Oregon senators are scheduled to take up a contentious transportation funding bill Wednesday, potentially closing out a special legislative session that has been marred by delay.

Both Gov. Tina Kotek and Senate President Rob Wagner’s office said this week that a scheduled 10 a.m. floor session should take place as planned – though Kotek left some room for the unexpected.

“The signs are good that everyone will be able to be there on Wednesday,” she told reporters Monday. “Hopefully that will be the close of the special session. But, you know, life can intervene. If something comes up we’ll continue to extend until we get it done.”

Democratic leaders had hoped to speedily pass a package of tax and fee increases when the special session gaveled in Aug. 29. The party has said the bill, introduced by Kotek, is crucial to avoid hundreds of layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation and ensure roads throughout the state remain passable. A far more sweeping funding package died in this year’s regular legislative session.

But the special session has been stymied repeatedly.

First, the House didn’t have enough members to conduct business for nearly an entire day.

Then Sen. Chris Gorsek, a Gresham Democrat and a crucial vote in order to pass the bill through the Senate, was hospitalized with health issues.

Senate Democrats have said Gorsek suffered complications following a planned surgery, and delayed a vote on the tax package, known as House Bill 3991, by two weeks. Further details of Gorsek’s condition haven’t been made public. Neither he nor a staff member answered an inquiry about his plans on Tuesday.

Democrats have three-fifths supermajorities in both legislative chambers, a big enough margin to pass new taxes on their own. But with Republicans in the Senate expected to vote against Kotek’s plan in lockstep, every Democrat needs to be in Salem.

The bill lawmakers are considering is expected to raise $4.3 billion from increased taxes and fees over its first decade – money that would benefit ODOT, local governments and public transit agencies.

If passed, HB 3991 would raise gas taxes by 6 cents per gallon, hike vehicle registration and titling fees, raise costs for drivers of electric and hybrid vehicles, and temporarily double a payroll tax that funds public transit. It would also alter the taxing system for heavy trucks, a tweak that was crucial to get freight interests on board. And the bill would require more frequent audits of the Oregon Department of Transportation, which has faced backlash from lawmakers and the public for runaway project costs.

Even with all of those provisions, many see Kotek’s bill as a temporary fix. It does not contain money for highway megaprojects – including a proposal to widen and cap Interstate 5 through Portland’s Rose Quarter – that currently have major funding gaps.

Transportation officials at the state and local levels also say a 6-cent hike to the gas tax will only get them so far. Earlier this year, Democrats proposed 12 or 15-cent hikes to the gas tax, along with a provision that would allow the tax to rise with inflation.

Republicans, meanwhile, have panned Kotek’s proposal as unnecessary and overly burdensome on Oregonians. They have suggested pulling money from priorities they say aren’t vital – like public transit or projects to benefit bicycle or pedestrian travel – to fund ODOT.

While lawmakers have sat largely idle over the last two weeks, they have continued being paid. Senate rules allow each of the chamber’s members to collect a $178 per diem payment for every day they are in session, regardless of whether they convene or not.

Even House members, who technically voted to adjourn on Sept. 1, received a per diem anytime the House gavels in. Under the state Constitution, it has to do so at least every four days until the session concludes – even if no business is conducted.

Some Democrats have said they plan to donate money they receive on days they don’t work.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/16/kotek-transportation-funding-bill-final-vote-oregon-senate/