Authorizes the Oregon Business Development Department to make grants to certain small cities for the purposes of studying, developing and capitalizing public transit systems.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2880
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: The Act allows an agency to give grants to some cities for public transit projects.
(Flesch Readability Score: 67.5).
Authorizes the Oregon Business Development Department to make grants to certain small cities
for the purposes of studying, developing and capitalizing public transit systems. Appropriates moneys
to the department for the grant program.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to grants to small cities for public transit.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) The Oregon Business Development Department may make grants to a
city with a population of 35,000 or less that:
(a) Has within its corporate boundaries a community college or a public university listed
in ORS 352.002 with at least 3,000 full-time students;
(b) Has entered into a formal public-private public transit delivery agreement;
(c) Has potential for linkage for regional public transit opportunities;
(d) Has a strategic plan that includes public transit for health care availability, housing-
to-work access, traffic congestion mitigation and regional economic development; or
(e) Needs both intracommunity and intercommunity public transit.
(2) Grants must be used for:
(a) An initial feasibility study on the scale, scope, shape and size of a public transit sys-
tem;
(b) Establishment of a public-private partnership, including at least one community col-
lege or public university and one city, for delivery of a public transit system; or
(c) Initial capitalization of a public transit system.
(3)(a) Any city described in subsection (1) of this section may apply for a grant under this
section by submitting a completed application and related information as required by the
department by rule.
(b) An application must require the city to:
(A) Include a formal statement of intent to partner on a community-wide public transit
system;
(B) Identify a public agency that will manage the grant; and
(C) Include a good-faith statement of intent to develop and maintain a community-wide
public transit system, through partnerships, direct or contracted services or an intergov-
ernmental agreement entered into under ORS chapter 190, based on a validated feasibility
study demonstrating long-term sustainability of a public transit system to be operating not
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 1989
HB 2880
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later than 2036.
(c) The application shall be filed, reviewed and approved or rejected in accordance with
rules adopted by the department.
SECTION 2.
There is appropriated to the Oregon Business Development Department, for
the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, out of the General Fund, the amount of $ for the
purpose of making grants under section 1 of this 2025 Act.
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