Oregon is kicking off 2025 with new laws to stop drug use on public transportation, reduce the cost of prescription drugs and rein in the price of electronic device repairs.
On. Jan. 1, dozens of laws went into effect for Oregonians, affecting health care, consumer rights and public safety.
Drug Use Restrictions: Last year’s legislative session focused in part on House Bill 4002, which allows counties to start new programs to steer drug users towards recovery programs instead of jail. Those programs and a new misdemeanor penalty for low-level drug possession started in September.
But other laws started this month that aim to address the drug addiction crisis and other issues. Here’s a look at the most significant changes:
Drug Use on Public Transit: Senate Bill 1553 takes aim at public drug use on transit systems. It expands the crime of interfering with public transportation to include drug use on public transit. That makes it a drug-designated Class A misdemeanor, which allows people convicted of the offense access to state-funded treatment, but also is punishable by up to a year in jail – a stiffer punishment than for the previous misdemeanor.
The new law came in response to rising concerns about open drug use in and around public transportation. TriMet, Oregon’s largest transit agency which serves the Portland area, reports a 30% drop in riders feeling safe on buses and trains. The Tillamook County Transportation District was forced to close its transit center to the public because of drug use and drug smoke exposures.
Right to repair: Senate Bill 1596 is designed to make repairing electronic devices more fair and affordable in Oregon by preventing manufacturers from limiting where consumers go to repair their products. The new law requires original manufacturers of products such as cell phones and other consumer electronics to provide repair tools and information to owners and independent repair companies at a fair cost so consumers have more choices for repair options.
The law is a reaction to increasingly expensive repair costs for increasingly complex electronic devices for which there often is a very limited – and expensive – availability of repair options. Supporters say the law will allow independent shops and owners to repair their devices, rather than being forced to purchase replacements.
The law will go into full effect on July 1, when the state starts cracking down on violators.
Preventing prescription mandates: House Bill 4012 prevents insurers from requiring that physician-administered drugs, like chemotherapy, be dispensed at specialty pharmacies. In the past, physicians could “buy-and-bill” physician-administered drugs for patients. But there is a trend now of insurers trying to reduce costs by requiring that patients purchase physician-administered drugs from a specialty pharmacy. This practice has concerned providers because it is difficult for them to adjust dosages and can cause delays in care.
Prescription drug prices: House Bill 4113 is intended to help Oregonians with high drug costs. The law requires insurers to take account of money paid towards prescriptions when they calculate the enrollee’s out-of-pocket maximum costs. The law includes payments made through co-pay assistance programs, which some drug manufacturers offer patients. This helps patients reach the out-of-pocket maximums in their policies easier and sooner, bringing down their costs.
Another new law, HB 4012, prevents health benefit plans from requiring that physician-administered drugs, like chemotherapy, be dispensed at specialty pharmacies. Traditionally, physicians have been able to “buy-and-bill” physician-administered drugs for patients, but in recent years, insurers have sought to reduce costs by requiring that physician-administered drugs be purchased from a specialty pharmacy.
This practice has sparked safety concerns from providers because it made it difficult for them to adjust dosages and could cause delays in care due to drug shipping issues.
Insulin Price Caps: SB 1508, caps the price of insulin at $35 and and will limit the cost to $105 for a 90-day supply.
The law also prevents Oregonians with chronic illnesses and disabilities, who are covered by Medicaid and the Oregon Health Plan, from facing higher costs. Also under the new law, insurance companies won’t be able to raise the limit with inflation. It stops the Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) and Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (P&T) from using Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALY)-based formulas to determine coverage for Oregonians on the Oregon Health Plan.
According to analysis provided by state staff to legislators as they considered the issue, the QALY formula places a lower value on treatments that extend the lives of people living with chronic illnesses and disabilities, making it harder and more expensive for those individuals to get the care they need.
Medicare Changes: The federal government has also made a change on prescription drugs that affects Oregonians enrolled in Medicare, which covers seniors 65 and older and some people with disabilities. After enrollees reach a $2,000 cap on drug costs, they won’t have to pay out of pocket costs and receive catastrophic coverage.
Warehouse worker safety: House Bill 4127 offers protections to warehouse workers who face heavy workloads. The law requires employers to be transparent about their requirements for productivity quotes, a factor that advocates say has contributed to injuries in warehouse distribution centers. Under the law, workers are protected from dismissal or discipline if an employer fails to adequately communicate a quota requirement.
Brake for the school bus: House Bill 4147 will allow schools to install cameras on school buses to record when drivers fail to stop for bus safety lights. Under the law, police can use those recordings to cite motorists who fail to stop.
The law is a response to what supporters say is a growing problem of drivers who refuse to stop when school buses turn on their flashing red lights and extend stop arms, which is required by law.
School board transparency: Senate Bill 1502 will require the boards of public school districts, community colleges and universities to video record their meetings and post the videos online, within a week of the meeting, for the public to view.
School districts that lack the internet bandwidth can upload an audio recording as an alternative, and school districts with fewer than 50 students are exempt from the law.
‘Cleaner’ Oregon investments: House Bill 4083 directs the Oregon Investment Council and the state treasurer to eliminate the state’s investments in coal companies. Lawmakers passed the bill in response to the need for clean energy, and it follows similar actions that other states have taken, including New York and California. Under the law, the state can continue to invest in coal companies if they demonstrate they are transitioning to clean energy within a reasonable period of time.
Boosting ‘Rainy Day Fund’: Senate Bill 1562 raises the maximum amount that can be contained in the state’s Rainy Day Fund before lawmakers are allowed to forego paying into the fund.
The Rainy Day Fund was created in the 2007, and since then the general fund revenue has tripled to about $1.7 billion. It is scheduled to receive an additional $200 million in June.
Under prior law, the Legislature was not required to make its regular payment into the fund as long as it contained enough money to cover 7.5% of the state’s general fund revenues. During last year’s short session, lawmakers increased that limit to 12.5% –with the intent of ensuring the state will save more in the future.
Animal Torture Penalties: HB 4145 establishes criminal penalties for people who create, distribute, or access recordings of animals being killed or tortured.
Torturing or maliciously killing animals – not including legal and licensed fishing, hunting or trapping – was already a felony under state law. Now, disseminating, possessing or accessing those recordings is a misdemeanor.
The bill was introduced by Rep. David Gomberg (D-Lincoln and Western Benton and Lane counties) in response to a 2023 case regarding a former Prineville resident’s involvement in an online animal torture ring.
The bill is aimed at prohibiting the creation, distribution, and sale of animal torture videos and photos within the state.
While there are federal laws against creating footage of animal torture, proponents of the bill testified that they can be difficult to enforce. The Humane Society of the United States called Oregon’s bill “an additional tool for law enforcement to tackle these cases that might otherwise evade prosecution.”
“This kind of disturbing behavior is a very real issue,” said Gomberg. “It happens – and it happens right here in Oregon. This law finally gives local prosecutors the tools they need to put a stop to these heinous acts.”
– This story is the result of staff efforts, with significant contributions from the Ben Botkin, a reporter for the Oregon Capital Chronicle, which provides free coverage of state political news at oregoncapitalchronicle.com and on social media at @OrCapChronicle on Twitter and OrCapChronicle on Facebook.