HB 4144
Plain-language analysis
Generated analysis, not an official summary or legal advice. Confirm with linked Oregon documents.
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HB 4144 establishes a statewide extended producer responsibility program for portable and medium-format batteries, requiring manufacturers to fund and manage collection, recycling, and public education through approved Producer Responsibility Organizations, while increasing the Department of Environmental Quality’s expenditure limit by $142,317 in the 2025–27 biennium to cover initial administrative startup costs.
Basis: Bill text · Sources: House Amendments to Introduced; Staff Measure Summary; Budget Report A
Official staff analysis states that extended producer responsibility programs are designed to reduce waste, lower public expenditure on waste management, and encourage innovative product design, while addressing improper battery storage, disposal types, and fire response costs.
Basis: Official analysis · Source: Staff Measure Summary
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The explicit statutory prohibition on point-of-sale consumer surcharges suggests a legislative intent to prevent direct price pass-throughs to households, shifting financial burden entirely upstream to manufacturers while maintaining retail accessibility and preventing consumer backlash over battery pricing.
Basis: Inferred · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Must join a Producer Responsibility Organization, pay market-share-based membership fees, and fund collection infrastructure. Faces civil penalties up to $10,000/day for non-participation.
Basis: Bill text · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Must accept covered batteries at no cost, provide fair compensation for handling expenses, and display educational materials. Exempt from compensation requirements for retail/third-party subscription sites.
Basis: Bill text · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Gains mandated free recycling access (95% within 15 miles) but faces legal liability for disposing of removable lithium-ion batteries in municipal trash.
Basis: Bill text · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Gains regulatory authority, rulemaking power, inspection rights, and enforcement penalties. Incurs permanent staffing costs ($142,317 in 2025-27; $290,348 in 2027-29) offset by future administrative fees.
Basis: Bill text · Sources: House Amendments to Introduced; Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Producers must restructure supply chains to meet membership deadlines (September 1, 2028) and program launch (July 1, 2029). Retailers face operational adjustments for collection site compliance but receive cost coverage. Residents gain convenient recycling access but bear legal liability for improper disposal. DEQ incurs permanent staffing costs offset by future fee revenue. Civil penalties up to $10,000/day create strong compliance incentives and require robust tracking systems for batteries from collection to final disposition.
Basis: Bill text · Sources: House Amendments to Introduced; Budget Report A
Rural communities and environmental agencies
A rural county successfully leverages the mandated collection network to establish a permanent hazardous waste drop-off hub, drastically reducing illegal dumping and associated soil/water contamination while generating local jobs in battery logistics.
Basis: Inferred · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Small regional battery distributors
A small distributor fails to join a Producer Responsibility Organization before the deadline, faces continuous $10,000/day penalties for months of sales, and is forced to exit the Oregon market due to insurmountable compliance costs, reducing consumer product availability.
Basis: Inferred · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
The text grants broad discretion over fee structures and design incentives without mandating transparent cost-allocation methodologies or competitive bidding for program administration.
Sources · House Amendments to Introduced
The measure shifts long-term waste management costs from taxpayers and municipalities to battery manufacturers in exchange for guaranteed statewide recycling access and reduced public disposal liabilities. Upsides include lower municipal waste burdens, standardized collection infrastructure, and potential design innovation; downsides include increased upstream manufacturing costs, regulatory compliance complexity for small producers, and reliance on fee-based funding that may initially lag behind program needs.
Eliminates direct consumer surcharges at point of sale while guaranteeing free, equitable collection access statewide.
Basis: Bill text · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Reduces municipal waste management expenditures and hazardous battery fire response costs through producer-funded infrastructure.
Basis: Official analysis · Source: Staff Measure Summary
Increases upstream manufacturing costs and compliance complexity, potentially pricing out small or niche battery producers.
Basis: Inferred · Source: House Amendments to Introduced
Initial startup funding relies on a temporary expenditure limit increase that must be repaid through future fees, creating cash-flow risk if fee collection lags behind program launch.
Basis: Official analysis · Source: Budget Report A
The current House Amendment adds Section 23, explicitly increasing DEQ’s land quality expenditure limitation by $142,317 for the 2025–27 biennium to cover startup costs, with a statutory requirement that these funds be repaid through future administrative fees. This clarifies the funding mechanism compared to the A-Engrossed version, which referenced fee establishment but did not specify the initial expenditure cap increase.
