Establishes the Task Force on Rangeland Wildfire Resilience and Risk Reduction.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 3125
Sponsored by Representative OWENS (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 creates a task force related to rangeland wildfire. (Flesch Readability Score:
69.7).
Establishes the Task Force on Rangeland Wildfire Resilience and Risk Reduction. Sunsets the
task force on December 31, 2026.
Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to rangeland wildfire resilience; and prescribing an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) The Task Force on Rangeland Wildfire Resilience and Risk Reduction is
established.
(2) The task force consists of nine members, appointed in consultation with the State
Forestry Department, the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University,
the Oregon State University Extension Service, rangeland fire protection associations and
other state agencies and fire service entities as necessary, as follows:
(a) The President of the Senate shall appoint three members who have backgrounds in
rangeland wildfire resilience and risk reduction.
(b) The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint three members who have
backgrounds in rangeland wildfire resilience and risk reduction.
(c) The Governor shall appoint three representatives from state agencies.
(3) The task force shall:
(a) Develop an assessment and strategic action plan to address the current and antic-
ipated threats of rangeland fire in Oregon.
(b) Develop recommendations for responding to the threats of rangeland wildfire in
Oregon and the impacts of rangeland wildfire on communities, natural resources and eco-
nomic systems.
(c) Examine:
(A) Integration with Oregon’s 20-Year Landscape Resiliency Strategy.
(B) Funding to support implementation of the proposed rangeland wildfire management
strategy.
(C) Existing state and federal programs that support rangeland wildfire prevention and
mitigation, as well as opportunities to improve access to programs for rangeland wildfire
management strategies.
(D) Opportunities to improve coordination between Oregon’s wildfire management and
response services to address rangeland wildfire.
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 1889
HB 3125
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(E) Opportunities and limiting factors to expand the use of prescribed grazing to support
Oregon’s efforts to increase the pace and scale of wildfire resilience activities, strengthen
the protection of communities and reduce communities’ fire risk.
(4) The task force may assess issues related to task force activities described in sub-
section (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) The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
select one member of the task force to serve as chairperson and another to serve as vice
chairperson, with the duties and powers necessary for the performance of the functions of
the offices as the President and the Speaker determine.
(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.
(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 in ORS 192.245, and may
include recommendations for legislation, to an interim committee of the Legislative Assem-
bly related to natural resources no later than December 15, 2026.
(12) The State Forestry Department shall provide staff support to the task force.
(13) Members of the task force are not entitled to compensation or reimbursement for
expenses and serve as volunteers on the task force.
(14) 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.
(15)(a) All appointments to the task force made under subsection (2) of this section must
be completed not more than 60 days after the effective date of this 2025 Act.
(b) Not later than 60 days after the appointments are made, the Legislative Policy and
Research Director shall work with the task force chairperson to prepare a work plan for the
task force to review and adopt. The task force, by official action, may request and modify
the work plan.
(16) The task force shall have its first meeting on or before 90 days after the effective
date of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 2.
Section 1 of this 2025 Act is repealed on December 31, 2026.
SECTION 3. This 2025 Act takes effect on the 91st day after the date on which the 2025
regular session of the Eighty-third Legislative Assembly adjourns sine die.
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