As many in our community know, this has been an eventful and impactful legislative session. Thank you to everyone who joined us in advocating for survivor services! We appreciate knowing that when we put out a call for support, you answer.
While we didn’t get everything we asked for, we know that it was an unprecedented moment in our state history. In addition to the incredibly challenging funding landscape, the state’s budget forecast that was released mid-May was $500 million less than anticipated.
The legislature this session had 3,317 bills introduced, the most ever in a session. There were also a significant number of policy bills brought forward by legislators that impact survivors of domestic and sexual violence. It’s fair to say that it’s been a busy first half of the year.
We wanted to highlight some of the bills that impact survivors in this post-session legislative update.
Funding for Survivor Services
After a valiant effort to secure funding to maintain the current level of services, we had a partial success in HB 5014. The ODSVS fund is the only source of general fund revenue for the confidential, trauma-informed, community-based, non-profit and Tribal survivor service and shelter programs across the state was funded at 50%, receiving half of the requested amount of $10M as in years prior. This results in a cut of $5M for programs throughout the state.
We are grateful that the Survivor Housing Fund (SHF) was granted the full requested amount of $6M. This fund allows survivors to access critical support to stabilize their housing when navigating domestic violence. This was a big win for survivors.
Oregon—along with every other state in the nation—was recently notified of a pending 42% reduction in its federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) allocation. These critical funds support victim services in every county through nonprofit organizations, child abuse assessment centers, district attorneys’ offices, and more. HB 3196 was introduced to prevent disruptions in these essential services by bridging the gap while bipartisan efforts continue at the federal level to address the root cause of the shortfall.
Unfortunately, the bill did not pass, and Oregon is now facing an $18.5 million cut to these vital programs. This reduction will significantly affect staffing and service capacity statewide—putting survivors’ access to support, safety, and justice at risk.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who sponsored and advocated for the passage of HB 3196, including: Representatives Kropf, Hartman, Wallan, Grayber, Helfrich, Neron, Senator Taylor, and the many sponsors who supported this bill.
Additionally, rental assistance was cut from the Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) budget, representing a loss of services to stabilize housing for survivors and community members throughout the state.
The silver lining is that HB 3070 which allocated $400,000 for the SAE/SANE Certification Committee (SCC) passed through the end of session bill HB 5006. Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) in Oregon are specially trained to understand the dynamics of sexual assault, the unique healthcare needs of sexual assault victims, and proper collection of forensic evidence that may be used by law enforcement in sexual assault investigations. The SCC helps support access to trauma-informed and trained medical forensic sexual assault nurse examiners across the state.
Thank you to Representatives Kropf, Andersen, Gamba, Grayber, Hartman, Mannix, Munoz, Neron, Nguyen H., and Pham H. for sponsoring HB 3070.
Department of Human Services victim-specific programs escaped without cuts. SB 5526, the agency budget bill, together with the end-of-session bill (HB 5006), maintained funding levels for this biennium for survivor-specific DHS programs
SB 180 – anti-SLAPP bill
This bill expanded the anti‐Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation law (commonly known as SLAPP) to specifically include any true public disclosure of sexual assault, including on social media. Previously, SLAPP protected sexual assault disclosures to police or another investigative agency. We celebrate this expansion of protections for survivors choosing to disclose their experience. SB 180 passed unanimously in the legislature and takes effect on January 1, 2026.
Thank you to the Senate Interim Committee on Judiciary for requesting this bill be considered by the legislature.
Read more about the bill and the efforts to get it passed here.
SB 599 – Prohibits Bias by Landlords
This legislation prohibits landlords from inquiring about or discriminating on the basis of a tenant’s or applicant’s immigration or citizenship status. This means that a landlord cannot ask a tenant their immigration status, or threaten to disclose a person’s immigration status to ICE, or reject an applicant based on their immigration status. This is crucial for immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence because abusers often use immigration status as a means of control and isolation. This bill took effect on May 28, 2025.
Thank you to Senators Campos and Ruiz for being the Chief Sponsors on this important legislation, and the many co-sponsors who supported it.
SB 710 – Judicial Training
This legislation represents a huge win for survivors. It requires that state court judges meet ongoing learning requirements related to domestic and sexual violence. Our community has been advocating for judicial training for decades and we are incredibly grateful for its near unanimous support in both chambers. This bill will take effect on January 1, 2026, and begin with studying training options.
Thank you to Senators Sollman, Weber, and Neron for being the Chief sponsors, and the many Senators and Representatives who co-sponsored it. We are also grateful to The Family Justice Center of Washington County for their strong advocacy on this bill.
SB 867 – Addresses Sexual Conduct in Schools
This bill helps to create a culture of safety in Oregon’s education system first by providing students who suffer discrimination with student specific services, and second, by closing a safety gap relating to sexual conduct reports involving students and seasonal contractors, agents, and volunteers. It further clarifies the process related to disclosure in sexual conduct investigations. This bill takes effect January 1, 2026.
Thank you to Governor Tina Kotek for Department of Education for bringing this legislation forward.
SB 1121 – Makes Doxxing a Misdemeanor
Building on a previous law that empowered victims to sue, this bill makes the act of doxxing a misdemeanor by creating the crime of unlawful disclosure of private information. Punishment is up to a maximum of six months’ imprisonment, $2,500 fine, or both. This law took effect on June 24, 2025.