Adds explicit statutory repayment requirement for DEQ startup costs from future administrative fees.
reduces_uncertainty
Sources · House Amendments to Introduced; A-Engrossed
Tradeoff: Shifts initial administrative funding burden from general revenues to a temporary land-quality fee cap increase, with a statutory mandate for future repayment through program fees.
high confidence. Analysis is based solely on the exact published House Amendment bill text and official Legislative Revenue Office and Fiscal Office statements for this version. No external speculation or unverified claims are included.
Possible effects if adopted; not current bill text.
The amendment increases the Department of Environmental Quality’s statutory spending limit for land quality programs by $142,317 for the 2025–27 biennium. This increase draws from non-General Fund sources and is legally required to cover initial administrative costs for a new statewide battery producer responsibility program before those fees generate sufficient revenue to repay the advance.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Budget Report A
Official sources do not state why this measure was proposed.
Sponsor testimony, staff summaries, committee materials, or statutory findings may explain it.
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The amendment likely addresses a statutory spending cap mismatch: the new battery program requires immediate administrative staffing and startup costs, but authorized fee revenue will not fully materialize until later in the biennium. By temporarily raising the expenditure limit, the measure ensures DEQ can legally advance startup funds from existing Land Quality Division resources and be repaid once program fees are collected.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Budget Report A
Gains legal authority to spend an additional $142,317 from non-General Fund sources for land quality administration during the current biennium, enabling immediate hiring and startup operations for the battery program.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Budget Report A
Face delayed cost recovery initially, as startup expenses are advanced by DEQ and later repaid through administrative fees they will pay once the program launches.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
Will receive fair financial compensation from PROs for handling batteries, funded by the fee structure that this expenditure increase helps establish.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Staff Measure Summary
Bear no direct General Fund cost; the measure is structured to be self-funded through producer fees deposited into a dedicated Battery Producer Responsibility Fund.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
DEQ must manage a temporary cash-flow gap by advancing startup costs from existing Land Quality Division revenues, with a statutory mandate to repay those advances once fee receipts are sufficient.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
Producers and PROs will incur administrative fees set by rule, which must be calibrated to cover both ongoing program operations and the repayment of initial DEQ startup costs.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
The measure creates a dedicated funding stream that operates outside the General Fund, insulating program administration from annual budget fluctuations but tying it directly to producer compliance and fee collection timelines.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Enforcement and oversight capacity will expand by 0.50 FTE in the current biennium and 1.00 FTE in the following biennium, increasing DEQ’s ability to review PRO plans, conduct inspections, and assess penalties.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Program beneficiaries and recycling infrastructure
If fee collection accelerates rapidly due to high producer participation, DEQ could fully repay its initial advance within months, leaving the dedicated fund with surplus revenue that could be used to expand collection access in rural areas or subsidize recycling infrastructure ahead of schedule.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
Land Quality Division and program timeline
If producers delay joining PROs or fee revenues fall short of projections, DEQ’s advance remains unrecovered longer than planned, potentially straining existing Land Quality Division resources and delaying the full operational launch of the battery program past the July 2029 deadline.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
The distinction rests on whether expenditures strictly align with approved plan administration versus general division operations, and whether fees are calibrated to actual administrative costs rather than profit or cross-subsidization.
Sources · Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Staff Measure Summary
The measure trades immediate statutory spending flexibility for long-term fiscal neutrality by allowing DEQ to advance startup costs from existing funds, which accelerates program implementation but concentrates financial risk on producer fee collection and requires strict oversight to prevent cost-shifting or fund misallocation.
Enables rapid deployment of administrative capacity without General Fund appropriation.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
Creates a self-sustaining funding mechanism insulated from annual budget cycles.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Aligns costs directly with producers who generate the waste.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Staff Measure Summary
Introduces short-term cash-flow dependency on existing division revenues.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Budget Report A
Ties program viability to fee collection rates and producer participation.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Requires complex rulemaking to balance fee adequacy with statutory caps on consumer surcharges.
Basis: Inferred · Source: Staff Measure Summary
high confidence. The amendment text explicitly states the expenditure increase and its purpose. Official fiscal documents confirm the funding source, position allocation, and repayment mechanism. No contradictory evidence is present.
The amendment increases the Department of Environmental Quality’s spending limit by $142,317 for the 2025–27 biennium to cover initial administrative costs for a new statewide battery producer responsibility program. It does not appropriate General Fund revenue; instead, it authorizes DEQ to draw from existing non-General Fund accounts (specifically the Orphan Site Account) and anticipates repayment through future administrative fees collected from battery producers.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Budget Report A
Official sources do not state why this measure was proposed.
