Changes who can request veteran discharge papers from county clerks and exempts veterans' discharge papers from the 25-year statute of limitations for public record disclosure.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2319
Sponsored by Representative EVANS (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: This Act makes changes to who can get veteran discharge papers from county clerks
and says that those records will not be released after 25 years. (Flesch Readability Score: 63.3).
Changes who can request veteran discharge papers from county clerks and exempts veterans’
discharge papers from the 25-year statute of limitations for public record disclosure.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to veterans’ personal information; amending ORS 192.390 and 408.425.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
ORS 408.425 is amended to read:
408.425. (1) Each county clerk who receives a request to inspect veteran discharge papers that
are recorded under ORS 408.420 shall produce the recorded discharge papers for inspection if:
(a) The request for inspection is made in writing;
(b) The request sets forth the name, address and telephone number of the requester;
(c) The request sets forth the name and the date of birth or the last four digits of the Social
Security number of the veteran; and
(d) The request is made by:
(A) The veteran [or the spouse, legal guardian or personal representative of the veteran ]; or
[(B) A county veterans’ service officer appointed under ORS 408.410; ]
[(C) A representative of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs; or ]
[(D)] (B) A licensed funeral establishment seeking to ascertain if a decedent was a veteran for
the purpose of obtaining veteran’s burial benefits.
(2) This section does not create a cause of action and may not be asserted as the basis of a per
se negligence claim.
(3) Each county clerk may adopt additional policies in order to protect recorded discharge pa-
pers from malicious or unlawful use and policies regarding copying of recorded discharge papers.
(4) Each county clerk shall maintain in the records of the county clerk a copy of each request
for inspection of recorded discharge information for a period of at least 10 years after the date the
request is received by the county clerk.
SECTION 2.
ORS 192.390 is amended to read:
192.390. (1) Notwithstanding ORS 192.338, 192.345 and 192.355 and except as otherwise provided
in ORS 192.398, public records that are more than 25 years old shall be available for inspection.
(2) This section does not apply to records that are exempt from disclosure pursuant to
ORS 192.355 (37) or 408.425.
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 172