Thank you to the Senate Judiciary Committee for sponsoring this legislation.
HB 2299 – Prohibits Unlawful Dissemination of Digital Intimate Images
This legislation modifies the crime of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image to include the disclosure of digitally created, manipulated or altered images. This bill also increases the penalty to a maximum of five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both, or 10 years’ imprisonment, $250,000 fine, or both, if the person has a prior conviction. It additionally creates the crime of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image in the second degree with a punishment of a maximum of 364 days’ imprisonment, $6,250 fine, or both, or five years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both, if the person has a prior conviction. This bill passed both chambers with unanimous support and takes effect January 1, 2026.
Thank you to Representatives Mannix, McLain, Hartman, and Senator Sollman for being the Chief Sponsors on this legislation, and the many co-sponsors who supported it.
HB 2456 – Modification of the S.A.V.E Fund
The Sexual Assault Victims’ Emergency (S.A.V.E.) Medical Response Fund. Because of the S.A.V.E. Fund, survivors can access essential medical care, forensic evidence collection, and mental health support after experiencing sexual violence. No survivor should ever have to pay for the cost of their own victimization. And, all survivors, regardless of their financial resources, should have access to the care they need. This bill takes effect January 1, 2026.
Thank you to Attorney General Dan Rayfield for bringing this legislation forward.
HB 2492 – DV Lookback
This bill extends the expungement waiting period for restraining orders from one year to five years. This allows the pattern of abuse to be preserved in the record and considered in relation to expungement requests for domestic and sexual violence cases. This is another big win for survivors!
CWS previously gave testimony on this bill during our Advocacy Day in April. See the testimony here.
Thank you to the House Interim Committee on Judiciary and Representative Kropf for bringing this legislation forward.
HB 2975 – DV Loophole
This bill restores the courts’ ability to impose separate sentences for certain acts of violence, including strangulation and assault, in domestic violence cases. The bill aims to address the 2024 Oregon Court of Appeals decision in State v. Miles per the Democratic Senate Majority Office. That decision ruled that in cases relating to domestic violence and abuse, all charges must be merged into one single charge. There is no other category of crime for which this happens. This bill will take effect on the 91st day following adjournment of the legislative session and is an important victory for survivors!
We are grateful for the unanimous support for this legislation. A big thank you to Representative Hartman for being the Chief Sponsor of this bill, and the many co-sponsors who supported it. Read more about this bill here.
HB 3582 – Statute of Limitations
The bill to eliminate the statute of limitations for civil actions based on sexual assault or child sexual abuse passed both chambers unanimously. This means that survivors of sexual assault and child sexual abuse can file a civil suit against their perpetrators and/or entities that allowed, permitted, or encouraged the assault or abuse to occur at any time after the abuse occurs. This legislation took effect immediately on passage.
Thank you to Representatives Hartman, Taylor, Meek, Bowman, Nguyen H., Owens, Manning Jr., Neron, and Misslin for being Chief Sponsors of the bill, and all the many co-sponsors who supported it.
HB 3766 – Civil Action for Intimate Images
This legislation allows a plaintiff to bring a civil action against a person who transmits an intimate image to the plaintiff’s computer or electronic device in certain circumstances. This means that if someone sends a nude or sexually explicit image without the consent of the recipient and with the intent of harassing or harming the recipient, the recipient may take bring a civil suit within two years. This applies to adults over the age of 18 only. This bill passed with unanimous support.
Thank you to Representatives Chaichi, Hartman, and Tran for being the Chief Sponsors for this legislation on behalf of survivors, and the many co-sponsors who supported it.
HB 3816 – Funding for Victim Services
This bill provides for 50 percent of awards of restitution ordered to an insurance carrier to be paid to the Department of Justice for purposes of victim services funding. This means that when the victim is an insurance provider and chooses to utilize public resources, such as a District Attorney, to obtain restitution through criminal court instead of civil court, a portion of the collection will be shared with victim services.
We are grateful for the legislature’s work in trying to find creative solutions to the funding issues victim services are facing. A big thank you to Representative Kropf for being the Chief Sponsor on this bill and to Senators Broadman and Girod for their advocacy and support in the Senate.
The Take It Down Act
This federal measure was aimed to address the nonconsensual distribution of intimate imagery (NDII) (often historically referred to in public discourse as “nonconsensual pornography” or “revenge porn”). The law represents a long-awaited step forward in establishing nationwide protections for victims of image-based sexual abuse.
For survivors—especially those navigating the intersecting harms of domestic violence and digital exploitation—this moment is both deeply significant and fraught with questions. While the law provides powerful new tools to pursue justice and seek the removal of nonconsensual intimate images, it may also introduce challenges for survivor privacy and protected expression.
The Act makes it a federal crime to publish nonconsensual intimate imagery using an interactive computer service – any website, app, or platform that lets people share, post, or respond to content from others. The Act also establishes a rapid takedown process, requiring certain platforms that host user-generated content to remove reported material within 48 hours of receiving a complaint. Failure to do so could be considered an unfair or deceptive practice under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Read more from the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) through their Tech Safety website.