As transportation advocates of all stripes gird for what’s going to be a very intense session of the Oregon Legislature next year, there’s a new report that I think should required reading: Oregon in Motion: The development and impacts of HB 2017 and recommendations for a 2025 transportation package (PDF).
As the title says, all eyes are on 2025 because lawmakers are expected to craft and (try to) pass another massive spending and policy plan, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the $5.3 billion package passed in 2017. The importance of this moment needs to be understood — that’s why I asked the report’s author, Cassie Wilson, to join me for an interview.
Cassie is a disability rights and transportation advocate who you might recall from our profile of her in 2022. This past legislative session, Cassie was a legislative aide for the Oregon House of Representatives. She wrote the Oregon in Motion report as an intern with nonprofit land-use and environmental advocacy group, 1000 Friends of Oregon.
The 60-page report is an excellent, insider’s look at the sausage-making that led to HB 2017, what that package did (and didn’t do), and what Oregon’s next big funding bill should include. And that’s just the start of what you can learn by reading it. I loved the sections with quotes from activists and insiders who were on the front lines in 2017.
Asked for her take on 2025, Cassie pointed out there’s one big difference from last time around. “Part of what House Bill 2017 did was create the Joint Committee on Transportation. Before that, transportation committees were created more on an as-needed basis. And so, this is kind of the first time that we’re going into a transportation package with a committee that has been consistently working on transportation in the years since the last one.”
That’s an important point; and what will be even more important is which lawmakers are leading that committee. Right now it’s Co-Chair Rep. Susan McLain, a centrist when it comes to some of the more progressive ideas of another JCT member, Rep. Khanh Pham. As I’ve watched this committee in the past year or so, I’ve seen a palpable tension between Reps Pham and McLain so it will be interesting to see how that materializes as flags are planted leading up to a new bill.
Asked what we should look for next session, Cassie said there will definitely be talk of a new funding mechanism. There was a flurry of activity this session around re-assessing the state’s Weight Mile Tax, there’s been a lot of talk about making sure all road users pay their “fair share,” and with recent cooling on tolls by Governor Tina Kotek, how ODOT raises money will be just as big of a conversation as what they spend it on.
“There an ongoing conversation around electric vehicles and how they pay into the system,” Cassie said in our interview. “There’s also been a lot of talk since 2017 about micromobility and about e-bikes… so I think a lot of people are looking to the 2025 package to get those things across the finish line.”
HB 2017 will be remembered as a landmark package in large part because of how it diversified ODOT funding beyond just highways for car users. Cassie’s report details how the Statewide Transit Improvement Fund has been a boon for rural transit providers and how programs like Safe Routes to School have flourished thanks to new, dedicated funding in the bill.
In addition to funding projects and programs, HB 2017 also included important transportation policy, and its 2025 sibling will follow suit. Cassie said it’s a time to discuss changes to how the Oregon Transportation Commission oversees ODOT policy and to push for better funding transparency so all Oregonians can see what our money is being spent on.
“Don’t be intimidated by the 60 pages of length,” Cassie shared as a parting shot. “There’s an executive summary or you can check out the table of contents and skip to your favorite parts. I think that it’s a really good primer for what’s to come next year and hopefully will inspire folks to dream big for the next package.”
I couldn’t agree more. Do yourself a favor and check out the report. And join me in thanking Cassie and 1000 Friends of Oregon for putting it together!