Bill > HB2376

This bill creates the Wallowa Rural and Recreational Economic Development Board to enhance economic development, workforce development, and housing in a specific rural region of Wallowa County, Oregon. The board will consist of seven voting members appointed by the Governor and will have the power to develop strategies, award grants, and make loans to eligible applicants such as local governments, businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations. The bill allows Wallowa County to rezone up to 50 acres of resource-use land within a half-mile of city limits for residential development, subject to specific conditions, including establishing a four-member review board to evaluate rezoning applications. The board will focus on promoting job creation, preventing job losses, supporting business enterprise, developing industrial sites, and improving workforce training and education in the region. The legislation is geographically specific, targeting an area more than 60 miles from a major metropolitan area with a recreation or tourism-based economy, and includes cities like Enterprise, Joseph, Lostine, and Wallowa. The board will be required to submit annual reports on its activities and the impact of its grant and loan programs, with the entire initiative set to sunset on January 2, 2037. The bill declares an emergency, making it effective immediately upon passage.

Business and Industry

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB2376