SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Senate voted Thursday morning on a pair of bills that tackle the state's housing crisis. Senate Bill 1530 and Senate Bill 1537 passed 21-7 with bipartisan support.
The bills are part of the $376 million dollar Emergency Housing Stability and Production Package, which aims to boost housing production, infrastructure and homeless services while expanding recovery housing. The package also allows some cities a one-time expansion of their urban growth boundary. In the Portland metro area, qualifying cities can expand with a cap of 300 acres.
"We have to make sure that we build more affordable housing; we have to make sure that we increase our housing production," said Sen. Kayse Jama, D-Portland.
Senate Bill 1530 will provide funding to the Housing and Community Services Department, the Oregon Health Authority, Department of Human Services, State Department of Energy and Oregon Department of Administrative Services for various programs.
Before the vote, Sen. WInsvey Compos specifically praised the bill's $41 million investment in rental assistance and the 30% set aside for culturally specific organizations.
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"These dollars will go far to help thousands of Oregonians, especially low-income and BIPOC Oregonians, who are working to get on their feet after significant economic blows in the last several years," said Compos, D-Aloha.
Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, was one of seven lawmakers who opposed the bill. Bonham said he thought the bill does great things, but ultimately voted against it as a political point to advocate for investing in water infrastructure for the city of Sandy.
"What's more valuable: a potential future home that we're going to build or an existing home that needs water?" Bonham said.
In a statement to KGW, Bonham added that he had concerns over land use considerations in the bill.
"This bill also forces local government to grant adjustments to land-use regulation and design and development standards to housing development, removing local control," Bonham wrote in a statement.
Lawmakers voted 21-7 to pass Senate Bill 1537. It's the sole bill that Gov. Tina Kotek introduced in this year's legislative session. Kotek wanted $500 million to increase affordable housing, but lawmakers cut that by $150 million about two weeks ago. A major component of the bill is that it will fund a series of programs to help local governments overcome barriers that can derail low-income housing projects. That includes a lack of land supply or difficulties building infrastructure, like water and sewer service.
"Oregonians need a place to live. Oregonians need shelter, and we do not have enough to keep people safe, warm and housed. This bill addresses many of the levers that can help us produce the housing that our constituents need in every part of the state," said Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, who represents Senate District 8, which includes a swath of the area covering Corvallis and Albany.
Another big component of the housing package that was approved on Thursday includes a $25 million allocation for the Albina Vision Trust to develop affordable housing in Portland's historically Black Albina neighborhood.
House Bill 4134 is also included in the housing package. It would require the Oregon Department of Administrative Services to provide grants to cities for specific infrastructure projects to benefit housing developments. Lawmakers held a work session on Feb. 28.
The package will next go to the House for consideration.