Voters can Drive Change with Oregon Transportation Bill

By LBCC Civil Discourse Program

The Oregon Department of Transportation says it needs more funding. Not everyone agrees. 

House Bill 3991, passed by the Oregon Senate on Sept. 29, aims to raise $4.3 billion in transportation funding over the next 10 years. Oregon Department of Transportation officials warn that without it, Oregon’s road maintenance will suffer.

To get there, however, the bill will raise transportation taxes and fees.

Opponents of HB 3991 are already planning to gather enough signatures to refer sections of the bill to 2026 ballots. 

If so, should Oregonians vote against those tax increases? 

On Sept. 29, Oregon lawmakers spent $270,000 of taxpayer dollars to hold a special session, not to help families, but to raise their taxes. The result was House Bill 3991, a transportation funding package that will pull $4.3 billion from Oregonians over the next decade. 

They said it would fix roads and save ODOT jobs. But for families like ours, it’s not a rescue plan; it’s a raid on our paychecks, and a grim reminder that the people footing the bill are always the last to be heard.

We’re a working family in Corvallis, raising four kids and studying mechatronics at Linn-Benton Community College, juggling rising costs for groceries, rent, and fuel just to stay afloat. Every dollar matters. Our family depends on public transit to get to work and school every day, and like most Oregonians, we believe in safe, reliable transportation. 

But HB 3991 does little to make it stronger or more affordable. When lawmakers raise the gas tax, hike vehicle fees, and double the payroll tax, they’re not investing in Oregon’s future; they’re cutting into working families’ paychecks and calling it progress.

Here’s what HB 3991 actually does: It raises the gas tax by 6 cents per gallon, pushing it to 46 cents. Registration fees climb by $42, title fees jump by $139, and starting in 2027 electric and hybrid drivers will be charged by the mile under a new road-usage program. The payroll tax doubles from 0.1% to 0.2% until 2028. 

Add it up, and families already stretched thin are being asked to pay more just to drive to work, take their kids to school, and keep daily life moving.

Supporters claim HB 3991 is a tough but necessary step to prevent road closures and layoffs. We understand that concern, but Oregon’s problem isn’t a lack of money — it’s how that money is managed. An independent review presented to lawmakers in May, as reported by OPB, found ODOT mired in cost overruns, staff turnover, and outdated systems that have “eroded trust with elected leaders.” 

Analysts at City Observatory, a Portland-based think tank, accused ODOT in July of using misleading data to justify higher taxes. The pattern is clear: Oregon doesn’t have a revenue problem. It has a management problem — and taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to fund more waste.

Even supporters of HB 3991 admit it’s little more than a short-term fix that postpones Oregon’s real transportation challenges. Without reform, the state will keep pouring money into the same broken system instead of fixing it. 

Oregon must start with accountability: a full ODOT audit, real efficiency reforms, and a fairer balance between user fees and general funding before raising taxes again. Families like ours already stretch every dollar — we shouldn’t have to pay more for the state’s mistakes.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed HB 3991 into law on Nov. 7, but Oregonians could still decide its fate. A referendum effort is underway to overturn the tax increases in the bill, but it will only make the 2026 ballot if enough signatures are collected. 

Now that the governor has added her signature, Oregonians will need to do the same to the referendum petition.  

We support that effort because Oregon deserves a transportation plan that is fair, transparent, and sustainable — not one that treats working families as its personal ATM.

House Bill 3991 is a crucial step in modernizing the state’s transportation funding, which has not experienced a major change since 2017. 

As a result of this outdated funding system, ODOT has been steadily moving towards what is now a $350 million budget shortfall that threatens the livelihood of all Oregonians. 

If HB3991 is repealed, those who rely on the transportation sector for jobs, as well as road users across the state, both urban and rural, will pay a greater price than a gas tax increase. HB3991 is a bill that was passed out of necessity for Oregon, not just ODOT, and for that reason, should not be referred. 

While HB3991 is not a perfect solution, it is necessary to address a very real problem. Critics of the bill, such as Sen. David Brock Smith, argue that this transportation package will disproportionately hurt rural Oregonians who travel farther and have lower incomes. This is a genuine concern, but what about the cost in damages caused by unprepared winter roads and unattended road hazards due to a lack of funding for those same rural Oregonians? 

If HB3991 is referred, not only will jobs be lost, but 12 key maintenance stations will stay shut down, and nearly all of them are responsible for road maintenance in rural Oregon communities. 

The truth is, the dilemma we face is a double-edged sword. Families like Travis and Krystal’s are rightfully worried about the economic burden this legislation threatens. But it’s not the Corvallis and Albany commuters who will be hit the hardest; it’s the Oregonians who commute out of places like Sweet Home, Sisters, and the nine other towns who would otherwise lose their road maintenance crews. 

Even if HB 3991 is repealed and our money is spared in the short run, it’s those same Oregonians who will be left without our state’s support.  

In 2024, approximately 765 highway miles received the highest level of road service; in 2026, approximately 765 road miles will have no dedicated maintenance and instead rely on crews that are already stretched thin from surrounding areas, even in winter. 

ODOT warns of response time delays across the state and that nearly 500 positions would remain cut. To some, this might not justify the need for such an aggressive change in funding, but at the community level, we aren’t just talking about keeping roads open; we are talking about keeping Oregon connected. 

Oregon is one of the largest states by square miles, and as a result, our transportation needs make up the most essential part of our state’s infrastructure. The effects of this lack of funding can already be felt, as a town like Sweet Home has to rely on road crews from Albany and Santiam Junction just to keep the highway and roads clear come winter. 

Without a steady, uninterrupted funding model, essential road maintenance will be delayed, and compounding costs could create a cycle of disrepair impacting every Oregonian. This bill is not perfect, but sometimes perfect is the enemy of progress. 

HB3991 represents progress towards a sustainable, modern transportation system – and that’s worth a few cents at the gas station if we can keep people in the workforce and our roads safe.