Senator Robinson seeks relief from annual filing burden; SB 651 set for future amendment

Senate Bill 651 received a first public hearing on Jan. 30 in the Senate Committee on Labor and Business. The bill, introduced by Senator Noah Robinson with Senator Bonham as a co-sponsor, directs the secretary of state to study methods for reducing paperwork filing burdens on businesses in Oregon and is set to sunset on Jan. 2, 2027.

Senator Robinson told the committee he intends to file an amendment that would alter the bill's focus: rather than a study alone, he said the substantive intent is to reduce the frequency of mandatory annual filings for limited liability companies and similar small-business entities, moving from a one-year reporting cycle to a five-year cycle or creating a voluntary multi-year prepayment option. Robinson said the amendment text was pending from the Legislative Counsel and that he expected another hearing when the amendment is filed.

Committee members asked practical questions about fee handling and whether prepaid multi-year filings would be refunded if a business later dissolves; Robinson said the state typically returns overpayments and that the change would be voluntary. He and co-sponsors framed the proposal as a paperwork-reduction, small-business relief measure rather than a change in substantive reporting requirements; they noted the proposal could affect the state's fee projections and asked for Legislative Fiscal Office analysis.

No vote was taken and the committee closed the public hearing; Senator Robinson said he will submit an amendment for a future hearing.