Oregon Legislature Wraps Up "Short" Session
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
The Oregon Legislature concluded its 35-day "short" session earlier this month, passing two good bills for animals and stopping a bad bill.
House Bill (HB) 4134 will add a 1.25% charge to "transient lodging" (hotels, motels, Airbnbs, etc.) to fund a variety of wildlife-conservation efforts, including implementation of the state Wildlife Action Plan, humane responses to human-wildlife conflict (e.g., wildlife on farms and in residential areas), rehabilitation of injured wildlife, wildlife highway crossings, and enforcement of anti-poaching laws. We were part of a broad coalition of groups supporting the bill and testified in favor of it in both the House and Senate. In addition to providing funding for things that will improve the lives of many animals, the bill will help diversify the funding of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife so it isn't so heavily dependent on the sale of hunting and fishing licenses. We hope that will help the agency continue its path toward managing all wildlife in Oregon for the benefit of all people in Oregon instead of focusing so much on the interests of just hunters and anglers. HB 4134 passed both the House and the Senate and will become law unless vetoed by Governor Kotek, which is not expected. Thank you to everyone who responded to our action alerts and contacted their legislators to help support this bill!
HB 4034 will ease regulatory requirements on animal rescues – including record keeping requirements and potential fines – in favor of rules to be adopted by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. We supported the bill because it will continue regulation and inspections to ensure humane treatment of animals at rescues, but will likely lead to more practical and reasonable requirements (and fines) that will not unduly burden the rescues, most of which operate with very limited resources. This bill has been passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, meaning it will become law in early June.
SB 1577 would have required plant-based foods that imitate eggs or meat to include specific disclaimers on their labels, such as "cell cultivated," "fake" or "imitation." We opposed this bill as unnecessary and burdensome to plant-based foods that are generally better for the environment and for animal welfare. This bill received a public hearing before a Senate committee but was not passed by the committee, meaning it did not move forward.
The Oregon Legislature holds its short sessions in even-numbered years. Originally intended for emergency housekeeping measures, short sessions now include major policy proposals, but legislators are limited to two bills each and bills must move quickly to pass.
For a bill to become state law, it generally must be approved by a majority (3/5 in the case of bills to increase taxes) of both the House (60 members) and Senate (30 members) and must then by signed (or at least not vetoed) by the Governor. Approval in the House and Senate generally requires approval by a committee before a vote of the full House or Senate.
What You Can Do
Although the leigslature has adjourned for 2026, you can still help support animals by thanking your legislators if they voted in favor of a good bill or against a bad bill. To find out who your state legislators are and get their contact information, click here and enter your address (you have one state representative and one state senator). To see how your legislators voted on a bill (if the bill received a vote), click on the bill number above and the arrow next to "Measure History." When you write or call your legislators, be sure to let them know you are a "constituent," meaning you live in the area they represent and vote on whether they are elected or not.
Thank you for helping us advocate for animals!
