Dozens of laws take effect June 5, three months after lawmakers wrapped up the legislative session and delivered more than 100 bills to Gov. Tina Kotek for her signature.
Kotek vetoed just one of the 143 bills that reached her desk, and 49 have already taken effect. Another 54 carry an effective date of 91 days after the session adjourned on March 6.
The new laws cover a wide range of issues, from fee adjustments and directives to state agencies on future legislation, to responses aimed at the federal administration — a central focus for Democrats during the 2026 session.
“We stand up for each other as Oregonians in challenging times,” Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-Portland, said in a May 27 press release ahead of the laws taking effect. “While national Republicans violate your individual rights and wreck our economy, Oregon Democrats are pushing back on federal aggression and working for prosperity that includes everyone.”
Below is a roundup of some of the new laws and what they do.
Oregon campaign finance reform a work in progress
Lawmakers passed a contentious campaign finance measure, House Bill 4018, during the short session, pushing back campaign finance disclosure requirements and penalties to 2031. Backers of the bill argued it made necessary technical adjustments to a 2024 law overhauling Oregon’s campaign finance system.
To address critics who said the bill “gutted” hard-fought reform, lawmakers also passed Senate Bill 1502, which takes effect June 5.
SB1502 directs the Oregon Secretary of State to submit a proposed legislative measure for the 2027 session, incorporating the secretary’s recommendations for changes to campaign finance limitations currently being put in place across the state.
Oregon tax disconnect goes into effect after referendum effort fails
Oregon will partially sever its connection to federal tax breaks in President Donald Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill after a Republican push to send Senate Bill 1507 back to voters fell short.
SB1507 disconnects Oregon’s state tax code from two breaks in H.R. 1 and partially disconnects from a third, recovering more than $342 million in revenue the state had projected to lose. Supporters said the bill headed off sweeping cuts to state agencies and programs.
The measure also expands the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit and establishes a new tax credit for businesses that add jobs in targeted industries, including advanced manufacturing, food and beverage processing, forestry and wood products, and outdoor gear and apparel.
Snowmobile registration fees are increasing in Oregon
Senate Bill 1565 raises registration and renewal fees for snowmobiles statewide.
Registration and renewal fees currently stand at $10 each. The bill triples those fees to $30. Out-of-state permits remain unchanged at $7.
The Oregon State Snowmobile Association pushed for the increase during the 2025 legislative session, but lawmakers left the fee changes out of their transportation package. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, introduced SB1565 during the short session.
The association again made its case, explaining that the Oregon Department of Transportation Driver and Motor Vehicles had been charging $6.27 to process a registration transaction and routing the remaining $3.73 to the dedicated snowmobile fund. In July 2025, the agency raised its processing fee to $14 on the $10 transaction, drawing down the snowmobile fund to cover each registration.
Immigration procedures to be in place at Oregon medical facilities
Oregon Democrats pushed through a series of immigration bills during the short session, including Senate Bill 1570, which requires hospitals statewide to establish policies and procedures for responding when immigration agents arrive on their premises.
Dubbed the Health Care Without Fear Act, the bill was introduced at the request of the Oregon Nurses Association and drew hundreds of pieces of testimony in support.
The bill also requires hospitals and health centers to treat immigration-related information with the same protections already applied to protected health information, and bars them from retaliating against workers who distribute materials on immigration rights or legal services.
Oregon closes nicotine pouch loophole
Senate Bill 1571 broadens the definition of “tobacco products” to cover any product containing or derived from tobacco or nicotine, and adds oral nicotine pouches and lozenges to the list of tobacco product examples.
Chief sponsor Sen. Lisa Reynolds, D-Portland, a pediatrician, said the bill closed a loophole that had made a federal law prohibiting the sale of nicotine pouches to those under 21 unenforceable in Oregon.
Reynolds said the loophole gave youth easier access to the products by allowing stores without a tobacco retail license to sell the pouches.
“SB 1571 is a significant step in responding to the shifting tobacco retail landscape and the emergence of new and addictive nicotine products,” said Sarah Wylie, manager of the Oregon Tobacco Retail License Program at the Oregon Health Authority’s Public Health Division.
Limiting the sale of data to companies involved in immigration enforcement
Also part of the immigration justice package, Senate Bill 1587 prohibits the sale of personal data to a data broker unless the broker first guarantees the information will not be sold or transferred for use in federal immigration enforcement.
Rep. Lamar Wise, D-Portland, wrote in testimony that the bill reaffirms a “bedrock value” that court authorization must precede access to personal data for civil enforcement purposes.
“This bill is a common-sense safeguard,” said Sen. Wlnsvey Campos, D-Aloha, a chief sponsor, following its passage in the Senate. “It ensures that when Oregon public agencies share data, they do so with a clearer understanding and assurance about how that data will be used.”
No more speculative ticket sales in Oregon
Oregon lawmakers again took aim at ticket sales practices in the state. After passing House Bill 3167 in 2025 to widen the ban on bots buying and reselling tickets, they followed up with House Bill 4024, which bans speculative ticket sales — the practice of third-party sellers listing and selling tickets that have not yet been released.
