[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6251691,"mediaKeyId","3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710","parentId",3193520,"title","Committee hears mixed views on exempting battery‑powered backpack sprayers from machine‑powered applicator licensing","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",1131000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710&start=1131&end=1131","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710/thumbnail_1131000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6251691/Oregon/Committee-hears-mixed-views-on-exempting-batterypowered-backpack-sprayers-from-machinepowered-applicator-licensing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251691-4543c5a49c2f5ef22d2b3f13fd49daa2/orig.mp4?Expires=1771111791&Signature=hO5jOSacRyGmbk7tX8kaNnRwccVtm-1f0jswevFsWp4Vojp9oG~slXqiRHDeFdz84q5uI25AyY7uZ9o8agV1y09m9uiY3ODMDQ11XD~SXHuZufRyL188781G3VgdF1YMX3C-SAFQBv3wRaY3jASM40Qcn6EXklER6t51x8jPeI~tp9YlGj~CNDvC-~Ovnjkraa-n6ISP0m3w-RaOmHDwIgy-XNognIZQnHwIIYTfon8UOVKzw7VDhJVaiLTGYut-1tsqC0iaGX2C6l8jQkH9g9Aq7eaJa08As39IAJ06w3~oLKRQNuPzzdeVFgljwMP355Qs6T3lqluDQoSLPhrWZA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","article","The Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee on May 5 heard testimony for and against Senate Bill 360, a bill that would exempt certain employees using battery‑powered devices to apply pesticides from some current machine‑powered applicator licensing requirements and direct the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) to develop standards and training for safe use.

Senator David Brock Smith and Representative Eric Boyce described the bill as a constituent-driven effort to update licensing rules for newer, battery‑powered backpack sprayers, and said it would make application easier for public employees and small employers using nonrestricted pesticides. Tim Gross, a public‑sector maintenance worker, testified he uses backpack sprayers to maintain parks and public cemeteries and said a battery‑powered 5‑gallon sprayer relieves physical strain compared with a hand‑pump sprayer.

Opponents, including the Oregon Environmental Council, urged caution. Jay Ward of OEC said machine‑powered devices can increase the scale and consistency of application and therefore the potential for harm; he recommended retaining existing licensing while ODA studies risks and benefits. ODA staff (Deputy Director Jonathan Sandow in the transcript) explained the bill’s scope to the committee: the exemption is aimed at public applicator contexts, would not change rules for private or commercial applicators, and (as discussed in testimony) would provide an exemption for certain machine‑powered licensing up to a five‑gallon threshold in public‑applicator settings. ODA staff also clarified that aerial or drone application would still require appropriate aerial applicator licensing and that the bill does not change the rule excluding school campuses from the public‑applicator exemption.

Committee members asked questions about safety, whether the change would apply to school grounds, drone use, and who would be covered under the public‑applicator umbrella. Witnesses and staff answered that hand‑pump, small private applicator activity remains separate from public‑applicator licensing; the bill as described would not alter aerial/drone licensing and retains exclusions for school campuses. The hearing closed with no recorded committee vote in the transcript excerpt.

Direct quotes in testimony highlighted ergonomic benefits cited by a public employee and public‑health concerns raised by an environmental organization; ODA staff provided technical clarifications on license types and equipment categories.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water 05/05/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Testimony on Senate Bill 360 divided between proponents who say battery-powered sprayers reduce ergonomic strain for public employees and opponents who warn automation could increase pesticide use and risk; Department of Agriculture officials clarified scope and limits in a May 5 public hearing.","taxTitle","Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17399,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251695,"Committee hears support for temporary leasing of irrigation rights to restore Walla Walla streamflows",896,216000,1112000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710&start=216&end=1112","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710/thumbnail_216000.jpg","/articles/6251695/Oregon/Committee-hears-support-for-temporary-leasing-of-irrigation-rights-to-restore-Walla-Walla-streamflows","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251695-0bc7f59607ed3064c36005a47e15300f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771111791&Signature=LjZmowAC-WwXk73tpNSbFbvb8CMuxR7QXH3e8wrl-pGm8aWxIdrnhZgHJWqnCw9VE4H4n0fvh1c8hkyYCEgy~EGG8O-E07N0tjjGwSBO0Naol3V4-lWuZp7QwEGuQscnmlpn63LjNnIwrYa5u3BRK1B7L8K9wixs~PINc6j5dDoJzZTbgGHg7X8QeJxkPkY7eNhOUExJzJ5a3KQ4xP4SgiC-zuFRq9siDjBbzO9NeFrVCgepio~8fek3-~XpavvATkOqY5VFXAVaSEXQmm9n1PK96XBNtgwyvOSE-hZugoZzHHJrP05ezLJgVEYVrQVTFTz-R7a10qHCtpaFoQzoXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee on May 5 heard testimony on Senate Bill 761, which would authorize the Oregon Water Resources Department to approve, through 2030, applications by eligible districts in the Walla Walla Basin to lease all or a portion of existing irrigation water rights for temporary conversion to in-stream use.

