Update: Oregon Lawmakers Make Another Go at a Transportation Funding Package

"With no quorum, Oregon's special legislative session was stalled Friday, when lawmakers were supposed to reconvene to find a funding solution for Oregon's transportation system. While some initially thought Governor Tina Kotek could wrangle legislators into passing a transportation package quickly, it now appears that the process will extend well into next week. The session comes after legislators failed to pass a long-awaited transportation package before the 2025 regular session adjourned in June."

"The bill was amended to phase out a transit payroll tax increase after only two years. If the package is signed into law, Oregonians will have 0.2 percent of their monthly paychecks dedicated to statewide public transit service starting on January 1, 2026. (Currently, the tax is 0.1 percent.) In the version of HB 3991 that passed the House yesterday, that tax increase will sunset in 2028."

The special legislative session stalled Friday due to a lack of quorum as lawmakers attempted to reconvene on transportation funding. The session follows failure to pass a transportation package before the 2025 regular session adjourned in June. House Bill 3991 aims to raise funding through motor vehicle and fuel tax increases, a payroll tax change for transit, and new road user charges for electric vehicles. The House amended the bill to increase the transit payroll tax to 0.2 percent beginning January 1, 2026, and to sunset that increase in 2028. With the amendment, lawmakers estimate $4.5 billion in revenue over the next decade. The Senate is expected to consider the bill Wednesday.

Read at Portland Mercury