Senate Judiciary panel hears industry, consumer split on bill to add texts to Oregon solicitation law

The Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee on April 24 heard testimony on House Bill 3,865 A, which would expand the state’s telephone solicitation statutes to include text messages and add limits on when and how often a business may initiate solicitations.

The bill’s committee overview states it would render certain text-message solicitations unlawful under the Unlawful Trade Practices Act and set permitted calling/texting hours between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Representative Nathan Sosa, the bill sponsor in the House, told the committee the proposal also shortens Oregon’s current quiet-hours window from 9 p.m.–9 a.m. to 7 p.m.–9 a.m. and would cap solicitations at three per 24-hour period.

Why it matters: Supporters say the change would update decades-old statutes for modern messaging and give consumers additional tools against spam and scams. Opponents — including wireless-industry groups, messaging-platform vendors and former federal regulators — warned the bill’s mechanics could be impossible for lawful businesses to implement and could invite…