2025 CLHO Legislative Priorities
2025 Legislative Session Results
The 2025 legislative session was a difficult one. Economic uncertainty drove down Oregon’s revenue forecast, leaving the Legislature with tough choices to make. But year after year, public health gets pushed aside—and Oregon’s communities pay the price. Despite CLHO advancing our most ambitious public health agenda to date, no new investments were made in Oregon’s public health system.
CLHO advocated for $65.2 million to ensure that local public health has the staff and tools needed to prevent disease and to equitably serve all Oregonians. We advanced a comprehensive public health agenda, including investments in Public Health Modernization, the public health workforce, addiction primary prevention, and maternal and child health, along with stronger policies for synthetic nicotine regulation and taxation.
However, many of our key proposals stalled in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means and never came to a full chamber vote:
- HB 3916 – Public Health Workforce Package: Would have addressed critical staffing shortages in local health departments across Oregon
- HB 2954 – Addiction Primary Prevention: Would have invested in prevention programs to stop substance use before it starts
- HB 2528 – Synthetic Nicotine Regulation: Would have strengthened protections for youth against unregulated and emerging nicotine products
- Public Health Modernization funding: Would have built a stronger, more flexible statewide public health system
- Maternal and Child Health investments: Would have supported healthy pregnancies and early childhood development
Without these investments, Oregon’s local health departments are forced to operate with shrinking resources, understaffed teams, and reduced capacity to respond to emerging health threats. Federal money from the pandemic has dried up, and public health remains underfunded and understaffed.
The reality: Flat funding is actually a funding decrease. Rising staff costs mean the funding we have buys less this year than it did last year—so even maintaining current service levels becomes impossible.
Check out the CLHO Legislative Scorecard 2025 to see who rose to the top!
2025 CLHO Legislative Scorecard
How You Can Help:
- Thank the champions: Reach out to recognized legislators to express appreciation for their public health leadership
- Contact your legislators: Let them know that public health funding matters to you and your community
- Stay informed: Follow CLHO on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay engaged on public health policy issues
- Share your story: Tell legislators how local public health services have impacted you or your family
Additional Resources
- 2025 CLHO Legislative Scorecard - Full Report
- 2025 CLHO Legislative Scorecard - Press Release
- Find Out Who Your Legislators Are
- CLHO Legislative Priorities - Detailed Overview:
- Priority 1: Public Health Modernization
- Priority 2: Addiction Primary Prevention
- Priority 3: Nurse Home Visiting and Women Infants and Children
- Priority 4: Career Pathways in Public Health
- 2025 CLHO Local Public Health Workforce Report
Last Updated: November 2025