The bill specifically bars a reseller, or anyone affiliated with a reseller, from offering an admission ticket unless they physically possess it or have explicit authorization to obtain it.
Language addressing speculative ticket sales had been stripped from the 2025 bill. Rep. Pam Marsh, D-Ashland, led the charge on the measure during the short session. Oregon venue owners and managers testified in support, citing persistent problems with speculative sales. Supporters included Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Independent Venue Coalition, Britt Music and Arts Festival and others.
Arraignment requirements to exclude holidays and weekends
House Bill 4072 takes effect this week, adjusting the window during which someone released from custody must appear for arraignment.
The Oregon Judicial Department and the state’s District Attorneys Association both backed the bill.
Under existing law, someone arrested and released from jail had to appear in court for arraignment within 96 hours of their arrest — a window that included weekends, holidays and other court closures, producing what the Judicial Department described as “unmanageable numbers” of arraignments following holiday weekends or winter storms.
HB4072 amends state law to specify that “the arraignment shall be held within 96 hours after the arrest, excluding holidays, Saturdays, Sundays and any other time period within the normal business hours of the court during which the court is closed,” applying to arraignments on charges filed on or after June 5.
Protection of immigration status in civil proceedings
House Bill 4111 was also among the immigration measures Oregon Democrats passed in 2026.
Championed by Rep. Willy Chotzen, D-Portland, with more than 40 sponsors, the bill prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who change their work authorizations and restricts the use of immigration status in civil court proceedings. HB4111 also adds immigration status to Oregon’s existing anti-profiling law.
Background checks for caregivers now required every three years
House Bill 4115 changes how frequently Oregon’s Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority may require caregivers to undergo a new background check.
The bipartisan bill extends the criminal records check cycle to three years, unless the department or authority receives credible evidence of a new criminal conviction or abuse or neglect, among other circumstances. DHS and OHA must notify facilities within 90 days of the June 5 effective date that the recertification period has been extended.
Supporters said caregivers have been waiting weeks or months for a required background check before starting work, only to face rechecking every two years — a cycle driving the lengthy waitlist.
Curbing predatory loans in Oregon
Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4116 to close a loophole that had allowed consumer loan lenders to charge interest rates of 100% or more.
State law caps small-dollar consumer finance loans at 36% interest, but federal law language had allowed state banks to apply the rate caps from their home states when doing business in Oregon — enabling state-licensed brokers to offer loans in partnership with out-of-state, state-chartered banks to sidestep the cap.
The Department of Consumer and Business Services said its Division of Financial Regulation uncovered evidence of more than 31,000 loans totaling at least $61 million with interest rates exceeding Oregon’s cap since 2020.
“This bill is designed to stop online lenders from ripping people off,” said chief sponsor Rep. Nathan Sosa, D-Hillsboro, after its passage. “It will ensure that Oregon consumers, in a moment of financial need, are not being preyed upon by digital, corporate loan sharks.”
Limits on information Oregon landlords may disclose
Oregon landlords will be prohibited from disclosing immigration status and other personal information under House Bill 4123.
The bill defines confidential tenant and applicant information to include date of birth, Social Security number, phone number, email address, banking and other financial information such as tax returns and W-2 statements, an employer’s name or address, medical or disability records, and immigration or citizenship status or membership in another protected class.
Landlords may only disclose such information with the tenant’s written consent, under a court order, judicial warrant, or subpoena, to comply with affordable housing regulations, to screen an applicant, to respond to landlord reference requests, or when sharing a phone number or email address is necessary for repairs, maintenance, utilities or other services.
Under HB4123, a landlord who knowingly violates the restrictions may be liable to the affected individual for twice the monthly rent of the tenancy or prospective tenancy.
(Central Oregon Daily News editor’s note: Another new law states renters can’t be forced to make digital payments to landlords, but can pay in other conventional methods.)
Oregon transient lodging tax increased
As the state confronts increasingly severe wildfire seasons, Oregon lawmakers passed House Bill 4134 to raise the transient lodging tax and direct the additional revenue to a wildfire recovery subaccount.
The bill lifts the tax from 1.5% to 2.75%. Revenue from 0.9% of the increase will flow to the Recovering Oregon’s Wildlife Fund Subaccount. Another 0.1% will go to the Oregon Conservation Corps Fund, 0.05% to state police for anti-poaching efforts, 0.05% to the Wolf Management Compensation and Proactive Trust Fund, 0.05% to the Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, 0.05% to the State Department of Fish and Wildlife for wildlife connectivity, 0.02% for wildlife stewardship, 0.015% to the Invasive Species Control Account, 0.01% to the Department of Justice for anti-poaching and wildlife law enforcement, and 0.005% to the Invasive Species Council Account.
The law takes effect June 5, though the tax increase will not be applied until Jan. 1, 2027.
“Oregon Democrats are fighting to make sure that powerful interests – including the Trump Administration – don’t abuse Oregonians or take away their rights,” said House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, in a May press release. “That includes cracking down on predatory lending and ticket scams, protecting workers and immigrants, and giving homeowners flexibility.”
Lawmakers return to the Oregon Capitol on June 15 to begin legislative committee days, during which they will take up discussion of legislation for the 2027 session, beginning in January.
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