Committee adopts amendments to Senate Bill 840, moves bill to floor with due-pass recommendation

The Committee on Transportation on May 19 adopted two amendments to Senate Bill 840 and advanced the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.

Committee members adopted the "-9" amendment (dated 04/23/2025) by unanimous consent, then adopted the "-11" amendment (dated 05/15/2025). Daryl Fuller, representing the Oregon Vehicle Dealers Association and the Oregon RV Dealers Association, told the committee the -11 amendment folds in language from House Bill 2663 that would let dealers issue a temporary registration when a vehicle has not yet undergone DEQ certification, provided the dealer discloses to the purchaser that the vehicle is not yet DEQ certified and the certification must be obtained before final processing.

"It eliminates a step for the dealer, it eliminates a step for DMV, it saves money for the customer purchasing the vehicle," Fuller said. He added, "I wanted to be very clear that this does not allow anybody to avoid getting a DEQ certification for their vehicle." DMV and proponents reviewed the amendment and Fuller said DMV was "fine with it." A committee member stated the measure is a "good bill do pass with amendments." After no objections, the committee's motions to adopt both amendments and to send SB 840 as amended to the floor passed.

Separately, committee members said DEQ had communicated on the clean trucks issue included in the bill and that the committee had addressed that item through that communication. Senator Meade indicated he would carry the bill on the Senate floor.

The committee record shows the adopted amendments and the committee's due-pass recommendation will send SB 840, as amended, to the next stage of consideration without recorded roll-call votes in the transcript; actions were approved by unanimous consent during the hearing.

Committee members did not request further work sessions on SB 840 during the portion of the hearing captured in the transcript.