certain training facilities to host overnight training activities. Requires the Oregon Department of Emergency Management to obtain fingerprints of employees and contractors. Authorizes counties to waive certain civil penalties related to food service facilities during emergencies. Requires the Department of the State Fire Marshal to study health coverage for firefighters. Establishes grant programs for emergencies.

HB4131 – Digest: The Act says the BOP has to give a license to run a mobile pharmacy to someone who meets the requirements. Directs the State Board of Pharmacy to issue a license to operate a mobile pharmacy to a qualified applicant. Establishes requirements for a mobile pharmacy.

HB4132 – Digest: Makes changes to veteran laws. Requires the director to be a veteran who has received a discharge or release under other than dishonorable conditions. Allows the director to appoint a deputy director, subject to approval by the Governor. Directs the department to develop and implement a grant program for suicide prevention and workforce training and preparation. Allows moneys in the Veterans’ Services Fund to be used for the grant program. Increases an expenditure limitation for the purpose of the grant program. Directs the director to distribute moneys appropriated for county veterans’ service officer programs on a quarterly basis. Directs the department to provide a report on the quarterly distribution process. Changes who are allowed to request county veteran discharge records. Increases, from $5,000 to $10,000, the cap on the individual grant amount that is allowed under the Veteran Educational Bridge Grant Program. Directs the Judicial Department, in consultation with the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, to study methods for providing access to veterans’ treatment courts to residents of each county or judicial district. Takes effect on July 1, 2026.

HB4151 – Digest: The Act changes the crime of initiating a false report. Increases the penalties for the crime of initiating a false report when a person intentionally causes an enhanced law enforcement response and recklessly causes serious physical injury or death as a result of the response. Punishes by a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both.

HB4157 – Digest: The Act says that some hearsay about some sex crimes can come into evidence though the speaker is available. Provides that certain hearsay statements related to certain sex crimes are not inadmissible in evidence, even though the declarant is available as a witness.

HCR201 – Digest: Honors an important agency that helps fight fires as it turns 75 years old. Celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Oregon Fire District Directors Association.

HJM201 – Digest: Asks Congress to pass a new law so people who were victims of wildfires will keep getting the help they need. Urges Congress to pass legislation to permanently extend federal tax cuts for wildfire victims.

SB1535 – Digest: The Act allows ELC to change some standards for who can use a day care subsidy program. The Act tells DELC to create a work group to study and report to the Senate and the House on liability insurance issues for child care providers and on how to increase access and reduce costs for those providers. The Act sunsets the work group in 2029. The Act takes effect 91 days after session ends. Allows the Early Learning Council to modify the priority given to families receiving temporary assistance for needy families for participation in the Employment Related Day Care subsidy program. Directs the Department of Early Learning and Care to convene a work group to study the cost and availability of liability insurance and other liability issues for child care providers. Identifies work group participants. Directs the work group to report to the Legislative Assembly on options to increase child care provider access to liability insurance, to reduce the financial burden of liability insurance on child care providers and to use other strategies to address liability issues for child care providers. Requires the work group to submit the report to the Legislative Assembly by November 1, 2027. Sunsets the work group on January 2, 2029.

SB1561 – Digest: This Act allows an owner a separate path to restore a destroyed home. Requires local governments to approve restoration or replacement of dwellings rendered uninhabitable under an alternative process that is not a land use decision.

SB1585 – Digest: The Act would set a maximum percent required for matching grants made by the state to small cities for capital projects. Sets maximum matching fund requirements for state grants to small incorporated cities for certain capital construction and municipal infrastructure and improvements.