Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Oregon Coast Trail Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Bill 929 would dedicate $1 million and lottery dollars to complete and maintain Oregon Coast Trail
Summary
Senate Bill 929 would appropriate $1 million general fund to State Parks and require that $1 million of lottery outdoor recreation revenues be allocated to the Oregon Coast Trail to help close gaps, improve safety and support maintenance, backers told the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.
Senate Bill 929 would provide recurring funding to help complete and maintain the Oregon Coast Trail, advocates told the Senate Energy and Environment Committee.
"Senate Bill 9 29 appropriates for the biennium beginning 07/01/2025, $1 million of the general fund to the State Parks and Recreation Department for the purpose of continuing to develop the Oregon Coast Trail," the bill summary read during the public hearing. The measure would also require State Parks to allocate $1,000,000 of lottery revenues designated for outdoor recreation projects toward the trail.
Advocates described the trail as an economic driver for coastal communities. Senator David Brock Smith, who represents coastal districts, told the committee the Coast Trail covers "nearly 400 miles of Oregon's coast" and said the legislation secures recurring resources for construction, gap closures and maintenance. Representative David Gomberg, chair of the Coastal Caucus, called the trail "a good thing" and compared the coast route to long European trails that connect towns and local economies.
Rick Osborne of Blue Ridge Strategies, representing the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, told the committee the tourism economy on the coast contributes roughly 25,000 jobs and $2.3 billion in visitor spending. He said funding would help close gaps and reroute segments that currently rely on busy roads.
Why it matters: Witnesses said the funding would help close identified gaps, acquire properties or easements and improve safety where trail segments currently follow highways or city streets. An October 2023 action plan with conceptual designs and funding estimates was submitted with meeting materials; witnesses said that plan lists segments, alternative routes and cost estimates for closing gaps.
Committee members asked procedural questions about whether the bill was primarily a budget measure; advocates and sponsors said the measure is largely budgetary and will be forwarded to Ways and Means for appropriation decisions. One senator asked how many miles of trail would be built for $1 million; witnesses said the funding was intended for ongoing construction and maintenance and that detailed cost estimates and segment-level funding needs are in the action plan.
No formal vote took place in the hearing. The bill will proceed to the next step in the legislative process.
