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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2693
Sponsored by Representative HUDSON (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 would issue lottery bonds to fund levee projects. (Flesch Readability Score:
69.7).
Authorizes the issuance of lottery bonds for deposit in the Levee Project Grant Fund.
Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to levees; creating new provisions; amending ORS 285B.421; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. (1) For the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, at the request of the Oregon
Department of Administrative Services, the State Treasurer is authorized to issue lottery
bonds pursuant to ORS 286A.560 to 286A.585 in an amount that produces $15 million in net
proceeds and interest earnings for the purposes described in subsection (2) of this section,
plus an additional amount estimated by the State Treasurer to be necessary to pay bond-
relatedcosts.
(2) Net proceeds of lottery bonds issued under this section must be transferred to the
Oregon Business Development Department for deposit in the Levee Project Grant Fund es-
tablished under ORS 285B.421, to be used for any purpose for which funds in the Levee
Project Grant Fund may be used, including but not limited to awarding grants for investi-
gating the adequacy of levees and improving levees so they may be certified and accredited.
(3) Lottery bonds authorized under this section must be issued no later than June 30,
2026.
(4) The Legislative Assembly finds that the use of lottery bond proceeds will create jobs,
further economic development, finance public education or restore and protect parks,
beaches, watersheds and native fish and wildlife, and is authorized based on the following
findings:
(a) Levees are an integral part of the commercial and industrial infrastructure of this
state.
(b) The inspection, accreditation, certification and repair of levees will promote economic
development within this state.
SECTION 2. ORS 285B.421 is amended to read:
285B.421. (1) The Levee Project Grant Fund is established in the State Treasury, separate and
distinct from the General Fund.Interest earned by the Levee Project Grant Fund must be credited
to the fund. The Levee Project Grant Fund consists of moneys deposited in the fund under section
33, chapter 671, Oregon Laws 2019, and section 1 of this 2025 Act and may include moneys ap-
propriated, allocated, deposited or transferred to the fund by the Legislative Assembly or otherwise
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 837 HB2693
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and interest earned on moneys in the fund.
(2) Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the Oregon Business Development De-
partment for the Oregon Infrastructure Finance Authority to provide grants under ORS 285B.420 for
levee projects as defined in ORS 285B.410.
(3) Grants from the fund for planning projects are limited to a maximum of $2 million per ap-
plicant per biennium.
(4) Grants from the fund for construction or capital improvement projects may not exceed an
amount equal to 80 percent of the total cost of the project.
(5) A grant may not be awarded from the fund unless the applicant pledges matching funds to
the project of at least 20 percent of the amount of the grant.
(6) At least 60 percent of the dollar value of grants awarded from the fund in any biennium shall
be used to provide assistance with levee projects to rural or distressed areas as those terms are
defined in ORS 285A.010.
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
July 1, 2025.
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