Senate committee advances four State Fire Marshal bills to the floor after work sessions

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Wildfire considered four bills originating from the State Fire Marshal in work sessions on March 13, 2025, and advanced each to the Senate floor with committee recommendations.

Senate Bill 860: The committee adopted the posted dash‑2 amendment and then moved SB 860 as amended to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation. The bill updates statutory authority following the agency’s separation from the Oregon State Police, clarifies succession authority during conflagrations, allows the State Fire Marshal to own vehicles, adjusts membership of the governor’s fire service policy council (adding an Oregon Health Authority designee and tribal representation), and expands eligibility for council membership to include candidates from fire service office administrators. Vice Chair Nash moved the amendment and the measure to the floor; the amendment passed on a roll call where members recorded "aye." The committee recorded the motion to move the bill to the floor as passing on a roll call.

Senate Bill 861: SB 861, which revises the State Fire Marshal Mobilization Fund to allow grant funds, reimbursements and monies received from judgments and settlements to be deposited into the fund and requires reporting to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by March 31 of each odd‑numbered year, was moved to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation. The bill includes an emergency clause and the Legislative Fiscal Office initially reported no fiscal impact. The committee also rescinded a subsequent referral to Joint Ways and Means for this measure and passed the motion to send it to the floor.

Senate Bill 862: The committee adopted the dash‑2 amendment; the amendment removes the word "base" from provisions governing a fire prevention code and clarifies that the State Fire Marshal will publish a fire prevention code online while local fire districts are not required to adopt the state code but must keep their own codes and any additional provisions publicly accessible. The committee moved SB 862 as amended to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation and rescinded its referral to Joint Ways and Means.

Senate Bill 863: The committee adopted the dash‑1 amendment and moved SB 863 as amended to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation and referral to Joint Ways and Means by prior reference. SB 863 authorizes the State Fire Marshal to recover actual fire suppression costs from individuals who willfully, maliciously or negligently start fires; the adopted amendment clarifies enforcement tools, including court action to enforce subpoenas related to cost recovery. During floor consideration the chair clarified the bill is not intended to supersede the Oregon Tort Claims Act.

Votes at a glance (committee recorded roll calls and outcomes where read into the record): - SB 860 (dash‑2 amendment adopted; due pass to floor): amendment passed; motion to move to floor passed (aye votes recorded during roll calls). - SB 861 (moved to floor with due pass; referral to Ways and Means rescinded): motion passed by roll call as recorded. - SB 862 (dash‑2 amendment adopted; due pass to floor; referral to Ways and Means rescinded): amendment and motion passed. - SB 863 (dash‑1 amendment adopted; due pass to floor; referred to Ways and Means by prior reference): amendment and motion passed.

Committee members who moved or spoke on the measures included Vice Chair Nash and Chair Golden; State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz Temple presented each bill and answered questions about agency transition, funding, and operational impacts. The committee thanked the State Fire Marshal and staff for the presentations and advanced all four measures for further Senate action.