NEWS UPDATE FROM STATE REPRESENTATIVE DAVID GOMBERG: News You Can Use

By Representative David Gomberg, House District 10

6/1/2026

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Friday afternoon I was in Newport to help cut the ribbon on the Thompson’s Sanitary Service Recycling Depot.

Recycling is changing in Oregon as we strive to repurpose, reuse, or reclaim more of what we used to put in the trash. And I know it can get confusing. Numbers on plastic products are getting smaller and harder to read. Some kinds of cardboard are ok and others not. And what do we do with old batteries or TV screens??

Friday I learned about the “Waste Wizard” app on Thompson’s website that helps take the guess work out of recycling. Thompson’s is also experimenting with a new purple bin project for premium curbside recycling of special materials not accepted in standard bins. Yes, those blue, green and gray or brown carts are confusing and take up room. But wouldn’t it be great if there were a fourth option for glass to be hauled away?

I’m a big fan of our regional sanitary services. For a modest fee, they come each week and all that damp, smelly, or broken stuff you don’t want disappears. And if you watch their web pages, you see that they offer special events where you can dispose of paint, insecticides, tires, mattresses, business and personal documents you want shredded, or motor and cooking oil.

Last week I described my ride-along on a local garbage truck route. And I challenge every other legislator to do the same!

Do you have a newborn child or grandchild in Oregon, or a recent kindergarten graduate? If so, I may have $100 for them.

Kindergarten diplomas now include a QR code that their parents can use to open an Embark account, formerly known as the Oregon College Savings Plan. If they open an account and deposit $25, the state treasury will deposit $100 more. That goes for kindergarteners across the state under the Treasury’s new “Kinder Grad” program.

Kids of all ages are encouraged to open an account and begin saving as soon as possible. They can start as early as birth, too. Parents of babies under 1 year old can also get a $100 deposit in a newly opened Embark account under the Treasury’s “Baby Grad” program.

Open an Embark education savings account with the Oregon State Treasury here. The only catch is that you only get that $100 match once.

The accounts, which grow tax-free as the treasury invests the money, are also known traditionally as 529 Plans—named after the section of Internal Revenue Service code that applies to tuition savings. Families and individuals can deduct from their income taxes up to $380 worth of contributions they make to the accounts each year, and the money can be used for courses and supplies for apprenticeships and trade schools as well as colleges.

“The data shows that just having an Embark account, or any kind of savings plan for post-high school education, increases your likelihood of pursuing post-secondary education by seven times,” says Oregon State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner. “It’s the idea that your family, that your community, believes in you. And then knowing that there’s money in there, because that sends a message that post-high school education is important.”

Historically, only about one in eight Oregonians has taken advantage of the Treasury-backed education savings plans.

I’ve long been a supporter of food programs in our schools and I’m proud that all of our HD 10 school districts offer free meals to every student. But what happens when summer arrives and kids stay home each day?

Oregon is once again offering low-income families a much-needed benefit to help feed their school-age children over the summer months: $120 per child for groceries.

Last summer, the state also distributed $120 per eligible child through its Summer EBT program, and that money went to more than 360,000 youth ages 6 to 18 statewide.

The money comes from the federal government and has been allocated to Oregon to distribute to families who qualify. The money will be added as credit to Oregon EBT cards, also known as Oregon Trail Cards, which can be used at grocery stores, farmers markets and some other food sellers.

Families with questions about the free money can call the Summer EBT call center at 833-673-7328 starting Monday, June 1. The money will be loaded automatically onto eligible families’ cards Thursday, June 4. Families who didn’t receive the automatic funds can start applying Friday, June 5.

Families have until Sept. 1 to apply for the money. The money expires four months after it’s added to a families’ accounts. Read more in the Oregonian.

Nearly 1,000 Oregon households used a state-sponsored lending program to help buy a home in 2025.

The Flex Lending program, which Oregon Housing and Community Services began developing in 2018, allows low- to moderate-income borrowers to buy homes with minimal cash upfront and lower interest rates.

Last year, 33 state-approved lenders provided almost $300 million to help Oregonians buy homes using the program. About one-third of those homebuyers, or 31%, identified as people of color, while 32% were veteran households and 43% of borrowers lived in rural areas, according to the agency.

The program offers two products. FirstHome, the program’s loan product for first-time homebuyers and some veterans, has a maximum household income limit based on the area median family income per county. The other program, NextStep, is for anyone who earns $125,000 or less and doesn’t currently own a home.

