Salem-area lawmakers succeeded in beefing up oversight of hospice facilities, requiring tech companies to respond quickly to warrants in stalking cases and creating a veteran suicide prevention program during the 2026 legislative session.

The session ended Friday, March 6, after 35 days. 

While some measures proposed by local senators and representatives saw success, others have been tabled, with lawmakers hoping for better luck during the longer session in 2027.

Most measures that passed the Legislature are now awaiting Gov. Tina Kotek’s signature. Kotek has 30 days to sign or veto a measure after it comes to her desk. 

Each lawmaker was allowed to put forward two priority bills, though some lead committees that also propose legislation. Lawmakers spoke with Salem Reporter about the outcome of the session.

Senate District 10 – south Salem

Wheelchair-accessible housing – passed with changes

SB 1576 will require new state-funded apartment buildings to build more accessible rental units. Patterson said she proposed the measure because Oregon does not have enough accessible housing to meet the demand. The scope of the bill was narrowed to state-funded developments because “private developers were concerned that if they built a fully accessible unit, that folks wouldn’t want to rent them,” Patterson said. She called the bill a “small step forward,” saying there is more work to be done. 

Hospice care oversight – passed

Patterson’s second priority bill, SB 1575, requires hospice care administrators to undergo background checks. It also creates a waiting period for new hospice program licenses to allow time for sufficient vetting. Patterson said the bill was put forward by local hospices who recognized a need for safeguards in light of hospice fraud in California. Patterson said she plans to be on the work group facilitating the bill’s implementation.

“These are two bills that will help folks who are pretty vulnerable in our area, in our state, to have a bit more assistance and protection,” Patterson said of her priority bills. 

Insurance contract mediation – failed

SB 1529 would have protected access to health care by requiring mediation for insurers and providers who reached an impasse during contract negotiations. The bill was proposed by the Senate Health Care Committee, which Patterson chairs. Patterson pointed to Salem Health’s recent negotiations with Regence BlueCross BlueShield and PacificSource as local examples for why mediation is needed. The Hospital Association of Oregon, which lobbies for Oregon’s 60  community hospitals, including Salem Health, opposed the bill, citing that it would “interfere with the relationship between insurers and hospitals.”

Patterson said the bill was too complex for the short session and a work group will convene to put together proposed legislation for 2027. She said it “will require a great deal of work.”

Senate District 11 – north Salem, Keizer 

Child abuse false reporting – failed

SB 1579 would have make false reporting of child abuse a more serious crime, raising it from a misdemeanor to a violation. It passed the Senate nearly unanimously but died in a House committee. “People have been (led) to believe that punishing people with a misdemeanor … is going to hurt reporting of real child abuse. Evidence says the opposite. People are more afraid not to report,” Thatcher said in a text.

The 2026 session is Thatcher’s last — she’s barred under state law from seeking reelection after participating in a 2023 walkout by Republican senators to protest Democratic bills on abortion, gender-affirming care and guns.

“It is in others’ hands now,” she said.

Woodburn urban growth boundary – failed, but similar bill passed

Woodburn will get more land to build housing even though Thatcher’s original proposal, SB 1564, did not pass. Another bill that dealt more broadly with urban growth boundaries, HB 4035, was amended to allow Woodburn to more easily add buildable land.

Wrongful conviction – passed

SB 1515 creates a process for people wrongfully convicted of crimes based on discredited forensic science to receive state compensation. Thatcher is the vice chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which introduced the bill. It passed nearly unanimously in the Senate and  40-16 in the House.

House District 19 – south Salem

Masked law enforcement officers – failed, but similar bill passed

SJR 203 would have asked voters to amend Oregon’s Constitution to prohibit “secret police.” It was part of a larger effort by Democrats to rein in the actions of federal immigration enforcement officers and prohibit masked or anonymous law enforcement. HB 4138, which Andersen also sponsored, requires law enforcement officers operating in Oregon to generally wear identifying information and bans masks for law enforcement in most situations. It passed.

“This is the statement that we need to make. Normalizing masks and anonymity by law enforcement is not the kind of society we want in our state and our country,” Andersen said.

Civil commitment transports – failed

Andersen’s other priority, intended to make it easier for law enforcement officers to commit people for involuntary mental health treatment, failed to advance after drawing significant testimony in opposition. HB 4106 would have protected law enforcement officers from prosecution or civil liability for using restraints or force on a person while transporting them for involuntary mental health treatment, so long as the officer believes the force is necessary to protect the person. It was supported by Marion County officials.

