NEWS RELEASE
March 4, 2024
Media Contact:
Elisabeth Shepard, Press Secretary to Governor Kotek
Elisabeth.Shepard@Oregon.Gov
Governor Kotek Issues Statement on Passage of Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package
Salem, OR — In response to the passage of Senate Bill 1537 and Senate Bill 1530, Governor Tina Kotek issued the following statement:
“Oregonians are struggling under the pressure of an increasingly unaffordable housing market. After hearing this concern directly from Oregonians from across our state last year, I knew we had to make major progress on our housing crisis during this year’s legislative session. I want to thank legislators for meeting the urgency of this moment and providing much-needed funding that will boost housing production throughout the state.
“These bills offer a menu of tools that will provide the support needed to ease our housing crisis and help all our communities thrive. I believe this package will make meaningful progress in fixing our housing shortage while also preserving our land use system and ensuring strong environmental protections. But this is not the finish line. We have more work ahead to solve our housing and homelessness crises – and I will keep pushing for more because the need is so great. Oregonians are counting on us to deliver.”
The House of Representatives passed SB 1537 by a 48-8 vote and passed SB 1530 by a 51-6 vote. Both bills passed the Senate last week. Additional projects from the Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package are funded through HB 4134, which the House will vote on Tuesday. That bill would then need to be approved by the Senate.
In total, the Emergency Housing Stabilization and Production Package provides a $376 million state investment in addressing the housing crisis.
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