Lawmakers introduced 3,466 bills in the 2025 legislative session, the highest in at least two decades. Even with a Democratic supermajority and a record number of bills to work with, lawmakers didn’t pass more laws than usual: 640 bills, roughly the average for recent sessions.
But political friction continues to deepen divisions among Oregon legislators. One of the most significant points of contention was a transportation budget aimed at saving organizations like TriMet from having to make substantial budget cuts.
Democrats introduced the transportation bill late in the session. This led to internal divisions and complex negotiations, causing Republicans and one Democrat to block the bill, and eventually forcing Gov. Tina Kotek to call a special session.
“In rural Oregon, transit is not about convenience;
it is about survival.”
— Adrian Mateos, Basin Transit Services in Klamath County
The special session was slated to begin on Labor Day weekend and aims at passing House Bill 3991, a new version of the transportation package with fewer tax measures.
Democratic and Republican legislators continued to fight throughout the special session, further delaying much-needed transit funding. A final vote from the Senate was scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 17, but delayed due to health concerns for Sen. Chris Gorsek (D-Gresham), whose key vote is needed to pass the bill. The final vote is now planned for Sept. 29.
As the country becomes more politically divided, Oregon is far from an outlier in this new era of polarization. According to a poll by Gallup, Republican and Democratic ideologies are the most extreme in 30 years.
This radicalization has very real consequences for democracy, from Oregon legislators being unable to pass essential funding for roads and public transit, to a rise in political acts of violence like the killing of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and, more recently, far-right podcaster Charlie Kirk.
All of this begs the question: Can a more unified path forward lead to progressive change in our politics?
An ‘us vs. them’ mentality
Democrats who support House Bill 3991 see it as a critical piece of policy that will ensure Oregon’s roads stay safe. During comments on the house floor, Rep. Paul Evans (D-Monmouth) referenced this.
“ODOT has a sucking chest wound, and we can all sit around and watch the patient die, but the fact of the matter is winter is coming, and our counties and our cities and our state need people out on the road,” Evans said.
Evans, who now supports the transportation package, stepped down from the original transportation committee in June citing a lack of inclusion in negotiations, and a late introduction to the bill.
Many Republicans also feel they were not given enough voice in the legislation. Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane) spoke with Street Roots about some of the tension behind the scenes.
“ There was an opportunity after the regular 2025 session where we could have gotten together, we could have had some give and take, we could have gotten more Republicans in the House to vote for this,” Owens said. “We weren’t given that opportunity. What we were told is here is the package. Oh, by the way, can you support it?”
Evans pushed back on that narrative. While he says he is not a massive supporter of ODOT, he does feel strongly that this bill reflects the priorities of both Democrats and Republicans.
“This is nobody’s ideal bill, but it is also not the worst bill in history, and in fact, we have actually listened to the input of people,” Evans said. “We’ve made changes, so people that say we didn’t listen and we didn’t change — well, we did.”
Some of the changes to the original bill include an amendment that will end the increased .1% payroll tax after two years, along with an amendment that would regularly audit ODOT — a move intended to improve accountability. The concessions cause transit advocates to worry that the bill won’t prevent TriMet from having to make even more severe cuts in 2028.
Cassie Wilson is the transportation policy manager for 1,000 Friends of Oregon, a political advocacy group aimed at protecting land use. She is concerned these new amendments will cause further damage to transit organizations.
“The fact that this is all happening over Labor Day weekend and key amendments weren’t even posted until after this committee hearing started is extremely concerning for public trust and engagement,” Wilson said.
Despite these new amendments, many Republicans still oppose the bill. In his comment on the House floor, Owens noted that the political discord between Republicans and Democrats might be the thing that is making Republicans resistant.
“We are going to have to figure out a different model here,” Owens said. “What we are doing to ourselves, to our communities, and to Oregonians is not working.”
Many Oregonians are tired of these same old politics. Retired Oregonian Anna Munson referenced this divide.
