SB 947 Oregon Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Relating to the national guard.

SB 947 updates Oregon law by replacing outdated terms like "militia" with "National Guard" throughout statutes and removing references to "unorganized militia." It creates new rules prohibiting paramilitary activity (such as armed public drills or assuming police powers without authorization), but explicitly excludes the National Guard, the Armed Forces, and certain historical or training groups from these restrictions. The bill also adds a provision allowing National Guard members called to active duty by the governor to terminate rental agreements with 30 days' notice upon providing official orders. These changes clarify legal definitions, strengthen protections for National Guard members, and address specific concerns about unauthorized paramilitary conduct.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Jun 2025
Senate Passage
Apr 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Jan 28, 2025 Last action Jun 28, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced A-Engrossed · 4 edits · Apr 2, 2025
MODERATE
This bill amends Oregon statutes to update terminology from 'militia' to 'National Guard' and modifies exemptions for paramilitary activity laws. The changes clarify which groups are protected from civil liability when engaging in paramilitary activities, specifically narrowing the exemption for state military organizations while maintaining protections for historical groups and students.
Scope change
The bill modifies the scope of exemptions for paramilitary activity, removing references to 'unorganized militia' and changing 'state militia' to 'National Guard' in the statutory language that defines who is exempt from civil liability for paramilitary activities.
DEFINITION

Changed the term 'militia' to 'National Guard' throughout the bill to align with current terminology used in state statutes.

Updated references to 'state militia' to 'National Guard' in the section defining which military organizations are exempt from paramilitary activity restrictions.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed the exemption for 'unorganized or reserve militia' from the list of groups protected from civil liability for paramilitary activity.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes and capitalization adjustments to the bill title and summary sections.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
13
Key actions
3
Committee
4
Jun 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
In committee upon adjournment.
lower
Apr 10, 2025
Committee
Referred to Emergency Management, General Government, and Veterans.
lower
Apr 3, 2025
Introduced
First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Upper · Passed
Third reading. Carried by Manning Jr. Passed.
upper
Mar 28, 2025
Upper · Passed
Recommendation: Do pass with amendments. (Printed A-Eng.)
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Committee
Referred to Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs.
upper
Jan 28, 2025
Introduced
Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk.
upper
3 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors