Legislative advocacy to support survivors, sustain prevention, and generate system change.
Our work addresses the intersections of many different systems and disciplines that support survivors, prevent violence from occurring, and promote healing and accountability.
Since 2003, the Task Force has proposed or collaborated with partners on statewide legislation during each regular Oregon legislative session. The Task Force has an ongoing commitment to improving legislation and public policy as it relates to preventing and responding to sexual assault and abuse, and our efforts are non-partisan.
2025 Legislative Summary Now Available*
2025 Legislative Summary Now Available*
Thank you.
As the 2025 legislative season comes to a close, we want to extend our deepest gratitude to our Oregon SATF membership, colleagues at the Oregon Alliance to End Gender-based Violence (The Alliance), legislators, and our communities.
Your steadfast advocacy, testimony, and ongoing support have been vital in elevating the voices of survivors, and ensuring that sexual and domestic violence remain urgent priorities for lawmakers. Together, we have helped shape critical conversations about safety, equity, and survivor-centered services across our state.
We know this work is far from over. The recent federal VOCA funding crisis threatens $15 million in resources that survivors and programs in Oregon rely on every day. As this situation develops, Oregon SATF is committed to keeping you informed and mobilized. We will continue to advocate for emergency state action, defend survivor confidentiality, and fight for sustainable funding to protect decades of progress.
Your voice makes all the difference. We invite you to stay engaged by following our updates, sharing information within your networks, and preparing to act as calls for advocacy arise in the weeks ahead. Together, we will ensure that survivors across Oregon have the safety, healing, and justice they deserve.
Thank you to our supporters
Oregon Alliance to End Gender-Based Violence
Coalition and community building is central to our work at Oregon SATF. We are grateful to the many organizations and entities that signed on this session in support of HB 3070 and our work to support survivors and SANEs in Oregon. Thank you!
We can’t wait to share what Oregon SATF worked on with our community this session.
2025 Impact summary: coming soon!
2024 Impact summary
Oregon SATF is a proud to serve on the steering committee for the Oregon Alliance to End Gender-based Violence (“The Alliance”), a grassroots legislative and public policy body that seeks to advance policy in support of survivors and prevention work in Oregon. We are grateful for the collaboration of our many survivors and community, state, legislative and nonprofit partners working to advance legislation that seeks to prevent and respond to sexual violence and abuse in Oregon. Click the button below to read this year’s summary, produced by The Alliance.
Detailed highlights from the 2024 Oregon legislative short session
2024 was an incredible year for advancing policy related to the prevention of and response to sexual violence and abuse in Oregon! Click on any item below to learn more, and access links to the legislation, testimony, and support materials available. The below is not legal advice and is not intended to be a complete summary of all bills.
* = Oregon SATF Priority or Requested Bill
+ = Oregon Alliance to End Gender-based Violence Priority Bill
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This is an Oregon SATF priority and requested bill, and an Oregon Alliance to End Gender-based Violence priority bill.
Link to Oregon SATF Written Testimony | Link to Oregon SATF Verbal Testimony (SANE Coordinator)
Bill number: Originally HB 4123, introduced by Rep. Jason Knopf, passed under SB 1507 (see section 393 on page 51).
What it does: Under Oregon law, Oregon SATF is required to operate the Oregon SANE / SAE Certification Commission, including: developing and facilitating training for SANEs seeking certification, maintaining professional standards for certification and competencies, and management of the certification application and verification process, amongst others.
For the first time in over 20 years, the Oregon legislature is supporting the work of the SCC with a one-time, $400,000 funding infusion! We are grateful to everyone who supported this bill this session!
Effective: July 1, 2024
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Bill number: HB 4140 (enrolled), sponsored by Representatives Kropf and Neron
Context: The past years have been challenging for us all, but especially so for survivors and for advocates. The affordable housing crisis has drastically increased the need for and length of stay in emergency shelter, as survivors seeking safety were less able to find or access safe affordable housing.
At the same time, this crisis is impacting shelter and advocacy staff themselves, resulting in both internal and external challenges for programs.
