Oregon's 2026 laws read less like a routine legislative update and more like a snapshot of a state actively reshaping the rules around work, technology, and consumer protection. From artificial intelligence and digital privacy to wage liability, healthcare coverage, and online commerce, lawmakers have taken a clear position on issues that are no longer theoretical. The result is a set of statutes that reach deeply into how businesses operate, how data is handled, and how individuals are protected in an a increasingly digital economy.
For employers, insurers, construction professionals, and companies doing business in Oregon, these changes demand more than a cursory compliance review. They reflect a broader recalibration of risk, responsibility, and transparency that will shape litigation exposure, regulatory enforcement, and operational decision-making well beyond the new year.
Artificial Intelligence, Privacy, and Technology Regulation Gain Momentum
Oregon's 2026 legislative package reflects a growing comfort with regulating emerging technology directly, rather than waiting for federal action or judicial development. Several new laws address artificial intelligence, consumer privacy, digital commerce, and evolving methods of communication, signaling that the state intends to keep pace with technological change while reinforcing consumer and individual protections.
Artificial Intelligence Moves into Criminal and Professional Regulation
Two new statutes address the misuse of artificial intelligence in very different but equally consequential contexts. House Bill 2299 expands Oregon's criminal prohibition on the unlawful dissemination of intimate images by updating the definition of an "image" to include digitally created, manipulated, or altered depictions that are reasonably realistic. In practical terms, this amendment brings AI-generated and "deepfake" images squarely within the scope of the statute. The change reflects growing concern that advances in generative AI can be weaponized to create realistic but false intimate images, with serious reputational and emotional harm to victims. By focusing on realism rather than origin, the statute closes a gap that might otherwise have allowed bad actors to evade liability.
Hours Bill 2748 addresses AI from a consumer-protection and professional licensing perspective. The law prohibits a "nonhuman entity," including one powered by artificial intelligence, from using protected nursing titles such as "registered nurse", or "RN." This amendment is aimed at preventing AI-driven chatbots, virtual assistants, or automated systems from presenting themselves in ways that could mislead patients or the public into believing they are interacting with licensed medical professionals. The statute reinforces the importance of title integrity in healthcare and reflects a broader legislative effort to ensure transparency when AI systems interact with consumers.
Oregon Consumer Privacy Act Expands and Evolves
The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (OCPA) continues to mature, with several notable amendments that take effect as the statute moves beyond its initial implementation phase. Under the OCPA, businesses acting as "controllers" of personal data are generally restricted from processing certain categories of data relating to minors without consent. House Bill 2008 refines these rules by narrowing the prohibition on profiling. As amended, profiling is barred only for consumers under the age of 16, rather than for a broader age range. At the same time, the bill adds two categorical prohibitions that apply regardless of consent: the sale of personal data of consumers under 16, and the sale of precise geolocation data, except in limited circumstances such as utility services. Other forms of sensitive data may still be processed with consent, preserving some flexibility for businesses while tightening protections for minors and location-based information.
The scope of the OCPA also expands significantly through House Bill 3875, which brings motor vehicle manufacturers and their affiliates within the law's reach if they collect data from consumers' use of vehicles or vehicle components. Importantly, this applies regardless of whether the manufacturer would otherwise meet the OCPA's applicability thresholds. With modern vehicles generating vast amounts of telematics and behavioral data, this amendment ensures that automative data is subject to the same consumer privacy protections as other forms of personal data.
Enforcement timing is also adjusted. The OCPA originally included a 30-day cure period allowing businesses to correct violations before enforcement. While that cure period sunsets on January 1, 2026, for most entities, Senate Bill 1121 extends the 30-day cure period until June 30, 2026, for certain non-commercial educational broadcast stations, recognizing the operational realities faced by those entities.
Additional Technology-Related Statutes Affecting Business and Consumers
Several other 2026 laws touch technology in ways that may not be immediately obvious but carry real compliance implications.
House Bill 3167 significantly strengthens Oregon's scrutiny of third-party ticket resellers, particularly in the context of concerts, sporting events, and live entertainment. The law targets deceptive practices and automated resale tactics, reflecting continued legislative hostility toward ticket scalping operations that rely on technology to outpace consumers.
