TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Legislative Committee
SUBJECT:
title
Update on the City's legislative activities in advance of the State Legislature's Special Session on transportation funding.
Ward(s): All Wards
Councilor(s): All Councilors
Neighborhood(s): All Neighborhoods
Result Area(s): Good Governance; Natural Environment Stewardship; Safe Community; Safe, Reliable and Efficient Infrastructure; Strong and Diverse Economy; Welcoming and Livable Community.
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SUMMARY:
summary
The Council's Legislative Committee is comprised of Mayor Julie Hoy and Councilors Brown, Gwyn, and Nordyke. Councilor Nishioka serves as an alternate. The City Council's Legislative Committee meets frequently to consider priorities to guide Salem's Federal and State agendas throughout the year. For each Oregon Legislative Session, the City Council's Legislative Committee meets to prepare, consider positions on active bills during Session, and discuss recent federal legislative activity. On August 25, 2025, the City Council received an end of session report summarizing the City's legislative activities during the 2025 session of the Oregon State Legislature and federal legislative update.
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ISSUE:
Information only.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Information only.
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FACTS AND FINDINGS:
The Council's Legislative Committee is comprised of Mayor Julie Hoy and Councilors Brown, Gwyn, and Nordyke. Councilor Nishioka serves as an alternate. Oregon State Legislature convened January 21, 2025 for its regular session. The Committee meets frequently during the Session to receive updates and consider priorities for the City's State and Federal agendas. On August 25, 2025, the City Council received an end of session report summarizing the City's legislative activities during the 2025 session of the Oregon State Legislature and federal legislative update.
Legislative Committee Work
The City Council's Legislative Committee meets to prepare for the Oregon Legislative Session and during Session, to consider positions on bills before the 2025 Oregon State Legislature and recent federal legislative activity.
The Legislative Committee met on July 25, 2025 to consider a draft report on the 2025 Oregon Legislative Session and receive an update on the recent federal legislative activity. This material was transmitted to the City Council, as an information report, for their August 25, 2025 meeting.
The information report referenced the Committee's intent to meet August 22, 2025 in advance of the Special Session to consider transportation funding - and included the Council-adopted a set of legislative policy statements before the 2025 Session started and adjusted the policy statements during the Session (Attachment 1) to guide the City's response to bills during the Oregon Legislative Session.
The policy statements and legislative priorities position public officials, the City's contracted lobbyist, and staff in responding to moving legislation and formulating positions broad topics of economic development, financing and revenue, human resources, telecommunications, public safety, land use and the environment. The statements were most recently updated and recommended by the Legislative Committee for City Council approval on March 10, 2025.
The City Council's Legislative Committee convened on August 22, 2025 for a regularly scheduled meeting. The Committee planned to discuss the upcoming Special Session on transportation and, if needed, recommend a position to the City Council. At their August 22, 2025 Legislative Committee meeting, Councilors Gwyn, Nishioka, and Nordyke were present.
Given the evolving nature of the transportation funding package and the anticipated speed of the Special Session, the Committee found that the current City Council-approved policy guidance provided adequate support to the Legislature's intent to address the transportation funding crisis.
The current policy statement on transportation funding is found on page 3 of the City of Salem's 2025 Legislative Policy Statements:
* Transportation Funding: Diversify and increase transportation funding to support efficient and effective operations and maintenance of existing infrastructure. Support a strong transportation funding package to raise available funding for transportation system maintenance in response to reduced buying power from gas tax tied to inflationary pressures, use of higher mileage vehicles, shift to electric vehicles, and changes in work commute patterns. A transportation package should be a statewide investment that includes local governments as a full partner - including continued allocation of State Highway Fund to support maintenance of City transportation infrastructure.
In a letter dated August 26, 2025, the Salem City Council submitted testimony on behalf of the City of Salem (Attachment 2) based on the existing City policy statement. Oregon's 2025 Special Legislative Session convened Friday, August 29, 2025. The Special Session is anticipated to reconvene September 17, 2025.
BACKGROUND:
The Legislative Committee provides the City Council with regular updates and seeks approval of the City Council for recommendations on Legislative Policy Statements to guide the City of Salem's legislative activity. To continue a coordinated and unified response, and in accordance with Council Policy No. G-1, the Mayor and Councilor are asked to communicate the nature of their legislative contacts to staff via an email to Courtney Knox Busch (cbusch@cityofsalem.net). Staff will forward the communication to the City's lobbyist, the Legislative Committee, and City Council as appropriate.
Courtney Knox Busch
Chief Strategy Officer
Attachments:
1. 2025 Salem Legislative Policy Statements
2. City of Salem letter of support to address transportation funding crisis