SALEM — Bipartisanship and earlier deliberations over transportation funding are a priority in the 2027 legislative session, a mostly Democratic group of lawmakers told the business and transportation experts tasked with vetting and recommending ideas to solve the Oregon Department of Transportation’s impending funding shortfall.
For a third year in a row, lawmakers in January will meet in Salem knowing the state’s transportation agency can’t afford to maintain its current services levels without new funding.
But this time, lawmakers hope they’ll have a clearer, sustainable plan with guidance from Gov. Tina Kotek’s 12-member “Rebuilding our Transportation Vision” workgroup. In its third meeting, the workgroup Tuesday invited seven lawmakers for a roundtable to reflect on past legislative mistakes and the policy ideas they think could reach across party lines…