Cutting red tape housing bill moves to floor

By Senate Committee on Housing and Development
April 8, 2025

In a strong bipartisan vote, the Senate Committee on Housing and Development unanimously advanced Senate Bill 974, a sweeping reform bill aimed at cutting red tape and expediting the housing development process within Oregon’s Urban Growth Boundaries (UGBs).

The bill, championed by Committee Chair Senator Khanh Pham (D–Outer SE & NE Portland) and Vice Chair Senator Dick Anderson (R–Lincoln City), seeks to streamline engineering, planning, and review processes that often delay housing projects across the state.

Senator Pham commented, “The State of Oregon must continue to make it easier and faster to build more housing to address our state’s homelessness and housing affordability crises. I’m grateful for the continued bipartisan commitment from my Senate Housing Committee colleagues to advance a bold agenda to build housing that meets the needs of Oregonians at all ages, wages, and stages of life.”

Senator Anderson echoed that sense of urgency: “In a crisis, everyone must give something—and we all have to step up. Senate Bill 974 sends a clear signal to cities and counties that it’s time to get housing moving in every corner of the state, for every Oregonian.”

The committee passed the bill with a 4-0 vote, with Senators Pham, Anderson, Deb Patterson (D–Salem), and Anthony Broadman (D–Bend) voting in favor. Senator Todd Nash (R–Enterprise), who was testifying on another bill at the time of the vote, expressed his support.

The bill now heads to the Senate floor for consideration.

In addition to SB 974, the committee also passed Senate Bill 6, which aims to reduce building permit processing times. That bill now moves to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for fiscal review.