Andersen said some civil rights groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union and Disability Rights Oregon, raised concerns, and there wasn’t enough time in the short session to work through issues that came up. He hopes to convene a workgroup to continue discussions and reintroduce a similar measure in 2027.

House District 20 – West Salem, Monmouth, Independance

Emergency preparedness and training facilities – passed with changes

Evans’ bill, HB 4121, made a number of changes intended to strengthen Oregon’s capacity to prepare for, respond to and recover from natural disasters and emergencies. Those include new state grant funds intended to help local communities cover disaster costs, which Evans said are important given changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

The original bill authorized the state to use proceeds from state lottery sales to fund the construction of public safety training facilities around Oregon. That piece was removed, but Evans said it started conversations with the governor’s office about building a network of facilities similar to the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training headquarters in Salem. Having such regional hubs has been a state goal for years and is a “critical need,” he said. Facilities would function as recovery hubs after a natural disaster and allow for more training for firefighters and other public safety workers.

Veterans services – passed with changes

A new veteran suicide prevention program and changes to make sure more county-level veteran support money gets spent are among the improvements Evans expects to see from HB 4132. The omnibus bill made a number of changes to state veteran services. The original bill added specific positions at the state Department of Veterans Affairs, but that was amended out. Evans said he reached an agreement with leaders of the budget writing Joint Committee on Ways and Means to look at agency staffing in the budget process.

Evans said overall, he was “grateful” both of his bills passed

“Overall I think we were actually able to do a little more good than I thought we were able to going in,” Evans said of the session. “We’re navigating some choppy waters but I think we did the best we could to serve the public.”

House District 21 – north and east Salem, Keizer

No taxes from Cherriots board – failed

HB 4023 would have kept Cherriots from instituting taxes without the public’s say. Mannix proposed the bill in the wake of public backlash to payroll taxes the transit system’s board proposed last summer, which have since been tabled. The governor-appointed board is permitted to impose wage taxes under state law. “I don’t think Cherriots ought to be able to impose a payroll tax when they’re not elected, and they ought to at least be sending it to the voters,” Mannix said. He said the bill died because the state’s other mass transit districts feared it would interfere with their systems, he said. He said the issue will be revisited in the 2027 session with a comprehensive review of statewide mass transit funding.

“We’ll have a chance to steer a fresh course, starting in 2027 but it’s an issue I will not abandon,” he said.

Stalking warrant response – passed

Measure HB 4045 requiring communication companies to respond swiftly to warrants in cases of domestic violence and stalking passed unanimously. Mannix named the bill “Kristil’s Law,” in honor of Kristil Krug, a Colorado woman who was murdered by her husband in 2023. It will require social media platforms to respond in 72 hours and other communication companies, including internet service providers and mobile carriers, within 5 business days. Mannix believes the measure will “be a model for the nation.”

“We’re modernizing the capability in stalking and domestic violence cases to promptly get a response to a warrant, to communications companies to get their records so that we can track down perpetrators much more quickly,” he said.

House District 22 – northeast Salem, Woodburn, Gervais, Brooks

Immigration enforcement lawsuits – passed

HB 4114 will require federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies to report their Oregon operations ahead of time to the Oregon Department of Justice. It will also allow property owners or residents to sue federal agents who enter their property without a warrant. Muñoz’ district includes Woodburn, where 61% of residents are Hispanic and 34% were born outside the U.S., according to U.S. Census Bureau data. 

“Let me be clear about what this bill does: it holds people accountable when they violate your constitutional rights in your own home,” Muñoz said in a Feb. 18 press release from House Democrats. “For the families I represent, immigrant families, working families, families that speak Spanish at the dinner table and worry when they hear a knock at the door, home means everything.”

More providers on for worker’s compensation – failed

HB 4119 would have required that managed care plans for injured workers accept any qualified medical provider in the service area. It also would have expanded the definition of “attending physician” treating an injured worker to include nurse practitioners, physician associates, chiropractors and naturopathic doctors.

Muñoz did not respond to Salem Reporter’s request for comment on how the session played out.

Contact Managing Editor Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. Contact reporter Hailey Cook: [email protected]

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