Skip to content

Oregon Legislators Begin Work on 2,500 Bills

Oregon Legislators Begin Work on 2,500 Bills

February 1, 2025

Delay of Clean Truck rule, estate tax reform draw NFIB’s immediate support, UI benefits for striking workers its immediate opposition

State Director Anthony Smith reports from Salem on the legislative and political week ending January 31

January 31 was Day 11 of the 160-day 2025 Oregon Legislative Session and legislators have wasted no time getting back to work, with more than 2,500 House and Senate bills already introduced!

Identifying and reading all the bills that may have an impact on small business is NFIB’s first major task of the year. This will be an ongoing process throughout the session as we could easily see an additional 1,500 bills introduced between now and adjournment, which must occur no later than Sunday, June 29, 2025.

With each session comes opportunities to pass pro-small business bills, but also the threat of harmful, anti-business legislation. As these opportunities and challenges arise, we’ll be sure to keep NFIB members informed and engaged on the issues that matter most to Oregon’s small businesses. That’s the real power of NFIB – making sure legislators hear from you before they vote on key small business issues.

For now, we’ll highlight three issues for you:

Bipartisan Effort to Delay Oregon’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) Rule
In a welcome showing of bipartisanship, House Bill 3119 was introduced and had its first public hearing January 30. The bill would delay the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s implementation and enforcement of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations until January 1, 2027.

In short, Oregon’s environmental regulators have opted to follow California’s much stricter Electric Vehicle (EV) truck rules rather than simply adopting the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act. States can choose one or the other. Most states go with the federal regulations. This bill temporarily overrides the state agency’s decision to adopt the California rules.

Here’s a brief, 2-minute video from KATU (text version here) that summarizes the issue. NFIB submitted written testimony in support of HB 3119.

Unemployment Benefits for Striking Workers
Unfortunately, the first three weeks of the 2025 legislative session couldn’t go by without a bad bill popping up for its first public hearing. Senate Bill 916 is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Committee on Labor and Business at 8 a.m. on February 6.

SB 916 would allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits while on strike, but according to the Oregon Employment Department, “Unemployment insurance provides money to people who have lost their jobs or have had their hours reduced through no fault of their own. Weekly payments of unemployment insurance benefits support people as they actively look for work.” (emphasis added)

In Oregon, employers pay 100% of unemployment taxes. Public employers, including cities, counties and school districts, typically reimburse the state for benefits paid to former employees. The increased costs of providing unemployment benefits for workers on strike would be spread among all employers and local taxpayers. Consequently, a small business far removed from the labor dispute in question could still see their taxes increase as a result of this expansion of benefits.

NFIB is asking members to contact their legislators and urge them to vote NO on SB 916 and/or join us in providing public comment in opposition to the bill during the public hearing on February 6 at 8 a.m.

Estate Tax Reform
In 2023, NFIB helped pass Senate Bill 498, which provides a new $15 million estate tax exemption (with some stipulations) for businesses engaged in natural resources like farming, fishing, and forestry. Building on that momentum from the last long session, NFIB is back this year to support a multitude of bills that would modernize Oregon’s estate tax policy.

While our members have been clear and consistent for years that the best policy change would be to eliminate the estate tax completely, the Oregon Legislature has been unwilling to seriously consider such a big change—so far.

So, with that in mind, NFIB will be providing comments to the House Committee on Revenue during its first public hearing on two bills relating to the estate tax on February 6 at 3 p.m. We’ll be advocating for a minimum of three modest changes:

  • Raise the Estate Tax exemption threshold (currently just $1 million)
  • Index this threshold to inflation going forward
  • Eliminate the marriage penalty (provide portability for each individual taxpayer).

These simple fixes would go a long way in protecting the assets of the average small business owner – ensuring the next generation can keep running the business without being burdened by an unexpected tax liability.

Get to know NFIB

NFIB is a member-driven organization advocating on behalf of small and independent businesses nationwide.

Receive our newsletter and email notification
Knowledge is power. Let us help you stay informed with breaking legislative news, regulatory updates, business tips, and more.

Related Articles

February 19, 2025
RSVP: Join NFIB Nebraska for Small Business Day!
Join us on March 6th at Nebraska’s Small Business Day with Governor Ji…
Read More
February 19, 2025
NFIB Members Come Together for Small Business Day at the Capito…
The event gave owners the opportunity to engage with legislators and other…
Read More
February 18, 2025
Join Us in Topeka for Small Business Day 2025!
Join us in Topeka on March 6th to strengthen the voice of small businesses….
Read More
February 18, 2025
Upcoming Events: NFIB Indiana Small Business Day & Prop…
Register today for NFIB’s upcoming webinar and Small Business Day in Indi…
Read More

© 2001 - 2025 National Federation of Independent Business. All Rights Reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Accessibility