Both products can be combined with the state’s down payment assistance program. The down payment assistance is provided as a second mortgage, separate from the primary home loan, and offers 4% or 5% of the total loan amount in the form of a low-interest loan that can be used toward a down payment.

The latest available data shows 63.3% of Oregonians own their homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

During the 2026 session, your legislature focused on lowering the cost of living, growing good-paying jobs, protecting workers and consumers, and ensuring our economy serves our people. On June 5, dozens of new laws go into effect making life better for Oregonians. They address affordability, fight inflation and confront scams.

Senate Bill 1523—Allows tenants pay rent using whatever reasonable method they choose, not just online portals that can take your data and trigger huge fees.
Senate Bill 1551—Gives you freedom from your homeowners’ association’s rules to ensure you can make fire-safe improvements on your home.
Senate Bill 1567—Establishes low-interest loans for mixed-income housing production.
Senate Bill 1576—Requires that state-subsidized housing developments meet accessibility standards.
House Bill 4024—Prohibits speculative ticket sales—vendors offering or reselling tickets they don’t have—and strengthens protections against misleading websites that offer tickets.
House Bill 4082—Allows cities to widen their urban growth boundaries when the included land is for older-adult housing, manufactured or prefabricated structures, and manufactured home parks.
House Bill 4116—Closes loopholes that had allowed lenders of consumer loans to charge interest amounting to 100 percent or more.

The 2025 Oregon personal income tax filing deadline was April 15. Here’s where things stand:

2 million+ returns processed out of 2.2 million expected
1.6 million+ refunds issued
90% of refunds sent via direct deposit
Average refund issued in under 12 days
Challenges this season included federal tax law changes, reduced IRS staffing, and high demand from this year’s kicker tax credit.

Still waiting on your refund? Visit oregon.gov/dor and use the “Where’s My Refund?” tool. Logging into your Revenue Online account lets you view any letters sent to you—responding quickly helps speed up your refund.

First-time Oregon filers or those with missing information may experience longer delays. Most remaining returns will be filed by the October 15 extension deadline. For questions, contact the Oregon Department of Revenue at oregon.gov/dor.

Government often seems overly complicated. One good example is that the legislature passes laws, and then state agencies develop rules on how to administer them.

Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs) are the regulations adopted by state agencies to implement, interpret, and enforce laws passed by the legislature. Each agency’s rule-making authority comes from specific state statutes. And when rules are adopted or amended, there is an opportunity for you to comment.

Oregon Health Authority is proposing changes to Medicaid pharmaceutical dispensing rules to allow 12-month dispensing for selected hormone therapies and treatments. The proposed update would amend OAR 410-121-0146 to improve continuity of care and reduce treatment interruptions for eligible patients.

Comments due: June 21, 2026, by 5:00 PM
Contact: OHA—medicaid.rules@oha.oregon.gov | 503-979-8907
Remote Public Hearing – June 16, 2026 10:00 AM
Hearing Link: Click Here
Meeting ID: 161 778 7051 Passcode: 113976
Join by Phone: 1-669-254-5252 (San Jose) 1-646-828-7666 (New York)

The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is accepting public comments on proposed updates to Oregon’s Retail Food Code. The proposed changes would update Oregon’s food safety and retail food regulations before final adoption.

Comments due: June 26, 2026 at 5:00 PM.
Contact: ODA rulemaking@oda.oregon.gov / ODA, 635 Capitol Street NE, Salem, OR 97301
Remote Public Hearing – June 16, 2026 | 3:00–4:00 PM
Hearing link: Click Here
Meeting ID: 249 898 141 677 526 • Passcode: 9w7Ty32S
Join by Phone: 503-446-4951,,98826791#

With the primaries over, the election in November is set.

There were several races where incumbents vacated their seats in the House. So, there will be many new faces coming to Salem in 2027. While it most likely will not be the changeover we saw in 2023, when 19 new freshmen legislators were sworn in, it will bring at least seven new faces to the House chamber due to open seats.

HD 7—Rep. John Lively (D—Springfield) will retire at the end of 2026. He has been in office since 2013. The two individuals running in November are Kori Rodley (D) and Adam Wilson (R).

Kori works in Planning, Administration, & Operations, Developmental Disabilities Services, Lane County. She is a current City Councilor in Springfield and also served on the City’s Budget Committee. Adam is a wealth advisor for LPL Financial with no prior government experience.

