Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Oregon bill would let forestry officers cite illegal burns based on investigation, not just eyewitnessing
Summary
The Oregon Department of Forestry told the House Judiciary Committee that House Bill 2,819 would allow designated enforcement officers to issue citations for fire-protection violations when reasonable grounds exist from investigations or witness statements, closing a gap that can prevent citations when officers arrive after an illegal burn.
House Bill 2,819 would permit Oregon Department of Forestry enforcement officers to issue citations for fire-protection violations even when the officer did not personally see the act if reasonable grounds exist based on witness statements, investigation, or other information.
The change aims to address what Derek Wheeler, legislative coordinator for the Oregon Department of Forestry, described as a “simple and straightforward” gap in enforcement: under current law a fire warden must observe the act to issue a citation, so officers who arrive after an illegal burn often cannot cite the apparent offender. "As of today, if one of our fire wardens from the Department of Forestry were to go to an illegal burn site ... we could not issue a citation because we did not see them actually light that fire," Wheeler said.
Levi Hopkins, deputy chief of policy and planning for the Protection Division at the Oregon Department…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
