OPB’s First Look: New year, new laws

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Good morning, Northwest.

Dozens of new laws passed by the Oregon Legislature are set to kick in New Year’s Day.

From tenant protections to restrictions on telemarketing, OPB’s Dirk VanderHart opens today’s newsletter with a rundown of Oregon’s new rules.

Also this morning, Portland suburbs see big population increases, and OPB photographers share the year in pictures.

Here’s your First Look at Tuesday’s news.

—Bradley W. Parks

New year, new rules: A look at some of the Oregon laws that kick in Jan. 1

Oregon lawmakers passed hundreds of bills in the first half of 2025, but many are only now beginning to affect daily life.

Without special provisions, new laws don’t take effect until Jan. 1 following their passage.

The passage of laws that will take effect on New Year’s Day contains some interesting changes. Hijinx by ticket sellers, nitrous oxide abuse and the state’s legal marriage age all got attention this year.

One long-sought shift will make it easier to force people with severe mental illness into treatment. A hugely contentious tweak will allow striking workers to receive unemployment pay.

Democrats, with supermajorities in both legislative chambers, dictated the policy direction this year. But, as the Salem cliche goes, most bills pass with bipartisan support. That’s the case with many of the bills detailed in this story.

Here’s a rundown of notable new laws ringing in the new year. (Dirk VanderHart)

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3 things to know this morning

• County governments and their nonprofit partners in Clark and Clackamas counties opened severe weather shelters Monday night as the Portland metro area’s overnight temperature is expected to dip near freezing. (Holly Bartholomew)
• Oregon’s population ticked up modestly last year, according to new data from Portland State University. The biggest growth occurred in the suburbs surrounding Portland. (Holly Bartholomew)
• A Republican-led effort to refer a road funding bill to Oregon voters has gathered more than 250,000 signatures. The referendum seeks to stop the legislation and its proposed tax and fee increases by letting voters have their say. (Bryce Dole)

Headlines from around the Northwest

• Oregon faced a huge obstacle in adding green energy. Here’s what changed this year (Tony Schick)
• Vancouver officers shoot and kill man armed with a gun (OPB staff)
• In Washington orchards, immigration crackdown sows fear and uncertainty (Hal Bernton)
• Feds boost Umatilla Indian Reservation flour mill project (Antonio Sierra)
• Oregon awarded nearly $200 million for rural health care (Amelia Templeton)
• Thousands of pounds of ground beef recalled in Washington, 5 other states (KUOW)
• Avdija just shy of triple-double as Trail Blazers hold off Mavericks 125-122 (Erik García Gunderson)
• No. 6 Michigan women outlast Oregon 92-87 in double overtime (Steve Mims)

Listen in on OPB’s daily conversation

“Think Out Loud” airs at noon and 8 p.m. weekdays on OPB Radio, opb.org and the OPB News app. Today’s planned topics (subject to change):

• Summing up the biggest Pacific Northwest news of 2025

OPB’s most memorable images from 2025

In 2025, OPB’s visual journalists shared the moments that inspired, delighted and defined life in Oregon and Southwest Washington over the past year in thousands of photos and videos.

Our work helps connect and inform our communities, but it also plays an increasingly critical role in today’s visual-based society at a time when it can be hard to trust what we see.

AI and digital editing tools are used to create fake content in an attempt to fool viewers. Old photos are presented as current events or in a false context. Videos are manipulated. It is increasingly difficult for viewers to believe what they see – and when they do believe it, sometimes it’s not real.

For visuals at OPB, you can rely that the work you see, watch, read and hear is rooted in accuracy and truth. (Kristyna Wentz-Graff)

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