WPBN: In just a few weeks, a new year will begin, and with it, some new laws for Oregonians. These include the right to fix your own electronic gadgets, several laws aimed at lowering the cost and improving the equity of health care, and penalties for using drugs on public transportation.
Laws that are passed with an emergency provision take effect right away. However, laws that do not proclaim an emergency either go into effect on January 1st or halfway through the year, as certain legislation did on July 1st.
In 2025, the following new Oregon legislation should be on your radar:
SB 1553: Drug Use on Public Transportation
The legislature introduced a bill earlier this year that increases the possible penalties in response to mounting concerns about safety and egregious drug use on public transportation, frequently with no immediate consequences.
Although drug usage in public is not illegal in Oregon, it can now be effectively penalized by the law due to the recent recriminalization of simple drug possession. During Measure 110’s decriminalization era, drug use was illegal even if it did not constitute an arrest because it is usually a breach of transportation rules of conduct.
The use of illegal narcotics on public transportation will be covered by the current criminal law for “interfering with public transportation” as of January 1. As a drug-designated Class A misdemeanor, the charge carries a maximum sentence of 364 days in jail, a fine of $6,250, or both. It makes a person convicted of the offense eligible for state-funded treatment.
SB 1596: Right to repair
For years, the idea of a “right to repair” has gained traction. It opposes efforts by manufacturers of electronic goods to keep repairs to their items behind company-owned facilities; traditionally, Apple has been a leading example.
Original equipment manufacturers are required by law to give owners and independent repair shops access to the tools, manuals, and schematics they need to fix those devices as well, thereby lowering the cost of repairs for customers.
HB 4012: Insurers and specialty pharmacies
Certain medications, such as chemotherapy, are usually exclusively given by medical professionals at clinics or hospitals.
However, some insurers have begun to require that those medications be obtained from a specialty pharmacy that is more cost-effective for them. Previously, doctors could buy those pharmaceuticals from wherever they typically acquire medications and bill them to insurance.
Health care professionals expressed concern about the practice, stating that it would make it more difficult for them to modify dosages and would cause delays in providing essential medical care.
Insurance companies are prohibited by this new law from implementing those specialist pharmacy requirements for medications prescribed by doctors.
HB 4113: Prescription drugs and out-of-pocket maximums
This new law mandates that when an insured person buys a prescription medicine that is covered by their insurance, the money they (or someone paying on their behalf) spend for the prescription must also be used to meet the deductible or out-of-pocket limit of their plan.
Even though it’s a minor adjustment, it might gradually assist those who have costly prescription drugs limit the amount they must pay out each year.
HB 4147: School bus safety cameras
Bus drivers frequently report drivers passing unlawfully, even though drivers in the other direction are expected to stop when a school bus driver extends the stop arm and activates the red flashing lights.
This new bill authorizes schools to equip school buses with cameras that record noncompliant drivers and send them to law enforcement for a citation (much like a red-light camera).
According to the statute, these cameras can only be used to record drivers who disobey the stop arm; they cannot be utilized to keep an eye on the bus driver or the passengers.
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SB 1508: Insulin costs and quality of life metrics
Above all, this measure sets a 30-day supply of insulin at $35 as the maximum out-of-pocket expense for an insured person.
The majority of the bill, however, is of worry to state health officials since it prohibits them from evaluating what will be covered by the state’s Medicaid program, the Oregon Health Plan, using “quality of life in general measure.”
The bill defines this “quality of life in general measure”—more commonly known as the metric Quality-Adjusted Life-Years, or QALYs—as a way to compare a life lived in perfect health to a life lived in less than perfect health, favoring the former, in order to determine the cost-effectiveness of a treatment. In essence, a treatment that can help someone recover from a condition is prioritized over one that can help them manage a chronic illness.
According to Disability Rights Oregon, an advocacy group, QALY ratings are calculated in methods that are inherently biased and undervalue treatments for people of color, older adults, and individuals with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
HB 4083: Divesting from coal
HB 4083 instructs the state treasurer and the Oregon Investment Council to seek to end state investments in coal firms and funds that hold coal companies.
It is imperative that the divestitures be carried out “without monetary loss to investment funds.” If businesses can show that they are actively moving toward renewable energy, there is an exception.
If past examples are any indication, divestiture may not occur for years, if it occurs at all. Oregon politicians promised to divest from Russian companies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The state had not yet sold its Russian holdings as of a March 2024 KGW probe.
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HB 4127: Warehouse productivity quotas
Legislators claim that warehouse workers have a greater injury rate than coal miners, lumberjacks, trash collectors, and police officers. Labor groups have contended that employers’ adoption of production goals can increase injury rates among warehouse workers.
Although HB 4127 does not prohibit the use of productivity quotas, it does mandate that businesses disclose their quotas and the repercussions of not meeting them. An employee has the right to file a complaint with the Bureau of Labor and Industries if their employer disregards the new rule.
Workplaces with a collective bargaining agreement in effect, which has its own procedure for assessing performance and seeking data, are exempt from the measure.
SB 1502: School board transparency
This measure is rather straightforward: in order to be transparent with the public, Oregon school boards must provide meeting recordings.
Districts with fewer than 50 students are exempt, while districts in places with sporadic internet connectivity are permitted to publish an audio recording rather than a video.
Another significant exception is that this recording obligation does not apply to school board executive sessions, which typically take place behind closed doors.
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HB 4145: Animal crushing videos
The strange example of a Prineville guy who tortured and disfigured monkeys before selling the “animal crush videos” online served as the impetus for this rule. Strangely enough, the federal government has particular laws pertaining to the sharing of animal crush movies, which is why he was accused and found guilty in a federal court.
But in Oregon, there were no such laws in effect.
This type of action is punishable by several new crimes under HB 4145, all of which have to do with documenting or promoting animal mistreatment.
SB 1532 & SB 1533: Education plan for immigrants, voter pamphlet translations
The Oregon Department of Education is required by the first measure, SB 1532, to create a statewide education plan for refugees, asylum seekers, and all other immigrants, regardless of status. It is intended to assist in addressing differences in academic achievement.
SB 1533 expands the number of non-English languages in which voter leaflets can be distributed from five to ten each county. The ten most widely spoken languages in the state serve as the basis for the unspecified languages.
