SALEM, Ore. (KATU) — The controversial transportation funding bill, which raises taxes on gas and vehicle fees, remains unsigned on Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk.
The Oregon House passed the bill on Sept. 1. After a series of unexpected delays related to the health concerns of a state senator, the Oregon Senate passed the bill on Sept. 29.
Before the bill can be sent to the Governor’s desk, it must be signed by the Senate President, Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and the House Speaker, Julie Fahey, D-Eugene. Fahey signed the bill on Oct. 2, three days after it passed. Wagner signed the bill on Oct. 8.
Under Oregon law, the Governor has 30 weekdays from the end of the special session, which adjourned Oct. 1. That means her deadline would be Nov. 12. Kotek’s press secretary, Roxy Mayer, did not provide any indication of when the governor would sign the bill when asked. The bill would automatically become law without her signature after that date.
The date she signs the bill has no impact on when the tax increases would take effect. The bill states that the tax increases will take effect 91 days after the special session adjourns, which would be Dec. 31.
However, the date she signs the bill does have an impact on Republican efforts to put this bill up to voters through a referendum.
READ MORE | Oregon Republicans aim to put the transportation package up to voters: What to know
The effort, called “No Tax Oregon,” is led by chief petitioners Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, and Jason Williams, director of the Taxpayer Association of Oregon.
Leaders of this effort cannot start circulating petitions until the bill officially becomes law, which requires the Governor to sign it or allow it to take effect without signing.
To refer a law to the ballot, petitioners must gather 78,116 signatures, which is 4% of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. The signatures must be collected 90 days after the special session ends, meaning petitioners have until December 30 to refer the bill to the 2026 November ballot.
Starr said Thursday that the Governor is purposefully delaying to disrupt petition efforts.
“This is a calculated move to silence voters,” said Starr. “Governor Kotek and the Democrat supermajority know Oregonians would reject this massive tax and fee hike if given the chance. She needs to stop hiding behind procedural delays and sign the bill now.”
House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, echoed those sentiments. She said if the Governor thinks this is the right plan, she should welcome voter input.
“When leaders believe in their policy, they sign it. The Governor pushed for this $4.3 billion tax package—now she owes it to Oregonians to own it,” said Elmer.
Elmer said she had not yet had a one-on-one conversation with Kotek about a potential referral.
“I have to wonder if she’s slow walking it because she knows that there are a lot of Oregonians who want to see the referendum pass and be able to put it on the ballot so that we can all weigh in and vote on it next November,” said Elmer.
Diehl told KATU News earlier this month that he thinks Kotek will wait as long as she can to sign the bill.
“It might be that long. If she delays, that would only give us about 54 days to gather signatures,” said Diehl on Oct. 2.
Mayer said in an email to KATU News that undoing the transportation package would throw Oregon’s basic services back into crisis – just as winter weather approaches. She said that if the bill were to be referred, roads would remain icy and dangerous for longer this winter in cities like Detroit and Redmond, potentially closing off safe passage over the mountain this winter.
“This would have critical impacts on businesses, emergency response times, attendance at schools, and so much more,” said Mayer.
She added that layoffs to essential workers would be reinitiated, and additional service cuts would be made to cover the cost of hiring the snowplow drivers currently being employed.
“Without maintenance workers filling potholes and maintaining the roads, broken axles, blown tires, and rocks chipping windshields could cost Oregon families thousands of dollars,” said Mayer.
On Sept. 16, Kotek asked Oregonians to reconsider referring the bill to the ballot, citing the potential impact on winter services and road quality.
“What I would say to folks is think twice about referring this. Let’s all come together as a state to make sure we have the roads we need,” said Kotek.