Upcoming Webinars
Public Meetings 101
Date, time, and email invitations forthcoming!
Join us for a free virtual presentation on the essentials of Oregon public meeting law. Our presenter, Ashley Driscoll, will provide an overview of legal requirements, including recent changes in the law, as well as practical issues and best practices.
The presentation will be about an hour long with time for questions at the end. Both the live presentation and the recorded version are being provided at no charge.
Past Webinars
Our past webinars can be viewed for free at any time on our YouTube Channel.
Register for Our Upcoming Webinar
BEH Updates
We periodically provide updates on matters of interest to local governments in Oregon. You can subscribe to receive these updates via e-mail using the form at right and view past updates below.
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Past BEH Updates
Legal Issues: Cyber Fraud & AI
This year, more than ever before, local governments are susceptible to the hacks and scams affecting the private sector. To that end, we want to put two very important issues on your radar: cyber fraud and the use of AI in legal matters.
Impact of the Grants Pass Decision on Local Governments
Last week, the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Grants Pass v. Johnson.
The issue before the court was whether the enforcement of generally applicable laws regulating camping on public property constitutes “cruel and unusual punishment.” While no doubt an important decision for local governments, here in Oregon the practical effect of today’s Grants Pass decision will not be significant.
Read more.
Impact of the Sheetz Decision on Local Governments
In April 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in a case that involved a local traffic impact fee challenged on the grounds that it violated the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. While SCOTUS remanded the case back to the California Court of Appeals for re-review of the parties’ Nollan/Dolan arguments, it did not decide that legislatively enacted impact fees are unconstitutional.
Read more.
Oregon HB 4115: Expanding Membership to Bargaining Units
Earlier this year, the Oregon legislature passed House Bill 4115, which amends the Public Employees’ Collective Bargaining Act (PECBA) to allow police officers who hold the rank of sergeant to join existing bargaining units or to form their own bargaining units for the first time.
Read more.
A Brief Refresher on Oregon’s Political Activity Laws
As we enter another election year, our office wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of Oregon’s political activity laws, which are located in ORS Chapter 260. This information is not meant to be comprehensive, so if you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.
Read more.
Updating Your Transient Lodging Tax Ordinance
The COVID pandemic, recent inflation, and general trends have resulted in changes to the tourism industry in Oregon, and we thought it would be a good time for you to review and consider updating your transient lodging tax (“TLT”) ordinance.
Read more.