OACP Members,
The 83rd Oregon Legislative Assembly convened for the 2025 Legislative Session on Tuesday, January 21st. In accordance with the Oregon Constitution following the passage of Ballot Measure 71 in 2010, the legislature meets for a 160-day session in odd-numbered years.
This session is already breaking records for the number of bills introduced, and we expect as many as 4000 bills will be in play by the bill introduction deadline on February 25th. At present, we are tracking 640 bills that have the potential to impact your agency, officers, and the work you do to keep your communities safe.
The good news is that we have strong bipartisan support from legislators committed to ensuring that new policies enhance public safety while minimizing unnecessary regulatory burdens on agencies and officers. We are fortunate to have Senator Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) and Representative Jason Kropf (D-Bend) serving as Chairs of the Judiciary Committees and Co-Chairs of the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. We can also be thankful to have Representative Paul Evans (D-Independence) and Senator Anthony Broadman (D-Bend) lead the budget subcommittee overseeing public safety funding.
I want to give a special shout out to Representative Rick Lewis (R-Silverton), former Silverton Police Chief, and Representative Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River), former Portland Police Bureau Sergeant, who also serve on the public safety budget subcommittee. Their firsthand law enforcement experience provides invaluable insight into the issues and budgets affecting our work.
Many other legislators continue to advocate on our behalf, and I look forward to recognizing them in future updates.
Here is the link to a legislative session video
