Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Oprd Procurement Exemption topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee approves exemption for Oregon Parks from public contracting code with limits on IT and mapping purchases
Summary
The committee adopted an amendment and advanced Senate Bill 838A, which would exempt the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department from the public contracting code for many purchases while preserving procurement controls for information technology, photogrammetric mapping and telecommunications.
The House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans on May 22, 2025 adopted a dash‑2 amendment and advanced Senate Bill 838A to the floor with a do pass recommendation, approving an agency-specific exemption from portions of the state public contracting code for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) while retaining procurement requirements for certain technical categories.
LPRO staff told the committee the bill would exempt OPRD from the contracting code except as to surplus property and would create several limited exceptions to the Department of Administrative Services' control of state printing and printing purchases for advertising, promotions and communications about state recreational sites and resources. The dash‑2 amendment added express limits so the department's exemption would not apply to information technology, photogrammetric mapping and telecommunications procurement; staff reported minimal fiscal and revenue impact for the amendment.
Representative Graber said she initially "freaked out a little bit" at the prospect of changing procurement rules for a single agency and voiced concern about opening a precedent for other agencies. Graber said conversations with the Department of Administrative Services and the governor's office alleviated some concerns because an emergency clause and other checks remain in place; she said she would support advancing the bill but urged a broader review of procurement practices in the future. Representative Evans echoed the concern about agency-specific exceptions and said he would work to clarify the broader procurement system, but he also voted yes.
Other lawmakers, including Representative Boyce, noted OPRD's track record of service delivery and that the bill did not include funding requests, factors they said reduced opposition. The committee also agreed to hold an informational hearing in September on the Department of Administrative Services and the state's OregonBuys procurement system to examine pricing and competitiveness, as requested by Representative Watanabe.
The committee first voted to adopt the dash‑2 amendment dated May 19, 2025; Vice Chair Lewis moved adoption. After further discussion the committee moved the amended bill to the floor. The roll call on the final motion recorded affirmative votes from Representatives Boyce, Evans, Gallandos, Watanabe, Vice Chair Graver, Vice Chair Loos and Chair Tran; the motion passed. Representative Boyce volunteered to carry the bill.
Members who supported the amendment said it would give OPRD flexibility to promote parks and manage on-the-ground needs more quickly; members who expressed reservations urged a future, broader procurement review to avoid agency-by-agency exceptions. The committee did not identify a funding request tied to the bill in the work session.
