Cameras on school buses and other new Oregon laws you should know about in 2025

Published 10:52 am Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Oregon will have several new laws on the books starting in January, with new regulations on everything from how school boards operate to public drug use.

Below are several new laws that go into effect in 2025.

Changes to local schools

Starting in January, schools across Oregon will be allowed to install cameras on school buses to record drivers who fail to stop when bus safety lights are flashing. Drivers are required to stop for school buses when children are boarding or departing but face little consequences if they don’t. These videos would be available to local police, who can use them to issue citations to drivers.

Also starting in January, school boards at public schools, community colleges and public universities will be required to record their meetings — video if possible, or audio if broadband isn’t available — and post the recordings on their websites or social media.

Meetings also must allow for remote testimony if in-person testimony is permitted. Private sessions, such as executive sessions where the public isn’t allowed to attend, would be exempt.

The law applies to any public school with more than 50 students.

Pair of new laws take aim at prescription drug industry

Two new laws should make things easier for Oregonians to access health care, at least in part. House Bill 4113 allows Oregonians to reach out-of-pocket maximums by requiring insurers and others to count amounts paid for prescription drugs toward the individual’s out-of-pocket maximums, deductibles, copayments, coinsurance or other cost-sharing obligations.

Another new law, House Bill 4012, prohibits insurer and other health care providers from requiring that certain prescription drugs — such as chemotherapy drugs — be purchased at specific pharmacies. The law aims to ensure health care providers can administer these drugs without being restricted to particular pharmacies, which raised safety concerns from health care providers because it makes it difficult to adjust dosages and could lead to delays in care from drug shipping issues.

Right to repair comes to Oregon

Oregonians will have a right to fix broken electronic devices, such as cellphones, instead of having to purchase new ones.

The law, known as “right to repair,” requires manufacturers of consumer electronics to provide owners and independent repair providers with the same documentation, tools and parts available to authorized service providers on fair and reasonable terms.

The law permits the attorney general to investigate manufacturers based on consumer complaints, with fines up to $1,000 per day that companies don’t comply.

Drug use on public transportation

A recent TriMet survey found that about half of riders feel unsafe on public transit, and more than 80% of those riders report feeling unsafe due to aggressive behavior or nuisances onboard. This spurred Senate Bill 1553, which, starting in January, will make drug use on public transportation a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail or a $6,250 fine.

The new law expands the crime of interfering with public transportation to include someone who “knowingly ingests, inhales, ignites, injects or otherwise consumes a controlled substance that is not lawfully possessed by the person.

Coal divestments

House Bill 4083 bars the state treasurer and the Oregon Investment Council from investing in companies that produce or rely on coal, unless those companies are actively moving toward clean energy. They must do this in a way that doesn’t lose money for the state. Every year, they would have to report to lawmakers on their progress. The law is expected to divest an estimated $1 billion in coal stocks from public pension investments.

KOIN 6 News contributed to this report.