House Bill 3940

Digest: The Act raises and moves money to pay for wildfire costs. The Act makes certain changes to laws related to forests and fire protection. (Flesch Readability Score: 74.8). [<i>Places a surcharge on sales of beverage containers for purposes of wildfire prevention and response.</i>] [<i>Directs insurance retaliatory tax revenue to wildfire prevention and response.</i>] [<i>Transfers one-half percent of General Fund appropriations per biennium to funds for wildfire prevention and response.</i>] [<i>Transfers 50 percent of the amount held in the Oregon Rainy Day Fund to funds for wildfire prevention and response.</i>] <b>Imposes a tax on the distribution of oral nicotine products. Directs the revenues to purposes related to wildfire. Directs a portion of the interest from the Rainy Day Fund to purposes related to wildfire. Removes the end date for completion of certain wildfire risk reduction projects.</b> Makes certain changes related to the forest products harvest tax, forest protection districts, minimum assessments and surcharges, the Emergency Fire Cost Committee, forestland acreage assessments, zones for fire protection in certain areas and rural fire protection districts. [<i>Authorizes certain transfers from the State Fire Marshal Mobilization Fund. Requires the Legislative Assembly to make moneys available to the State Forestry Department and the Department of the State Fire Marshal to repay loans from the State Treasurer for wildfire suppression costs.</i>] <b>Directs the State Treasurer to transfer moneys between agencies when requested for certain wildfire costs. Appropriates moneys to a borrowing agency if the agency has insufficient available moneys to repay transferred amounts.</b> Creates an offset against fire protection costs for certain forestland.<b> Removes transfer and reporting requirements relating to the State Forestry Department Cash Flow Repayment Fund. Provides for a grant program for retrofitting of dwellings for wildfire resilience.</b> Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.

In the House of Representatives

• John Lively

  Sponsor

• Bobby Levy

  Chief co-sponsor

In the Senate

• Anthony Broadman

  Sponsor

• Kate Lieber

  Chief co-sponsor

• House of Representatives, third reading37–8

  Passed · Jun 23 · 15 present

• Senate, third reading20–8

  Passed · Jun 26 · 2 present

• House of Representatives committee amendmentAdopted

  Adopted Jun 19

l9n doesn't hold this bill's text yet.

In the House of Representatives Mar 18 – Jun 23

1. Mar 18Introduced
2. Sent to Climate, Energy, and Environment
3. Apr 1Heard in Climate, Energy, and Environment
4. Apr 8Heard in Climate, Energy, and Environment
5. Apr 15Climate, Energy, and Environment reported it without a recommendation, and that it go to Revenue
6. Sent to Revenue
7. May 1Heard in Revenue
8. Jun 18Heard in Revenue
9. Jun 19Heard in Revenue
10. Revenue recommended it as amended
11. Jun 20Read a second time
12. Jun 23Passed the House of Representatives, 37 to 8

In the Senate Jun 24 – Jun 26

1. Jun 24Arrived in the Senate
2. Sent to Rules
3. Heard in Rules
4. Jun 25Heard in Rules
5. Jun 26Rules recommended it
6. Read a second time
7. Passed the Senate, 20 to 8

To the Governor Jun 27 – Aug 13

1. Jun 27Signed in the House of Representatives
2. Signed in the Senate
3. Jul 24Signed by the Governor
4. Aug 13Became chapter 581 of Oregon Laws 2025, in force from September 26, 2025