House committee hears bill to hold landowners accountable for unregistered farmworker camps

The House Committee on Rules opened public testimony June 11 on House Bill 3194, which would amend the Camp Operator Registration Act (CORA) to create joint and several liability for landowners when unregistered farmworker camps operate on their property and expand the private right of action for aggrieved workers.

Why it matters: Supporters told the committee they view the measure as a response to what Representative Pam Marsh called a “humanitarian crisis” tied to illegal cannabis grows and other unregistered labor camps that, they say, have produced exploitative housing conditions and worker abandonment. The bill would raise civil remedies and give workers a clearer path to sue for damages and injunctions.

The bill and the dash‑6 amendment described to the committee would do three key things: create joint and several liability for landowners who “knew or should have known” their property was used for an unregistered farmworker camp; shift elements of the burden of proof and create a rebuttable presumption when a written lease expressly prohibits such activity; and raise damages recoverable per violation from $500 to $2,000 or actual damages, whichever is greater. As an overview witness told the committee, the dash‑6 amendment “replaces the measure” on OLIS and reflects a negotiated compromise.

Supporters described lengthy stakeholder discussions. Martha Sonato, legislative advocate at the Oregon Law Center, said the dash‑6 reflects “the compromise between the Oregon Farm Bureau and the Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers,” and urged the committee’s support. Kate Sussman, an attorney at the Northwest Workers' Justice Project, summarized the burden shift in the dash‑6 amendment: “the requirement shifts to the worker to show that the landowner knew or should have known that the camp…was operating on the property they owned.” Sussman also described the rebuttable presumption the amendment provides when a landowner supplies a written lease that expressly prohibits unregistered housing.

Representative Pam Marsh (D‑District 5), who presented the bill, told the panel the measure is intended to “hold the operators and owners responsible for the consequences of illicit operations,” and to discourage exploitation of vulnerable workers. Supporters emphasized the bill targets unregistered operations and said state enforcement capacity (BOLI) has been limited, prompting the need for a stronger private right of action for workers.

Neutral testimony was noted from Oregon Farm Bureau, represented by Lauren Kenzie. Farm Bureau said it does not support bad actors and said the organization sought to limit unintended effects on farmland lease relationships; members noted about 30% of Oregon farmland is leased, and the dash‑6’s rebuttable presumption and burden shift were critical to reaching a neutral position.

No formal action or vote was taken by the committee during the hearing. The committee recorded multiple supporters and one neutral stakeholder and closed the public hearing on HB 3194 before moving to other bills on the agenda.

The committee will consider testimony and amendments as the bill moves through committee review; no committee vote was recorded at the hearing.