HD 9—Rep. Boomer Wright (R—Coos Bay) has also announced his retirement. He has been in office since 2021. The two individuals running in November are Claire Lynn (R) and John Ezra Scheirman (D).

Claire has worked in the House Republican Office as a Legislative Director and has prior government experience as a Lane County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) as well as serving on the City of Florence Community and Economic Development Committee. John is a school bus driver and has served as a Precinct Committee Person as well as the CD 4 Delegate in Coos County for the Democratic Party.

HD 11—Rep. Jami Cate (R—Lebanon) has served in the House since 2021, but chose to leave the House to make a run at the Senate seat for her district. The two individuals running in November are Ken Jackola (R) and Ivan Maluski (D).

Ken is the Mayor of Lebanon and the Vice President of the Albany & Eastern Railroad Company. His government experience includes being the Mayor of Lebanon. Ivan is a farmer and rancher and the former Policy Director of Friends of Family Farmers. His government experience includes being on the board of directors for Colton Rural Fire District.

HD 17—Rep. Ed Diehl (R—Santiam) vacated his seat to make a run for Governor. He has been in office since 2023. The two individuals running in November are Dan Farrington (R) and David Nelson (D).

Dan is a Business Development Manager for Barrett Business Services Inc. (BBSI) and has no previous government experience. David is a retired Radio Shack District manager and also has no prior government experience.

HD 18—Rep. Rick Lewis (R—Silverton) also announced his retirement at the end of 2026. He has been in office since 2017. There is no Democrat filed to run in November. Amanda Staehley won the Republican primary.

Amanda owns a nursery operation with her husband and has no prior government experience.

HD 27—Rep. Ken Helm (D—Beaverton and Cedar Hills) also announced his retirement at the end of 2026. He has been in office since 2015. The two people running in November are Tammy Carpenter (D) and George Norman (R).

Tammy is a former Anesthesiologist. She has been on the Beaverton School Board since 2023. George is a veterinarian and lists his prior government experience as serving as a Precinct Committee Person as well as a commissioned officer in the US Navy.

HD 40—Rep. Annessa Hartman (D—Gladstone / Oregon City) announced originally that she would not seek re-election but would run for Clackamas County Commissioner. After a battle with cervical cancer during the short session she chose not to seek another elected position at this time. She had been in office since 2023. The two individuals running in November are Adam Baker (R) and Michael Sugar (D).

Michael is currently a high school history teacher in the West Linn Wilsonville School District and has no prior government experience. Adam is a retired police officer and current real estate broker. His listed prior government experience is candidate for HD 40 in 2022.

HD 52—Rep. Jeff Helfrich (R—Hood River) has served in the House since 2023 but chose to leave the House to make a run at the Senate seat for his district. The two people running in November are Scott Hege (R) and Hank Sanders (D).

Scott has been a Wasco County Commissioner for the last 16 years as well as a construction project manager. His prior government experience in addition to County Commissioner includes Chair of the regional jail authority, Chair of the local mental health authority and Chair of the local health district. Hank is a Legislative Assistant in the Oregon Senate and previously worked as a political director for Congresswoman Maxine Dexter as well as being a reporter for the NY Times, Chicago Tribune and ABC News.

Thanks to Representative Anna Scharf for compiling this information.

Seats are going fast! June 27 at the PAC in Newport, I’m again sponsoring Nearly Dan, flawlessly performing the music of Steely Dan. Buy your tickets here.

Not convinced? Ask anyone that was there last year or check out some Nearly Dan videos here, here and here.

Please note, this is not a political fundraiser, and all proceeds go to the PAC—that is, the Performing Arts Center. But I am sponsoring the show and thank Chinook Winds for their gracious lodging sponsorship of this great band.

Saturday I was down in Waldport joining neighbors from the Bayshore community for a lively discussion that covered everything from elections, to highways, to sand blowing off the beach and onto local streets. Thanks to John and Carolyn Gardner for organizing the gathering.

I began this week’s report with a ribbon cutting and let me end it with a groundbreaking.

Susan and I were on hand at Fogarty Beach north of Depoe Bay Thursday as the venerable Surfrider Resort is coming down and a new $20 million, 89-room hotel—Cambria Depoe Bay—is getting started.

For Fusion Lodging, which most recently bought the Alsi Resort in Waldport and owns properties in Yachats, Newport and Lincoln City, the Surfrider project will be its biggest and first new construction. The new hotel is projected to open in the summer of 2027.