Feb. 27, 2025
What happened: On Feb. 26, OBI Executive Vice President and General Counsel Paloma Sparks testified before the House Rules Committee in support of HB 2454, which would establish the Legislative Audit Officer, chosen by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, to investigate, review or conduct evaluations of executive branch agencies.
Accountability needed: As Paloma told the committee, regulatory agencies do not always follow clear legislative intent when drafting rules to implement legislation. HB 2454 would create a mechanism for legislators to verify that agency regulations follow their intent.
Why it matters: Oregon’s regulatory agencies engage in such a large volume of rulemaking – more than 500 rulemaking notices were issued during a six-month period in 2024– that it’s hard for affected businesses to keep up with what’s expected of them and to comply. In drafting policies, meanwhile, agencies sometimes fail to follow legislative intent, creating additional confusion and compliance challenges. OBI’s Oregon Competitiveness Agenda recommends several policy changes that would increase rulemaking transparency and consistency. HB 2454 would increase accountability.
Where can I learn more: Click the video to the right to watch Paloma’s testimony. Learn more about the Oregon Competitiveness Agenda here.