Friday, March 21, marked the first major legislative deadline this session, known as the “first chamber posting deadline.” Any bills not posted for a work session in their first policy committee by the deadline will not move forward this session. It is important to note that not all bills that have been posted for a work session will actually move forward through the process. Committee chairs often post bills to keep them “alive” and amendable until the first chamber work session deadline on April 9, after which any bill that has not moved out of its first chamber policy committee cannot move forward this session.
The Association of Oregon Counties’ (AOC) priority bills are almost all moving forward through this deadline, while several bills that AOC opposed will not.
Legislative Affairs Director Mallorie Roberts expressed gratitude to all members and county staff that have responded to AOC’s Action Alerts so far this session. “Public hearing engagement and legislator outreach from individual counties, commissioners, judges, and chairs has a significant impact on AOC’s advocacy efforts,” Roberts said.
Many work sessions will be canceled over the next two weeks. An important caveat – several committees are not subject to the first session deadline – Senate and House Rules, Senate and House Revenue, Ways and Means, and other joint committees, including the Joint Committee on Transportation and the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. Bills in these committees are alive until the second chamber posting and work session deadlines in May.
AOC reviews all introduced legislation and amendments for an impact to county services, budgets, and governance. As always, your AOC Legislative Affairs Department relies on AOC’s adopted principles, member input in our policy process, strategy conversations with steering committee co-chairs, and consultation with county staff subject matter experts to analyze legislation and inform our advocacy.
A comprehensive status update on AOC’s 2025 session priorities and bills on which we have been actively engaged so far this session can be viewed here. A bill list is available on AOC’s Legislative Committee Website and is regularly updated throughout the legislative session.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director