Supporters including Senator Todd Nash, Representative Bobbie Levy, April Snell of the Oregon Water Resources Congress, Travis Crum of the Walla Walla River Irrigation District, and a representative of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation described the measure as a locally developed, collaborative tool to return water to streams while protecting agriculture and water-rights holders. Committee staff said the bill implements criteria and safeguards to protect property rights and local decision-making.

Senator Nash and Representative Levy said the bill builds on earlier work, including legislation enacted last year (sponsored in part by Senator Hansel and Representative Levy) that set up a framework for cooperative management across the Oregon–Washington state line. Testimony noted that the Confederated Tribes have leveraged federal funding for the basin and that Washington has committed funds to the effort; witnesses described the Walla Walla Water 2050 strategic plan as the basin’s locally developed roadmap.

Travis Crum, district manager of the Walla Walla River Irrigation District, said participating irrigators have adjusted practices for decades and that the bill would allow districts to reduce diversions at headgates and leave water in the stream without the current requirement that the water follow farmland — a constraint that complicated crediting for perennial crops such as orchards and vineyards.

Anton Quiono, speaking for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), said salmon and the basin’s fisheries are central to tribal treaty rights and cultural life and that cooperative, cross‑state management is necessary to restore flows and fisheries. Proponents asked the committee to support the bill and accompanying funding; no final committee vote on the measure was recorded in the excerpt.

The hearing record in the transcript shows a public hearing and multiple proponent witnesses; the excerpt does not include opponent testimony or a committee decision on the bill in this session.","A May 5 public hearing on Senate Bill 761 focused on a proposal to allow eligible districts in the Walla Walla Basin to lease existing irrigation water rights temporarily for in-stream use; supporters including local irrigators and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation urged the committee to advance the measure.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_46":93,"_48":94,"_50":95,"_52":96,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":97,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":98,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251699,"Committee advances amendments and due-pass recommendations on three bills covering dogs, hunting tags and land-use fees",238,2000,240000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710&start=2&end=240","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3193520-975b78d5ec353add51af728d48036710/thumbnail_2000.jpg","/articles/6251699/Oregon/Committee-advances-amendments-and-due-pass-recommendations-on-three-bills-covering-dogs-hunting-tags-and-land-use-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251699-dcc85df2213216b6c4df8ebc84235bfe/orig.mp4?Expires=1771111792&Signature=mkeIqx3AFIeLGuvS9Tn-WH8guY8mVIhnQBMqX5rr7bm-eKMcXypuoXakIunUILTwIrbfETkQeAh18US5Cnb9UNipyEKOP1DFYiaoE5cf4u8o~56iO14Ak1PIbqO7N8UNBRitENATlhySyfZ71~vVRh7lYPH5OtCjL15O2ydB7mP~DAhFJHzVcD~8q1n6FtajTCeAnMWmkDFJ8x1pxTQ-mQIyIeCd7amQi4N~h9z01mpbPiv9xCM6Wqywzrsfnxknp31JPndT79HmkVNRei1-iXxfwe1cO3Qy172WXhBQoXhPby4NMiO1MRAhFxaCraRYgG3o4A6R3rdyij08CmUJMQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee on May 5 adopted an amendment to Senate Bill 733, voted to send Senate Bill 812 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation, and approved Senate Bill 817 to increase certain land-use board fees.

The committee’s staff member summarized each item before votes. Committee staff said Senate Bill 733 revises the definition of “potentially dangerous dog” to include dogs that injure or kill livestock and that the dash-2 amendment adds “jennies and hinnies” to the definition of livestock; staff said there is no fiscal or revenue impact. A motion to adopt the dash-2 amendment carried, and the committee then moved Senate Bill 733, as amended, to the Senate floor with a due-pass recommendation. Representative Boyce agreed to carry the bill to the floor.

Committee staff said Senate Bill 812 would make landowner-preference tags for hunting deer, elk and antelope on private property permanent; staff reported no fiscal or revenue impact. The committee moved SB 812 to the floor with a due-pass recommendation and Co-chair Owens said he would carry it.

On Senate Bill 817, staff said the bill increases Land Use Board of Appeals filing fees for motions to intervene and notices of intent to appeal, and that the revenue impact statement has been issued and fiscal effects are minimal. The committee moved SB 817 with a due-pass recommendation; Co-chair Helm agreed to carry the bill.

All three items were handled as work-session motions with no extended public testimony recorded in the hearing excerpt. The committee record shows motions and sponsors as summarized; no roll-call tallies or recorded dissents were provided in the transcript excerpt.","The Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water Committee adopted an amendment and recommended two bills for the Senate floor, and approved increased fees for certain land-use board filings during a May 5 work session.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee hears mixed views on exempting battery‑powered backpack sprayers from machine‑powered applicator licensing

Committee hears support for temporary leasing of irrigation rights to restore Walla Walla streamflows

Committee advances amendments and due-pass recommendations on three bills covering dogs, hunting tags and land-use fees