Establishes the Task Force on Ethical Procurement with 11 members appointed by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Governor.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
A-Engrossed
House Bill 2425
Ordered by the House April 15
Including House Amendments dated April 15
Sponsored by Representative DIEHL, Senator SMITH DB, Representative RESCHKE; Representatives BOSHART
DAVIS, ELMER (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. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability standards.
Digest: Sets up a task force to look at who is supplying the goods and services that public
bodies in this state buy and to make sure that the products don’t involve forced labor or
child labor. (Flesch Readability Score: 66.8).
[Digest: Tells a public body that buys electric cars or solar panels that it needs proof from the
vendor that no forced labor was used in producing the car or panel. Specifies penalties for lying about
the proof. (Flesch Readability Score: 66.8). ]
[Requires public bodies that procure electric vehicles and solar photovoltaic energy systems to re-
ceive before entering a contract for the electric vehicle or solar photovoltaic energy system a certifica-
tion from the manufacturer, distributor, vendor or supplier that the production, assembly,
transportation or sale of the electric vehicle or solar photovoltaic energy system did not use or involve
forced labor or oppressive child labor. Requires probative evidence to accompany the certification. ]
[Provides that a person that supplies a certification that is false, materially misleading, illegitimate,
untruthful, forged or substantially inaccurate is liable for a civil penalty of not more than $10,000 or
half of the price the public body paid for the electric vehicle or solar photovoltaic energy system. Sub-
jects the public body to similar penalties for knowingly or intentionally accepting a certification that
the public body knows is false, materially misleading, illegitimate, untruthful, forged or substantially
inaccurate.]
[Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die. ]
Establishes the Task Force on Ethical Procurement with 11 members appointed by the
President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Governor.
Requires the task force to devise methods for verifying the identities of manufacturers, dis-
tributors, vendors or suppliers of products that public bodies procure in this state and en-
suring that the public bodies do not procure products for which production, assembly,
transportation or sale used or involved forced labor or oppressive child labor. Specifies
methods by which the task force may carry out the task force’s purpose.
Sunsets on December 31, 2026.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to ensuring that forced labor is not used for electric products that public bodies procure;
and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) The Task Force on Ethical Procurement is established.
(2) The task force consists of 11 members appointed as follows:
(a) The President of the Senate shall appoint two nonvoting members from among
members of the Senate.
(b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint two nonvoting members
from among members of the House of Representatives.
(c) The Governor shall appoint seven members as follows:
(A) A representative from the office of the Governor;
(B) The Director of the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, or a designee;
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 1949
A-Eng. HB 2425
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(C) The Director of Transportation, or a designee;
(D) The State Parks and Recreation Director, or a designee;
(E) The State Forester, or a designee;
(F) The Director of the State Department of Energy, or a designee; and
(G) The Director of the Department of Corrections, or a designee.
(3)(a) The task force shall devise methods for:
(A) Verifying the identities of manufacturers, distributors, vendors or suppliers of pro-
ducts that public bodies procure in this state, with particular emphasis on electric vehicles,
solar photovoltaic energy systems and other electric products; and
(B) Ensuring that public bodies in this state do not procure products, including electric
vehicles, solar photovoltaic energy systems or other electric products, whether completely
assembled and finished or as new or replacement parts or components, in which production,
including the mining of constituent materials and sourcing of parts, assembly, transportation
or sale of the products used or involved forced labor or oppressive child labor.
(b) As used in paragraph (a) of this subsection:
(A) “Electric products” means products that use electricity to function and that, in the
determination of the task force, require an assessment of whether the production, assembly,
transportation or sale of the products involved forced labor or oppressive child labor.
(B) “Electric vehicle” means a motor vehicle that uses for propulsion electricity drawn
from a battery that may be recharged from an external source of electricity.
