Bend's leaders backed HB 4177. The governor vetoed it.

What HB 4177 would have done

HB 4177 (2026) would have rewritten parts of Oregon's public meetings law, including the rules on "serial" communications, meaning chains of calls or texts among members of a governing body. It was meant to refine a 2023 law, HB 2805, which some local officials called confusing or too vague. Journalist and publisher groups warned that it would let public officials do important work in private. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission told lawmakers in a memo that it would "allow a body to conduct more activities in private and outside of public view." Supporters included city and county governments and school boards. They said officials needed clear rules, for example so they would not break the law by texting each other a news article. Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed the bill on April 16, 2026, so it never became law. She called the bill's goal important and asked the Ethics Commission to work with lawmakers and others on a better proposal for 2027.

The vote and the veto

The Oregon House passed HB 4177 47-4 on March 4, 2026, and the Senate passed it 25-3 on March 6, 2026. Most lawmakers in both parties voted yes. Supporters, including city and county governments and school boards, said the bill would make clear that officials don't break the law by doing things like texting each other an article. On April 16, 2026, Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed it. In her veto letter, she wrote that she understood the bill's goal of making the rules clearer for public officials, but "there are concerns that some of the new language could be utilized to circumvent transparency." She asked the Oregon Government Ethics Commission to work with the Legislature, her office and key stakeholders on workable language for the 2027 session. It was the only bill she vetoed from the 2026 regular session.

Mayor Melanie Kebler: testified in support

On Feb. 17, 2026, Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler testified to the Oregon House Committee on Rules in support of HB 4177. The same day, she sent the committee a follow-up letter on City of Bend letterhead supporting the bill. Her side: she wrote that the final language of the 2023 law, HB 2805, had "proven confusing and overly complex," and that HB 4177 "offers much-needed clarity while preserving transparency."

Rep. Jason Kropf (D, House District 54): voted yes

Rep. Jason Kropf (D) represents House District 54, which includes most of Bend. On March 4, 2026, he voted yes on House Bill 4177, a bill that would have changed Oregon's public meetings law. The bill passed the House 47-4. Earlier, on Feb. 19, 2026, Kropf had also voted yes when the House Rules Committee, where he served, advanced an earlier version of the bill 7-0.

The bill would have let officials on the same governing body share information about an upcoming decision through chains of calls or texts without it counting as a public meeting. Journalist groups, news publishers and state ethics officials warned it would make government less transparent. Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed the bill on April 16, 2026.

The other side: city and county governments and school boards backed the bill. They said the 2023 public meetings law needed to be clearer. Lawmakers passed it while promising to come back in 2027 to make any fixes that might be needed.

He filed no written testimony on the bill, and its official history shows no vote explanation from him. In an April 5, 2026 Bulletin column by editorial page editor Richard Coe, Rep. Kropf said stakeholders who worked on the bill would be watching how it is used and implemented. [Bulletin column]

Rep. Emerson Levy (D, House District 53): voted yes

Rep. Emerson Levy, a Democrat, represents Oregon House District 53, which includes north Bend, Sisters and Tumalo. On March 4, 2026, she voted yes on House Bill 4177, a bill that would have changed how public officials may talk with each other outside of public meetings. It passed the Oregon House 47-4. Two days earlier, on March 2, she also voted yes when the Joint Committee on Ways and Means advanced the bill 19-3. The Senate passed it 25-3 on March 6. Journalist groups and news publishers asked Gov. Tina Kotek to veto it, and leaders of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission raised similar concerns. Kotek vetoed the bill on April 16, 2026. It was her only veto from that session.

The other side: Lawmakers from both parties voted for the bill, including House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer. Only four House members voted no. City and county governments and school boards backed it. They said officials needed it to make clear they do not break the law when they text each other an article about an issue. When she vetoed it, Kotek said "the goal of this bill is important" but "we must get the details right." She asked the Ethics Commission to work with lawmakers on a better proposal for 2027. An April 5, 2026 Bulletin column by editorial page editor Richard Coe reported that Rep. Levy pointed out the bill made clear that city councilors simply speaking with constituents should not be seen as trying to secretly get around the public meetings law. [Bulletin column]

Sen. Anthony Broadman (D, Senate District 27): voted yes

Sen. Anthony Broadman (Democrat, Senate District 27, which includes Bend) voted yes on House Bill 4177 on March 6, 2026. The bill would have changed Oregon's public meetings law. It passed the Senate 25-3 that day, after passing the House 47-4 on March 4. Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed it on April 16, 2026. It was her only veto of a bill from the 2026 session. Journalist groups and Oregon news publishers had asked her to veto it, and leaders of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission had raised similar concerns that it would lessen transparency.

His side: In an April 5, 2026 column by Bulletin editorial page editor Richard Coe, Broadman said he does not think a quorum of public officials should meet to discuss business that is before them, or will be, "unless it's in a public meeting." Supporters of the bill, including city and county governments and school boards, said it would make clear that officials do not break the law by doing things like texting each other an article. Kotek said the bill's goal was important. She asked the state ethics commission to work with her office, lawmakers and others on solutions for the 2027 session.

Vetoed, with a new workgroup for 2027

Gov. Tina Kotek vetoed HB 4177 on April 16, 2026, and the veto still stands. The Legislature has not tried to override it. The Legislature's official bill record lists no action after "Governor vetoed" on April 16 and shows the bill's location as "House Desk - Vetoed." The Legislature has not met in session since the veto. Its bill system lists no session after the 2026 regular session, which adjourned March 6. Under the Oregon Constitution, a bill vetoed after the session ends goes before the Legislature at its next session, and an override needs a two-thirds vote of the members present in each chamber.

The bill itself has not been revived, but work on the same subject has started again. Rep. Nathan Sosa, D-Hillsboro, who requested HB 4177, convened a new legislative workgroup on improving Oregon's Public Meetings Law. It first met on July 16, 2026. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission says its staff and its chair are members of the group. In its materials for its Sept. 11, 2026 meeting, the commission reported that the group had met twice and had more meetings planned. The Legislature's bill system does not list a 2027 session yet, so no replacement bill has been filed there.

Their side: OPB and the Oregon Capital Chronicle reported that in her veto letter, Kotek asked the Government Ethics Commission to work with her office, the Legislature and stakeholders, including the media and local government groups, on solutions for the 2027 session. "I believe there is a way to write the needed changes into law without hindering the public's right to ethical and transparent government and without undermining the public's trust in their elected and appointed leaders," she wrote. The Capital Chronicle reported that lawmakers passed the bill while promising to come back in 2027 to make any fixes that might be needed. Before the veto, Sosa said: "This bill was a good faith effort to provide greater clarity for everyone while preserving the purpose of our public meetings laws."