Rep. Werner Reschke

Provides that an operator may require a person who engages in a sport, fitness or recreational activity in various ways to release the operator from claims for ordinary negligence. Directs the Oregon Business Development Department, with the assistance of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, to study issues facing the recreation industry and report to a committee of the Legislative Assembly related to the environment no later than September 15, 2026. Appropriates moneys for study. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Requires insurers to offer personal injury protection benefits to persons insured under the insurer's motor vehicle liability policy, but makes the decision to elect to receive personal injury protection benefits optional.

Directs the State Department of Agriculture to establish a wildlife damage prevention and compensation pilot program. Establishes the Wildlife Damage Prevention and Compensation Fund in the State Treasury. Continuously appropriates moneys in the fund to the department for implementing the program. Sunsets the program and fund on January 2, 2030. Directs the department and the State Department of Fish and Wildlife to report on the program to committees or interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to natural resources on or before September 15, 2028. Appropriates moneys to the State Department of Agriculture for implementing the program. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Modifies the percentage of amounts that school districts must pay from the State School Fund to public charter schools that are not virtual public charter schools. Removes certain eligibility restrictions for public charter schools to receive moneys from the Student Investment Account. Directs a school district or sponsor to transfer federal, state and local moneys to public charter schools on the same basis as moneys are transferred to nonchartered public schools in the school district. Considers transportation costs incurred by a public charter school to be the same as transportation costs incurred by a school district. Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025.

] Removes the requirement that the amount of net proceeds from the Oregon State Lottery allocated to the County Fair Account not exceed $1.53 million annually and adjusts the percentage of net lottery proceeds allocated to the County Fair Account. Requires the Oregon Business Development Department to prepare and report a master plan for county fairground capital construction. Specifies content and procedural requirements for the report. Appropriates moneys to the department out of the General Fund for consultant services related to the report. Authorizes the issuance of bonds under Article XI-Q of the Oregon Constitution to support the use of the Oregon State Fair and Exposition Center as a regional emergency and evacuee center. Appropriates moneys to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for water and sewer improvements to the Union County Fairgrounds. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Establishes the Water Workforce Program in the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to support workforce development initiatives within the water workforce. Directs the commission to award grants to local workforce development boards to administer the program. [ Requires the commission to disburse funds appropriated for the purpose of administering the program to local workforce development boards within a certain timeline. ] Requires the commission and local workforce development boards to consult with certain entities to establish a process and criteria for distributing moneys to certain subgrantees and entities that participate in certain workforce development activities. Requires the commission and the boards to establish the process and criteria within a certain timeline. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

] Directs the State Forester to determine the available state forestland, establish sustainable harvest levels for harvesting timber on state forestland and [ develop a timber inventory model to inform sustainable harvest levels ] manage available state forestland . [ Directs the State Forester to offer timber for sale at the sustainable harvest level, annually report on sales of timber relative to the sustainable harvest level and address any deficit in timber sales. Confers standing on certain persons to challenge a failure to address a deficit. ] [ Directs the State Forester to adopt sustainable harvest levels, forest management plans and related significant policy documents by rule. Establishes certain requirements for judicial review of the rules. ] [ Makes certain changes concerning forest management reports by the State Forester. ] Allows certain persons to seek an injunction if the State Forester fails to establish sustainable harvest levels or manage available state forestland. Appropriates moneys to the State Forester out of the General Fund for [ developing a timber inventory model and ] adopting a sustainable harvest level. [ Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die. ] Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Establishes an income tax credit for volunteer firefighters. Applies to tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and before January 1, 2032. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Allows the Energy Facility Siting Council to issue a site certificate for a small modular reactor energy facility demonstration project in Umatilla County. Requires the demonstration project to use microgrid enabling technologies such that the project can be isolated from the electric grid and support community energy resilience. Requires the council to consult with each interested federally recognized Indian tribe with tribal lands located in Umatilla County on an application for a site certificate for a demonstration project. Directs the State Department of Energy , in cooperation with certain state agencies, to prepare a report on statutes, rules, requirements or orders that may be applicable to a small modular reactor energy facility demonstration project, and statutes and rules that may need to be adopted or modified to enable the Energy Facility Siting Council to provide oversight of a demonstration project. Directs the department to submit the report to the interim committees or committees of the Legislative Assembly related to energy not later than [ one year after the Act takes effect ] December 15, 2026 . Establishes the Umatilla County SMR Demonstration Project Report Fund. Refers the Act to the people of Umatilla County for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election.

Provides for an additional exemption against Oregon estate tax. Phases out the availability of the exemption based on the size of the estate. Applies to the estates of all decedents who die on or after January 1, 2026. Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.