Playing Chess on a board without boarders...
Playing Chess on a board without boarders...
This past week has seen many moving pieces...
This past week there were many moves going on in the Oregon Legislature. Bills that were stopped, ignored and then an executive order by the Governor… to put tolling on hold for 14 months.
That 14 months has been stated, by many media outlets, as 2 years. This “loss” of ten months, in this tight window, will be extremely detrimental to the public if we take our foot off of the gas.
Another comment, by some, is that Governor Kotek signed SB 933 into law. That is not true. Her letter was a pause, from her desk, to ODOT. Specifically… “I have directed the Oregon Department of Transportation to delay all toll collection until January 1, 2026.
Lastly, it seems all are very pleased with a new Subcommittee on Transportation Planning of the Joint Committee on Transportation. But who are the people on this new committee? We unravel what we know on this weeks podcast.
In Short
Article 1 - The letter to Senate President Rob Wagner, House Speaker Dan Rayfield and Joint Committee on Transportation Co-Chairs Fredrick and McLain can be found in the Expert Commentaries at the header of Oregontollingupdates.com. This is the letter from Tina Kotek that puts a moratorium on tolls till January 2026.
Please note that all new additions to the Expert Commentaries get added to the bottom of the page.
Article 2 - As we read from the Senate President and House Speaker, in this article from Willamette Week, we wonder what this really means. We want to take things at face value but the constant double talk makes us put on our glasses and dissect every word and phrase.
As to emphasize the point, numerous Legislators walked out this past week to protest the undecipherable bills being brought forward. Their general thought was that the bills were too difficult to understand, let alone that “We the People” might comprehend them.
Give this one a shot and see if you catch anything that might be off.
Article 3 - This article is found in our Expert Commentaries, at the bottom of the page.
Cam Gilmore, a retired ODOT deputy director of finance and administration and Clackamas County’s former director of transportation and development as well as the former Washington’s transportation department’s chief operating officer, penned his thoughts, in this Pamplin article, about the pause of tolling.
Weekly Articles
Governor Kotek’s letter can be found in our Expert Commentaries as a PDF…
Senator President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Dan Rayfield chime in......
Cam Gilmores’ article is in our Expert Commentaries as a PDF…