Oregon Legislature

The Florence City Council voted Monday to continue their contract with private automatic license plate company Flock Safety.

The proposal to disconnect from some pieces of H.R 1 is likely to generate friction in the brand-new session.

Budget challenges, ICE activity and roads will compete for attention in the five-week session convening Monday.

The proposal is part of a package of bills that attempt to bolster the rights of immigrants targeted by the federal government’s deportation campaign, which Democrats have called a top priority for the current short session.

Across the nation, Democratically-controlled legislatures are trying to challenge the federal government’s mass deportation efforts by introducing bills to restrict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ activities in their states.

A proposal from one Democrat would ask voters to allow the state to keep some of the money that would otherwise flow to taxpayers.

State Rep. Boomer Wright, a Republican from Reedsport who has represented Oregon’s southern coast since 2020, will not run for a fourth term.

The development comes after a Republican-led campaign delayed key tax increases in the bill.

Hundreds of bills passed in the first half of 2025 take effect New Year’s Day.

The initiative needed roughly 78,000 signatures by Dec. 30 to qualify for next year’s election. Backers say they have more than 150,000.

Oregon lawmakers had a chance to hear from Eugene-area activists and law enforcement about automatic license plate reader technology Monday. The cameras, and the company Flock Safety's presence in Eugene, were the topic of an Oregon Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.

The Springfield-area representative has held the seat for 13 years.