Oregon Healthcare Tax Plan Repeal Set for Special Election Vote

Date: October 18, 2017

A group of Oregon lawmakers collected enough signatures to put a referendum considering a reversal of the $550 million healthcare tax plan onto the ballot for a January special election, according to OregonLive.

The tax plan was passed in the Legislature earlier this year in an attempt to manage the federal Medicaid program, which covers nearly one-fourth of Oregonians, and to steady the individual insurance market.

The special election will be held on January 23, 2018. In order to qualify onto the ballot, those pushing the referendum needed to collect 58,789 signatures and ended up turning in 82,312, according to the Secretary of State Dennis Richardson’s press release.

The ballot title has been appealed, and the Oregon Supreme Court will make a decision on November 6. However, the current ballot title does not call the legislation’s revenue collecting a “tax,” but rather, an “assessment,” according to Statesman Journal. Many legislators have argued that this language is misleading and that voters will not fully understand the consequences before casting their votes.

Every household will receive voters’ pamphlets on the measure between December 27 and December 29, 2018. The deadline to register as a voter for the special election on January 2, 2018. NFIB/Oregon will be sending out a Special Member Ballot to members to request their stance on the issue in order to determine NFIB’s position. Members are encouraged to check their email inboxes for the ballot survey and record their vote promptly.

Related Content: Small Business News | Economy | Oregon

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