Sponsor testimony, staff summaries, committee materials, or statutory findings may explain it.
Inferred from cited text; not a stated purpose.
The amendment likely addresses a statutory or budgetary constraint requiring explicit expenditure limitation increases before DEQ can legally commit funds to the new program. By increasing the cap in the Orphan Site Account, it enables DEQ to use anticipated administrative fees or transferred resources to cover initial staffing and operational costs without waiting for fee revenue to accumulate.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Budget Report A
Must join a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) by September 2028 and pay administrative fees to DEQ; program costs are apportioned among participating producers based on sales volume or brand share.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Introduced; Staff Measure Summary
Gains authority to spend $142,317 for startup operations and hires a Program Analyst 3 (0.5 FTE); will collect fees into the Battery Producer Responsibility Fund and enforce compliance through inspections and civil penalties.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO
Will receive fair financial compensation from PROs for handling batteries; must comply with new collection/access standards, safety training requirements, and recordkeeping obligations.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Introduced; Staff Measure Summary
Will gain access to convenient battery recycling (95% within 15 miles) at no direct point-of-sale cost, while producers bear program costs; prohibited from disposing of covered batteries in mixed municipal waste.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Introduced; Staff Measure Summary
DEQ can legally commit startup funds immediately rather than waiting for fee revenue to stabilize. PROs must structure fee schedules to cover both their own operations and DEQ's administrative fees, with potential incentives for eco-design. Collection sites gain a new revenue stream (compensation from PROs) but must meet staffing and safety standards. Consumers face no direct fees but benefit from expanded recycling infrastructure. Enforcement mechanisms ($500–$10,000/day penalties) create strict compliance obligations for producers and PROs, with recordkeeping requirements spanning three years.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Introduced; Staff Measure Summary
Statewide environmental and public safety outcomes
DEQ successfully uses the $142,317 to rapidly deploy a robust collection network before fee revenue stabilizes, achieving high recycling rates and preventing hazardous battery fires in landfills while maintaining producer compliance through clear fee structures.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Introduced
Producers and program sustainability
Fee collections fall short of projections; DEQ cannot repay the Land Quality Division loan, forcing program delays or requiring producers to pay higher fees than anticipated, potentially triggering market exit, legal challenges over cost allocation, or inadequate rural collection coverage.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Fiscal Impact Statement INTRO; Introduced
The text legally permits DEQ to increase its expenditure limitation and collect administrative fees strictly tied to program administration costs. A potential unlawful outcome could arise if DEQ or PROs misclassify costs to shift expenses beyond the authorized fee structure, or if weak enforcement allows producers to underreport sales to avoid fees, undermining program funding. The amendment itself does not authorize fee hikes beyond cost recovery; any overcharging would violate the statutory cap on administrative fees.
Sources · Amendment -1 — proposed amendment; Introduced
The measure shifts battery recycling costs from taxpayers and municipalities to producers in exchange for standardized, convenient collection infrastructure and reduced public waste management burdens.
Predictable producer-funded oversight, expanded access to recycling (95% within 15 miles), environmental protection, and antitrust immunity enabling industry collaboration.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Staff Measure Summary; Introduced
Potential fee volatility for manufacturers, administrative complexity for PROs, reliance on accurate sales reporting to sustain funding, and strict disposal prohibitions that may strain municipal waste operations if compliance monitoring is inconsistent.
Basis: Inferred · Sources: Staff Measure Summary; Introduced
high confidence. Analysis is grounded in official fiscal impact statements, budget reports, staff summaries, and the introduced bill text. The amendment's fiscal mechanism and program structure are explicitly documented.
37 records currently loaded
Records available in the current snapshot.
Earliest loaded signal
Introduced bill text posted
Posted Jan 28, 2026, 3:25 PM PST
Follow the official text for HB 4144 and every amendment branch. Connections come from each amendment's stated base. Horizontal position shows when each document was first posted, when available.
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Selected document summary
Targeted changes
What the document says to change
On page 14 of the printed bill, after line 27, insert: 2 “SECTION 23.
No deeper official pre-number history was found.
