Legislative session nears end as Deschutes County watches fate of lodging tax, wildfire, transportation and health funding

Deschutes County officials received an update June 13 on the Oregon Legislature’s end-of-session scramble and the uncertain fate of several bills with direct county impact.

The county’s legislative liaison, Doug Riggs, said many decisions appear to be finalized by leadership and House Ways and Means, with only a narrow set of subcommittees left meeting. “I think pens are down on just about everything and now it's a matter of the LFO staff writing reports,” Riggs said, adding that some measures could still move in the next few days.

County commissioners were told that a transient lodging tax proposal advanced out of the House Revenue Finance Committee on a party-line, 4-3 vote and that the measure changes the local/state revenue split from “30/70 to 60/40,” a change that the county was watching for its potential to free local revenue for tourism-related impacts. Riggs said the bill still must clear additional steps in the House and the Senate before final enactment.

Why it matters: the end of session typically determines funding for capital projects, local programs and the structure of county-state agreements. Commissioners and staff flagged several items that, if not enacted or funded, could affect county services and budgets.

What the update covered

- Unemployment insurance bill: At least one participant reported a bill cited as “SBA 9 16” had passed the House and was on its way to the governor with an element described as providing a 10-week availability of unemployment insurance; that status was reported during the briefing. The report was delivered as a legislative update…