House bill would raise, extend volunteer EMS tax credit as rural services strain

House Committee on Revenue members heard May 6 public testimony on House Bill 3380, which would increase the existing personal income tax credit for rural volunteer emergency medical services providers from $250 to $1,000 beginning in tax year 2026 and extend the program’s sunset date to Jan. 1, 2030.

Representative Dacia Graber, the bill sponsor, told the committee Oregon’s rural EMS system is in a workforce crisis and stressed retention as an urgent short-term need while broader reforms take effect. “It is entirely possible that without receiving investment this session, we are facing a reality in which someone can experience a medical emergency in 1 of these regions, call 911 and no help will come,” Graber said.

The bill would also require the Office of Rural Health to submit an annual report detailing the number of taxpayers eligible for the credit to interim legislative…