Chief sponsors: Representative Emerson Levy, Senator Courtney Neron Misslin, Representative Hai Pham, Senator Janeen Sollman, Representative Sue Rieke Smith
Regular sponsors: Representative Tom Andersen, Representative Willy Chotzen, Representative Mark Gamba, Representative David Gomberg, Representative Ken Helm, Representative Shannon Isadore, Representative Bobby Levy, Representative John Lively, Representative Sarah McDonald, Representative Nancy Nathanson, Representative Travis Nelson, Senator Anthony Broadman, Senator Lew Frederick, Senator Deb Patterson, Senator Khanh Pham, Senator Floyd Prozanski, Senator Lisa Reynolds, Representative Lisa Fragala, Representative Jules Walters, Representative Pam Marsh
House carrier
Representative Emerson Levy
Third Reading Of House Bills · Version A
Senate carrier
Senator Courtney Neron Misslin
Third Reading Of House Measures · Version A
A carrier presents the measure or report but is not necessarily its sponsor or author.
Records already listed in Activity are not repeated here.
Official origin records are incomplete; missing facts are not inferred.
No meaningful relationship to Yex Labs LLC was found in the supplied artifact.
74% confidence · deterministic fallback
37 events
Full timeline
37 entries shown.
Chapter 119, (2026 Laws): Effective date January 1, 2027.
Governor signed.
President signed.
Speaker signed.
Third reading. Carried by Neron Misslin. Passed.
Ayes, 20; Nays, 8--Anderson, Girod, Linthicum, Nash, Robinson, Starr, Thatcher, Weber; Excused, 2--Drazan, Hayden.
Carried over to 03-05 by unanimous consent.
Second reading.
Recommendation: Do pass the A-Eng. bill.
Referred to Ways and Means.
First reading. Referred to President's desk.
Third reading. Carried by Levy E. Passed.
Ayes, 42; Excused, 17--Boshart Davis, Diehl, Edwards, Helfrich, Javadi, Lewis, Mannix, McIntire, Nelson, Osborne, Pham H, Reschke, Skarlatos, Tran, Valderrama, Wright, Yunker; Excused for Business of the House, 1--Hartman.
Second reading.
House Amendments to Introduced bill text posted
Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.
Work Session held.
Amendment -1 adopted
Returned to Full Committee.
Work Session held.
Amendment -1 proposed
Assigned to Subcommittee On Natural Resources.
Referred to Ways and Means by prior reference.
Recommendation: Do pass and be referred to Ways and Means by prior reference.
Work Session held.
IS_Impact HB 4144 INTRO
Revenue Impact Statement
IS_Impact HB 4144 INTRO
Revenue Impact Statement
Public Hearing held.
Referred to Climate, Energy, and Environment with subsequent referral to Ways and Means.
First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.
mpaign committee, political committee, or petition committee, starting in 2027. House Bill 4144 (2022) allowed election workers to exempt their residential addresses from publ
nt and other coatings. Oregon has other PROs, including one for mattresses (via Senate Bill 1576, 2022). At least six states and Washington, DC, have established battery EPR pr
g expenditures, the limitation on 3 expenditures established by section 2 (3), chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, for the biennium 4 ending June 30, 2027, as the maximum limit for payment of
10 but excluding lottery funds and federal funds not described in section 11 2, chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, collected or received by the Depart- 12 ment of Environmental Quality, for lan
10 but excluding lottery funds and federal funds not described in section 11 2, chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, collected or received by the Depart- 12 ment of Environmental Quality, for lan
ng expenditures, the limitation on ex- penditures established by section 2 (3), chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, as the maximum limit for payment of exp
ices, but excluding lottery funds and federal funds not described in section 2, chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, collected or received by the Department of Environmental Quality, for land qua
g expenditures, the limitation on 32 expenditures established by section 2 (3), chapter 426, Oregon Laws 2025, for the biennium 33 ending June 30, 2027, as the maximum limit for payment of
S LIMITED NONLIMITED LIMITED NONLIMITED FUNDS POS FTE SUBCOMMITTEE ADJUSTMENTS SCR 003 - Land Quality Personal Services $ - $ - $ 128,037 $ - $ - $ - $ 128,037 1 0.5
S LIMITED NONLIMITED LIMITED NONLIMITED FUNDS POS FTE SUBCOMMITTEE ADJUSTMENTS SCR 003 - Land Quality Personal Services $ - $ - $ 128,037 $ - $ - $ - $ 128,037 1 0.5
“Digest: This Act says that makers of batteries must carry out a plan to collect and recycle batteries. (Flesch Readability Score: 60.1). Requires producers of batteries or battery-containing products to join a battery producer responsibility organization and implement a battery producer responsibility program for the collection and recycling of batteries. Directs the Department of Environmental Quality to administer and enforce requirements of the Act. Establishes the Battery Producer Responsibility Fund. Imposes civil penalties for violations of the Act.”
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