Committee hears wide-ranging testimony as parks procurement exemption advances amid IT and local vendor concerns

Senate Bill 838A, which would exempt the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department from the Oregon public contracting code except for surplus property, was the subject of a lengthy public hearing before the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans on May 13, 2025.

Supporters, including Representative Emerson Levy and OPRD Director Lisa Assumption, said the exemption would let parks act more like hospitality or lottery operations and help avert an approaching budget “cliff.” Director Lisa Assumption said, "Our intent was never to be exempt from IT, and we didn't know that that is in the bill. So if that's the case, absolutely not." Park managers and a local vendor testified that current state contracting requirements had made routine services slower and more expensive.

The bill’s advocates told the committee that some parks procurements —…