(C) “Forced labor” means work or service that an individual does involuntarily and:
(i) Under compulsion from:
(I) Force, fraud or coercion, including by a threat of serious harm to, or physical re-
straint of, the individual or a threat of serious harm to, or physical restraint of, another
person; or
(II) An abuse or threatened abuse of the law or legal process;
(ii) That constitutes oppressive child labor;
(iii) That is uncompensated or extremely low paying, involves excessively long hours or
is unusually risky or hazardous; or
(iv) That is assigned to or required from the individual on the basis of the individual’s
race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability or membership in an-
other class that is recognized and protected by law.
(D) “Oppressive child labor” means work that employs a child that is 14 years of age or
younger and is hazardous for children.
(E) “Public body” means the state government, as defined in ORS 174.111, local govern-
ment, as defined in ORS 174.116, a special government body, as defined in ORS 174.117, the
Oregon State Bar, the Oregon Health and Science University and any intergovernmental
entity formed between or among any of the entities listed in this subparagraph.
(F) “Solar photovoltaic energy system” has the meaning given that term in ORS 757.360.
(4)(a) In carrying out the purposes identified in subsection (3) of this section, the task
force shall:
(A) Review solutions and best practices that are available from public and private entities
and devise other solutions if necessary;
(B) Identify obstacles and challenges and recommend methods for overcoming the ob-
stacles and challenges;
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(C) Evaluate evidence of the effectiveness of existing solutions and best practices and
recommend the most effective solutions or practices;
(D) Devise criteria for testing the effectiveness of new solutions;
(E) Identify needed technologies, processes or other resources; and
(F) Investigate, evaluate and predict how implementing the solutions and best practices
that the task force recommends will affect the procurement practices of public bodies and
the availability of goods and services for public procurement, including electric vehicles, so-
lar photovoltaic energy systems and other electric products.
(b) The task force may take testimony, conduct studies, consult experts, require public
bodies in this state to produce reports or other materials to aid in the task force’s investi-
gations and otherwise engage in activities needed to carry out the purposes described in
subsection (3) of this section.
(5) A majority of the voting members of the task force constitutes a quorum for the
transaction of business.
(6) Official action by the task force requires the approval of a majority of the voting
members of the task force.
(7)(a) The Governor shall select one member of the task force to serve as chairperson
and another to serve as vice chairperson, for the terms and with the duties and powers
necessary for the performance of the functions of the offices as the Governor determines.
(b) A majority of the voting members of the task force, with the approval of the Gover-
nor, may appoint additional members to the task force as needed to carry out the work of
the task force.
(8) If there is a vacancy for any cause, the appointing authority shall make an appoint-
ment to become immediately effective.
(9) The task force shall meet at times and places specified by the call of the chairperson
or of a majority of the voting members of the task force, but shall meet at least once each
month during the period in which the task force is active.
(10) The task force may adopt rules necessary for the operation of the task force.
(11) The task force shall submit a report in the manner provided by ORS 192.245, and
may include recommendations for legislation, to an interim committee of the Legislative
Assembly related to public procurement no later than December 15, 2026.
(12) The Oregon Department of Administrative Services shall provide staff support to the
task force.
(13) Members of the Legislative Assembly appointed to the task force are nonvoting
members of the task force and may act in an advisory capacity only.
(14) Members of the task force who are not members of the Legislative Assembly serve
as volunteers on the task force and, unless they are qualified members, as defined in ORS
292.495, are not entitled to compensation or reimbursement for expenses.
(15) All agencies of state government, as defined in ORS 174.111, are directed to assist
the task force in the performance of the duties of the task force and, to the extent permitted
by laws relating to confidentiality, to furnish information and advice the members of the task
force consider necessary to perform their duties.
(16) All appointments to the task force made under subsection (2) of this section must
be completed by the later of 90 days after adjournment sine die of the 2025 regular session
of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly or September 30, 2025.
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(17) The task force shall have its first meeting on or before the later of 91 days after
adjournment sine die of the 2025 regular session of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly or
October 15, 2025.
SECTION 2.
Section 1 of this 2025 Act is repealed on December 31, 2026.
SECTION 3. This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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