What it does:
Roll-up of last session’s one-time $16 million increase to Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (ODSVS) and Survivor Housing Fund (SHF) funding: Passage of HB 4140 (more detail below) ensured that these former one-time funding allocations will be rolled into ongoing continuing service levels for future agency budget proposals.
One-time additional “plus-up” of ODSVS and SHF funding, by $2 million each. These funding allocations can be found in the “end-of-session” bill, SB 5701, see sections 454 and 455, on page 54.
Increase to the grant amount available as Temporary Assistance for Domestic Violence Survivors (TA-DVS) through the Department of Human Services. Section 280 on page 34 of SB 5701 allocated $10.4 million of TANF-carryover funds to the TA-DVS program, to increase emergency grant amounts from $1,200 to $3,200. The new benefit amounts will likely be available sometime this fall. No other aspects of the program are expected to change other than the grant amount.
Effective: On passage
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Bill Number: HB 4146, sponsored by Representative Annessa Hartman
Link to Oregon SATF's written testimony
What it does: Removes the requirement that a disclosed image be “identifiable” for purposes of the crime of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image.
Under current law, the statute requires that victims of this crime be “identifiable” in the explicit photos shared of them, using the photos alone. This has led to instances where courts cannot convict perpetrators because the victims were not obviously identifiable in the photos, even when contextual facts would clearly establish that the photos were of the victim.
HB 4146A closes the loophole in the current law (originally requested by Oregon SATF), removing the requirement that the photo be identifiable as the victim without any context, and ensuring that contextual facts can be used to establish that the photo is of the victim.
The bill does not alter any other evidentiary requirements of the current law.
Effective: On passage, operative July 1, 2024
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Bill number: HB 4146, sponsored by Representative Annessa Hartman
Link to Oregon SATF's written testimony
What it does: Provides that a petition for a Family Abuse Prevention Act order, Elderly Persons and Persons with Disabilities Abuse Prevention Act order or Sexual Abuse Protection Order may be filed in the county in which the abuse occurred. This change does not alter any other current provisions or requirements of the protection order statutes, but merely adds the option to file the petition in the county where the abuse took place.
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Bill number: HB 41456, sponsored by Representative Mannix
Link to Oregon SATF written testimony
What it does: HB 4146 updates Oregon’s stalking statutes to address stalking behavior through the use of technology:
1) Adds certain types of “contacts” that qualify as contacts under the stalking law, to address new dangers we see in this age of technology:
Obtaining, possessing, transferring, creating, uttering or converting to the person’s own use the personal identification of the other person;
Disclosing an image of the other person, whose intimate parts are visible or who is engaged in sexual conduct, without the consent of the other person;
The use of an electronic service, application, device or other electronic means to obtain, monitor or interfere with the location, communication or activities of the other person, without the consent of the other person; or
Causing a third person to harass, humiliate or injure the other person by disclosing the other person’s name, image or personal information, as that term is defined in ORS 30.835, without the consent of the other person.
2) Adds to the list of circumstances that qualify for the current felony upgrade (from Misdemeanor to Class C felony) for stalking or for VRO when certain preconditions have been met, to include:
The person has a prior conviction for stalking or for violating a court’s stalking protective order or an equivalent crime in another jurisdiction;
The person is the respondent for an active protection order in any jurisdiction that restrains the person from stalking, intimidating, molesting or menacing another person, and the person protected by the order is not the victim of the current offense;
At least one instance of the unwanted contact is the commission of the following against the victim: (i) A felony; (ii) Unlawful dissemination of an intimate image under ORS 163.472; or (iii) Unlawful use of a global positioning system device under ORS 163.715.
Effective: July 1, 2024
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Bill number: HB 4160, sponsored by Representative Mannix
What it does: HB 4160 extends the time frame a person is considered a student for laws related to reports, investigations, and disclosures concerning sexual conduct by an educator involving a student from 90 days after the student leaves school or graduates high school to one calendar year after the student leaves school or graduates high school.
