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Committee advances HB 4134, a 1.25% lodging-tax increase to fund wildlife, wildfire workforce and wolf compensation
Summary
After days of testimony, the Finance and Revenue subcommittee moved HB 4134-A to the floor with a do-pass recommendation. Supporters — wildlife rehabilitators, conservation groups and ranchers — argued the 1.25 percentage-point lodging tax increase would create stable, tourism-tied funding; opponents warned of cumulative taxes on small lodging operators and unclear administrative assessments.
A legislative Finance and Revenue committee voted to advance House Bill 4134-A, a proposal to raise the state lodging (transient lodging) tax by 1.25 percentage points to fund wildlife conservation, habitat restoration, wildfire workforce programs and wolf depredation compensation.
Supporters who testified over multiple days said the modest increase would create a stable revenue stream tied to tourism and help services that currently operate on donations and unstable grants. "This modest TLT increase creates a reliable funding source directly tied to tourism so that the industry that benefits from our natural resources can turn marketing phrases like keep Oregon beautiful and leave no trace into actual action," said Sally Compton, executive director of ThinkWild, which she said handled 4,000 calls last year.
The bill drew backing from conservation and…
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