Oregon House passes major transportation bill

SALEM – The Oregon House has passed a transportation bill that would raise $3.8 billion in new tax and fee revenue over seven years for repairs to the state’s roads and bridges.

The Register Guard reports Wednesday that House Bill 2017 now heads to the Oregon Senate, where it’s expected to pass.

The bill received bipartisan support after a convoluted path that included strong disagreements among lawmakers.

Gov. Kate Brown and legislative leaders had to step in to prevent a repeat of the 2015 session, when a different transportation deal unraveled.

The package had to be scaled back in size and Democrats had to agree to GOP-endorsed changes to Oregon’s fuels standard to get it to the finish line.