Effective: July 1, 2024
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Bill number: HB 4164, Presession filed (at the request of House Interim Committee on Higher Education for Representative John Lively)
What it does: HB 4164 is a technical fix to improve certain aspects of 2023’s HB 3456, which created a Campus Sexual Misconduct Survey Council to develop a standard statewide sexual misconduct climate survey, and implemented specific requirements for how institutions of higher education should address sexual misconduct on campus, including collecting and reporting certain data, providing prevention and awareness training to students and employees, and offering certain services to students who report experiencing sexual misconduct.
HB 4164 makes several amendments to the previous bill, including specifying that the definition of "student" includes individuals who have taken a leave of absence within the past two academic years, specifying that the requisite "trauma informed response" must include an understanding of sexual assault and related trauma, and creating an annual process by which certain institutions can receive a waiver for the requirement to partner with a local victim advocacy organization to provide a certified advocate and on-campus advocacy services, if certain criteria are met. The bill also requires institutions to report the number of students or employees who reported sexual misconduct but chose not to pursue an investigation, and the number of ongoing investigations into an accusation of sexual misconduct.
The bill extends the deadline for the Sexual Misconduct Survey Council to develop a survey to the start of the 2025-2026 academic year.
Effective: on passage
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Bill number: SB 1503, sponsored by Senator Wagner, Representative Rayfield
Link to Oregon SATF written testimony
What it does: SB 1503 establishes the Task Force on Community Safety and Firearm Suicide Prevention and requires the task force to report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to health care. The bill also appropriates money for research on gun violence and suicide prevention ordered by the task force.
Effective: Takes effect on the 91st day following adjournment sine die.
Sunsets: December 31, 2026
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Bill number: SB 1530, filed at the request of Senate Interim Committee on Housing and Development
Link to Oregon SATF written testimony
What it does: SB 1530 appropriates monies to the Oregon Housing and Community Services department and other state agencies to provide rent assistance, homelessness prevention services, and creation of stable and financially accessible housing.
Effective: declared an emergency, effective on passage
Transforming Space and Place
Transforming Space and Place
Legislative Spotlight: HB 3476
House Bill 3476 was a coordinated effort by the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault community, including the Oregon Department of Justice, the Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, the Oregon Law Center,the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force, and the Oregon Alliance to End Violence Against Women, to address confidentiality and privilege for survivors. With HB3476, Oregon was the first in the U.S. to establish privileged communications for student survivors seeking support from advocates on Oregon campuses. As described by former executive director, Michele Roland-Schwartz, “HB3476, along with efforts to bridge Title IX compliance with trauma-informed best practices, set into motion the robust campus program we see today.
Legislative impact by topic
Click on any of the tabs in the dropdown to learn more about Oregon SATF’s involvement in legislative and public policy matters by topic.
This section is under construction, please check back soon for more details about our 20+ years of legislative advocacy!
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Safe leave and payment protections: In partnership with the Alliance, expanded the availability of unemployment benefits for survivors forced to leave work to protect their safety.
Address Confidentiality: In partnership with the Alliance, established Oregon’s address confidentiality program in the Department of Justice for survivors who need to keep their residential address information out of the public record.
Employment protections: In partnership with the Alliance, allows victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking to take reasonable time off from work without being fired if they need the time to take steps to improve their safety, and Prohibiting job discrimination against survivors and requiring reasonable workplace safety accommodations.
Expansion of incapacitation laws: In partnership with the Alliance, expanded sexual assault laws to provide safety for all mentally incapacitated victims, regardless of the source of incapacitation.
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Details coming soon!
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Details coming soon!
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Details coming soon!
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2001: In partnership with the Alliance, the passage of HB 2918 established the Oregon Domestic & Sexual Violence Services (ODSVS) Fund as ORS 147.450 and OAR 137-086-0000, which provided the first ever general fund money for domestic and sexual violence advocacy programs throughout Oregon.
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Fatality Review Teams: In partnership with the Alliance, Establishing authority for local fatality review teams to examine domestic violence deaths.
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Establishment of the Sex Offense Treatment Board: In partnership with the Oregon Sex Offender Supervision Network, Oregon SATF’s priority bill HB 3233 (2007) created Oregon’s Sex Offender Treatment Board within Oregon Health Licensing Agency.