Narcan handouts, shoplifting crackdown and more: These Oregon laws will take effect Jan. 1

26/12/2023

Several notable bills passed during this year’s legislative session will take effect on Jan. 1.

Despite the political disruption of this year’s legislative session, lawmakers were able to pass more than 650 bills and resolutions during the five month session.

The highest-priority issues of the session were housing, homelessness, drug addiction, public safety and education. Many of the laws took immediate effect earlier this year, such as a massive $200 million housing and homelessness package signed by Gov. Tina Kotek in April.

But several notable bills will take effect Jan. 1. Here is a rundown of seven key bills plus one local ordinance that will clock in on the first day of next year.

OVERDOSE PREVENTION: Senate Bill 1043 will require clinics and drug treatment facilities to give two doses of opioid overdose reversal medicine, such as Narcan, to patients they discharge after treatment for opioid use. The bill also grants legal protection to individuals who administer opioid overdose reversal medicine to a person that is overdosing. The bill was one of several introduced to address rising fentanyl use in the state.

RETAIL THEFT: Senate Bill 340 harshens the penalties for individuals convicted of organized retail theft and gives prosecutors more leeway to respond to shoplifting. The bill will increase the range of time in which the value of stolen merchandise will aggregate towards the value required to count as retail theft from 90 days to 180 days. The bill also automatically increases the charge to theft in the first degree if the person committing retail theft threatens or creates a risk of violence to an employee.

DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIPS: House Bill 2032 removes the same-sex requirement from the state’s registered domestic partnerships law. Under the new law, all Oregon adult couples will be able to register as legal domestic partners regardless of gender.

ZONING: House Bill 2984 requires cities and counties to allow developers to convert commercial buildings within their urban growth boundaries into residential housing without requiring a zone change or conditional use permit.

CHILD TAX CREDIT: House Bill 3235 established Oregon’s first fully refundable state-based child tax credit starting with tax year 2023, allowing low-income families to claim it when they file a tax return as early as January 2024. Families earning $30,000 or less annually will be eligible for a state tax credit up to $1,000 per child age 5 or younger.

BREAST CANCER SCREENINGS: Senate Bill 1041 requires commercial insurance plans to cover the cost of necessary breast cancer diagnostic imaging tests, such as MRIs or ultrasounds, removing any patient deductible or copay fees.

WILDFIRE INSURANCE: Senate Bill 82 prohibits insurance companies from raising the premium, denying or canceling a homeowner’s insurance policy based on Oregon’s state wildfire risk map. The bill also will require insurance companies to provide information to homeowners about wildfire mitigation strategies that could lower their premiums.

FLAVORED TOBACCO BAN: In Multnomah County, flavored tobacco and nicotine products will be banned under an ordinance passed by county commissioners last year. House Bill 3090, which would have banned flavored tobacco products statewide, failed in this year’s legislative session.

— Carlos Fuentes; [email protected]; 503-221-5386; @carlos_reports

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