Senate committee reopens hearing on SB 54, which would require cooling in rental housing

The Senate Committee on Housing and Development reopened the public hearing on Senate Bill 54 on March 24, 2025, to allow witnesses who had signed up previously to testify. The bill would establish cooling methods as a condition of habitability for dwellings and includes timing provisions tied to building permit dates; a dash-2 amendment expected that day would narrow a community-cooling alternative for market-rate developments while retaining that option for affordable housing providers and would shift the permit-based compliance date for new buildings to Jan. 1, 2027.

Why it matters: Lawmakers and advocates framed the bill as a public-health response to increasingly severe heat events, while housing providers warned that mandated in-unit cooling could impose major costs that may be passed to renters. Committee members heard testimony from health officials, housing associations, energy program staff and individual residents.

Testimony for and against emphasized human-health risks and implementation costs. Jonathan Clay, Government Affairs, Multifamily Northwest, testified that "the bill ... mandates in-unit cooling systems by 2026" and warned the cost per unit could be as high as "$15,000 per unit," which he said would be a significant burden on housing providers and could increase rents. Clay said his association represents nearly 300,000 units and urged incentives—grants, rebates and tax credits—instead of mandates.

Advocates and health professionals urged the committee to act. Andrea Meyer, Director of Government Relations for AARP Oregon, said older adults face "heightened risk to their health and their safety when we have extreme temperatures," noting that in a recent year "17 people ... died due to suspected heat issues; all but two were people over the age of 50." Dr. Theodore Tsongas of Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility testified that cooling is necessary as climate-driven heat waves increase and suggested expanding requirements in future to smaller rental units.

Public-health evidence from county investigations was cited in support. Bridal Haggerty, Healthy Homes and Communities Manager, Multnomah County Health Department, said the county's study of 78 heat deaths in 2021 found "almost all of the people who died were at home and only 10 of these deaths were in homes with cooling," and in at least seven of those cases the air conditioner "was either unplugged or nonfunctioning." Haggerty told the committee that household cooling can reduce strain on emergency medical services during extreme heat.

Technical and incentive information was provided by Shelly Carlton of Energy Trust of Oregon, who said the organization is neutral on SB 54 under its contract with the Oregon Public Utility Commission and described available incentives for energy-efficient heating and cooling, including heat-pump options and larger incentives for community partner projects.

Individual tenants and service providers also testified. Jean Hendren described efforts to secure cooling for very ill people and said existing rules can impede installation; a private-property manager, April Turner, asked where funding would come from and warned that retrofitting rental units could push rents higher and increase homelessness.

Committee procedure: The committee reopened the hearing to let previously signed witnesses speak, accepted the testimony described above and then closed the public hearing. No committee vote on SB 54 was recorded during this session; the committee also noted an anticipated dash-2 amendment expected that day.

What comes next: Committee staff indicated the dash-2 amendment was expected; the bill remains under committee consideration pending amendment language and further scheduling.