“It is very disheartening that people are not working together, that the sides are separated,” Munson said in public testimony.
Oregon’s history of walkouts
Despite Democratic supermajorities in both chambers, Oregon still struggles with political division. Some lawmakers say that divide blocked key policy initiatives — including the transportation budget — this session.
“We are going to fail unless we figure out a different avenue to figure out some of these hard discussions,” Owens said.
A few of the key priorities Democrats failed to pass this year included gun control measures, worker protections and LGBTQIA2S+ bills.
A gun control bill, House Bill 3076, was defeated on the House floor at the end of the session. The bill would have created a state licensing program for gun dealers, but faced defeat despite overwhelming Democratic support.
Oregon law requires a two-thirds majority to be present in each chamber, the House and the Senate, to conduct business. In recent years, Republicans have used this by staying home when key issues come up. In 2023, Republican senators conducted the state’s longest recorded walkout, lasting six weeks.
During the 2025 special session, Republicans claimed state leaders lacked a clear plan for addressing Oregon’s top priorities, particularly following the August budget forecast revision, which left the state government more than $800 million short.
During floor speeches, many Republicans spoke out against the transportation budget, saying public testimony was largely against this bill and any tax hikes, and that their constituents were being overlooked.
But Democratic Sen. Khanh Pham (D-Portland) sees the value in listening to those who do go overlooked in our communities — those underserved community members who rely on things like public transportation. Pham was the sole transportation committee member who voted against amendments to House Bill 3991.
“Asking people if they want to raise their taxes is like asking them if they would prefer a marionberry pie or a root canal, I think everyone of course would prefer a marionberry pie,” Pham said. “But this conversation is really forcing us to have a robust dialogue about what we are willing to pay for, but also conversations on who we are willing to prioritize.”
What about underserved communities?
Lawmakers and Oregonians are split over House Bill 3991. Munson and her husband, who is a disabled veteran, live in Portland. The couple relies on retirement benefits to live. Munson commented against the transportation budget.
“The tax you are talking about and the effects of the tax are more than we can bear,” Munson said.
While some are opposed to the tax increase, for many in rural Oregon, such as veteran Adrian Mateos, passing the transportation budget is the only way to preserve essential services for those who need them most.
“In rural Oregon, transit is not about convenience; it is about survival,” Mateos said. “For veterans in particular, it can mean the difference between getting care and going without.”
Mateos is the general manager at Basin Transit Services, the public transportation organization that supports the community of Klamath County. Basin launched a program called Veterans on the Go, a no-cost program that provides over 1,300 rides a month for veterans in the community.
“From weekly trips to the VA hospital in Medford to daily connections in Klamath County, Veterans on the Go has become a lifeline for those who have served our country,” Mateos said.
And while many Republicans claim their constituents in rural Oregon oppose House Bill 3991 due to the tax increase, many of those same rural residents rely on services like public transit for vital needs.
“Without new investments, our small transit services are at significant risk,” Mateos said.
A bipartisan path forward
Compromise is hard. Especially for those spanning a deep political divide.
“Our speaker or our Senate president is in a tough spot when they try to come and make a policy that is more bipartisan because members in every caucus that are either far right or far left, that don’t really want to give — especially if you’re a minority,” Owens said.
Political parties aside, as federal funding shrinks, Oregon’s leaders will have to start making more decisions on how to prioritize key issues such as the transportation budget.
Oregonians, including those with jobs on the line, continue to wait to see if lawmakers can come together to pass a transportation package as the special session presses on this September.
In her comment on the Senate floor, Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin (D-Corvallis) spoke about those who are affected by these partisan policy debates.
“I know we’ve been having really difficult conversations,” Gelser Blouin said. “I also know that across the state, we have thousands of workers in our local transit offices, in ODOT, that are watching and waiting through these debates. I hope you will join me and when you see a flagger on the road, you see your transit driver, take a minute to say thank you.”
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This article appears in September 17, 2025.