Oregon legislation · 2025 Legislative Measures
Oregon HB3940: Relating to wildfire; prescribing an effective date; and providing for revenue raising that requires approval by a three-fifths
Status: Chaptered, August 13, 2025
Digest: The Act raises and moves money to pay for wildfire costs. The Act makes certain changes to laws related to forests and fire protection. (Flesch Readability Score: 74.8). [ Places a surcharge on sales of beverage containers for purposes of wildfire prevention and response. ] [ Directs insurance retaliatory tax revenue to wildfire prevention and response. ] [ Transfers one-half percent of General Fund appropriations per biennium to funds for wildfire prevention and response. ] [ Transfers 50 percent of the amount held in the Oregon Rainy Day Fund to funds for wildfire prevention and response. ] Imposes a tax on the distribution of oral nicotine products. Directs the revenues to purposes related to wildfire. Directs a portion of the interest from the Rainy Day Fund to purposes related to wildfire. Removes the end date for completion of certain wildfire risk reduction projects. Makes certain changes related to the forest products harvest tax, forest protection districts, minimum assessments and surcharges, the Emergency Fire Cost Committee, forestland acreage assessments, zones for fire protection in certain areas and rural fire protection districts. [ Authorizes certain transfers from the State Fire Marshal Mobilization Fund. Requires the Legislative Assembly to make moneys available to the State Forestry Department and the Department of the State Fire Marshal to repay loans from the State Treasurer for wildfire suppression costs. ] Directs the State Treasurer to transfer moneys between agencies when requested for certain wildfire costs. Appropriates moneys to a borrowing agency if the agency has insufficient available moneys to repay transferred amounts. Creates an offset against fire protection costs for certain forestland. Removes transfer and reporting requirements relating to the State Forestry Department Cash Flow Repayment Fund. Provides for a grant program for retrofitting of dwellings for wildf
What the bill says
From the enrolled text, June 26, 2025:
83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session House Bill 3940 Sponsored by Representatives LIVELY, LEVY B, Senators BROADMAN, LIEBER CHAPTER ................................................. Relating to wildfire; creating new provisions; amending ORS 242.702, 291.055, 293.144, 293.148, 321.005, 321.011, 321.012, 321.015, 323.500, 323.505, 323.510, 323.515, 323.625, 477.001, 477.205, 477.230, 477.232, 477.270, 477.277, 477.281, 477.295, 477.440, 477.445, 477.450, 477.455, 477.460, 477.750, 477.755, 477.760, 477.770, 477.775, 477.777, 478.010, 478.120, 478.140 and 526.122 and section 20, chapter 592, Oregon Laws 2021; repealing ORS 476.310, 476.320, 476.330, 476.340, 477.415, 477.880, 477.960, 477.970 and 526.123; prescribing an effective date; and providing for revenue raising that requires approval by a three-fifths majority. ORAL NICOTINE PRODUCTS TAX SECTION 1. Section 2 of this 2025 Act is added to and made a part of ORS 323.500 to 323.645. SECTION 2. (1) In addition to and not in lieu of any other taxes, a tax is imposed on the distribution of oral nicotine products in this state. The tax imposed by this section is intended to be a direct tax on the consumer, for which payment upon distribution is required to achieve convenience and facility in the collection and administration of the tax. The tax shall be imposed on a distributor at the time the distributor distributes oral nicotine products. (2) The tax imposed under this section shall be imposed at the following and …