b'State ReportOFA continued Legislative UpdateSpecial SessionThe Oregon Legislaturehas beenroad usage charge program for electric in a Special Session, focused on trans- vehicles by 2031. Electric vehicle drivers portation. The session got off to a veryhave been able to opt into the OReGO rough start and has an unknown end.program and pay 2 cents per mile in ex-Hundreds of people showed up to thechange for lower registration fees, and the Capitol to testify for and against theproposed change would mandate electric transportation package, only to watchvehicle drivers participate in that program everything get cancelled. or pay a flat $340 annual fee. All of this foreshadows the budget woes ahead for The Joint Transportation Committee metthe Oregon Legislature. and passed the transportation package on a party-line vote. The CommitteeLast week, Oregons State Economist amended the bill by removing the author- forecasted: Oregons economic trajectory ity for the Department of Administrativeis underperforming the national economy. Services (DAS) to raise taxes and fees toOregon lost 24,600 jobs between July balance highway cost responsibility be- 2024 and July 2025, and now has an tween heavy and light duty vehicles andunemployment rate inching toward 5%, sunset the payroll tax increase in Januarymuch higher than the national average. 2028. The package subsequently passedOregons GDP growth lags behind the na-the House of Representatives with thetional average. Due to slow growth, wage minimum required supermajority vote ofstagnation and anticipated tax changes 36 members, which included all Demo- from federal tax reform, the Oregon gen-crats and one Republican. The Senateeral fund could be down $888 million in second-read the bill, planning to meet forrevenue this biennium.third-reading and final passage of the bill.Oregon faces a $15 billion shortfall However, it was announced that the Dem- during the next six years, $1.1 billion ocrats did not have the votes to pass thethis biennium. Looking toward the 2026 bill in the Senate due to one DemocraticSession, lawmakers will have to fill a Senator suffering health issues and unableroughly $2 billion budget deficit this bien-to get to Salem to vote. (We do not allownium, and much more in future biennia. remote voting in Oregon.) With no SenateThat means, legislators are going to have Republicans voting for the measure, theto either cut state budgets or find new transportation package is now completelyways to raise revenue. If the legislature is dependent on Senate Democrats all show- struggling this much to raise revenue just ing up in-person to vote. for transportation operations and mainte-Heres whats in the amended bill: Gasnance, it raises real concerns about how tax increase from $0.40 to $0.46, ef- theyll manage to balance the entire state fective Jan. 1, 2026. Increase in annualbudget in just a few months. The road registration fees from $43 to $85 forahead is likely to be bumpy. passenger vehicles; $63 to $105 for utility Thank you for your time,Save the Dates: vehicles, light trailers, low-speed vehiclesKrista Williams-Executive Director and medium-speed electric vehicles; andDanelle Romain and Mike Freese-OFA $44 to $86 for mopeds and motorcycles.LobbyistsOFA Holiday PartyIncreased title fees for passenger vehicles - December 10th, 2025,from $77 to $216. Doubling the payroll from 6:30-8:30 at tax used to support public transit from The Portland Golf Club.0.1% to 0.2% from Jan 1., 2026 to Jan. 1, 2028. An increase to registration sur-OFA Annual charges for electric and highly fuel-effi-Conferencecient vehicles, from $35 to $65 annually - July 12-14, 2026, for cars with a 40+ miles-per-gallon rat-in Sunriver. ing, and from $115 to $145 annually forDanelle Romain electric vehicles. Phasing in a mandatory& Mike FreeseS44 www.wpma.com / Fall 2025'