Governor Kotek Issues Notice of Potential Vetoes for 2025 Legislative Session

Pursuant to Article V, Section 15b(4), of the Oregon Constitution, Governor Tina Kotek provided notice to the Legislature that she is considering vetoes of the following bills and budget items from the 2025 legislative session. The Governor has until August 8, 2025, to take final action.

Policy bills:

House Bill 3824 – Allows physical therapists to practice dry needling.
Senate Bill 976 – Allows an individual to verify whether cattle are pregnant without holding a valid license issued by the Oregon State Veterinary Medical Examining Board under certain circumstances.
Senate Bill 1047 – Requires Curry County and the Water Resources Department to expedite review of applications for use on specified lands.

Reason for potential vetoes: The Governor and her team will continue to review these bills and consider perspectives for and against to inform her final decision.

Budget line items:

Willamette Falls Trust – $45 million in lottery bonds
●      House Bill 5006, Section 110(15) Project limitation to grant funds to Willamette Falls Trust
●      House Bill 5006, Section 108 Cost of Issuance limitation
●      Senate Bill 5531, Section 38 Lottery Bond Authorization

Reason for potential veto: The Governor supports the opportunity of creating public access to the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls, from both sides of the falls. She is exercising her due diligence to understand more fully the use of these dollars and wants to hear more from all interested parties. She has been a supporter of creating public access to the falls in the past and is committed to dedicating public funding that builds that access in the most equitable, responsible manner possible. As a steward of tax dollars, the Governor is specifically interested in how past allocations, including $12.5 million in state lottery bonds and $20 million in Metro parks and nature bonds, will be or have been spent before approving an additional $45 million. She looks forward to the conversations ahead to inform her final decision.

This article appears in Source Weekly July 31, 2025.