Housing technology is also addressed. House Bill 3378 modernizes landlord obligations regarding locks and access. While landlords must still provide working locks and keys, the statute now expressly allows electronic access systems such as smartphone apps, provided tenants are also given alternative means of access to digital tools.
Telemarketing and consumer outreach laws are updated in House Bill 3865, which amends Oregon's telephone solicitation statute to explicitly include text messages. The law also tightens permissible contact hours and limits how frequently business may contact consumers, aligning statutory language with modern communication practices.
Commercial and financial law also sees modernization through Senate Bill 167, which adopts substantial amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code. Among other changes, the bill excludes cryptocurrency and similar digital assets from the definition of "money." It creates a new category of "electronic money," and adds UCC Article 12, governing controllable electronic records. The amendments clarify rights related to control, collateral, and security interests in digital assets and confirm that bank security procedures may include biometric authentication.
Consumer pricing transparency is addressed in Senate Bill 430, which requires most companies that sell goods or services online to include all mandatory fees in the advertised price, with limited exceptions for taxes, actual shipping charges, and a pre-disclosed service fee. Enforcement is added to ORS 646.608, allowing actions by the Attorney General, private plaintiffs, or class actions. This law operates alongside existing prohibitions on deceptive pricing and hidden fees under Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act.
Finally, Senate Bill 1121, beyond its role in extending the OCPA cure period for certain entities, also creates the new crime of unlawful disclosure of private information, Beginning January 2, 2026, knowingly disclosing specified personal information, such as social security numbers, certain contact information, or photographs identifying a person's child or school- without consent and with intent to stalk, injure, or cause property damage- is a criminal act if it results in personal injury or property damage. This statute reflects increasing concern over technology-enabled harassment.
Employment and Labor Law
Pay Transparency at Hiring (SB 906)
Effective January 1, 2026- Senate Bill 906 requires employers to provide all employees with a written explanation of earnings and deductions shown on itemized pay statements at the time of hire. This expands employers' disclosure obligations beyond what was previously required.
- Employers must update onboarding processes and materials to include pay explanation notices at hire.
- Failure to provide required information can expose employers to administrative penalties and claims for non-compliance.
Expanded Use of Paid Sick Leave for Blood Donation (SB 1108)
Effective January 1, 2026, Senate Bill 1108 amends Oregon's Paid Sick Leave Law to explicitly allow employees to use accrued sick time to donate blood through programs approved by organizations such as the American red Cross or the American Association of Blood Banks.
- Sick time accrues one hour for every thirty hours worked, with at least 40 hours available each year under standard law.
Unemployment Benefits for Striking Workers (SB 916)
Effective January 1, 2026- Senate Bill 916 makes Oregon the first state allowing both public and private workers to strike or collect up to ten weeks of unemployment benefits, after an initial two-week disqualification period.
Consumer & Insurance/ Health Benefit Laws
Prohibiting Medical Debt Reporting (SB 605)
Effective January 1, 2026- Senate Bill 605 prohibits health care providers from reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies, and it also prohibits credit agencies from including medical debt on consumer reports. This reflects a growing trend in consumer protection to lessen financial harm associated with healthcare debt.
Perinatal Care Coverage (SB 692)
Senate Bill 692 requires the Oregon Health plan and commercial health benefit plans to cover perinatal services, including those provided by doulas, lactation consultants, and lactation educators.
- Insurers and health plan administrators must update coverage policies and provider networks to reflect this requirement.
Expanded Prosthetic & Orthotic Coverage (SB 699)
Effective January 1, 2026- Senate Bill 699 expands insurance coverage requirements for prosthetic and orthotic devices, including devices medically necessary to perform physical exercise and maximize full-body function. This law broadens insurer obligations and may affect plan design and medical necessity criteria.
Construction & Contractor Liability
Construction Wage Liability Expansion (SB 426)
Effective January 1, 2026- Oregon's expands potential personal liability for unpaid wages in the construction industry. Employers and project sponsors may be held liable for wages owed to workers they did not directly employ or supervise, extending accountability deeper into the contracting chain.
This expands traditional wage liability exposure and may prompt changes in contract forms, surety bonding, and subcontractor vetting.
Conclusion
Taken together, Oregon's 2026 laws reflect a state that is no longer content to regulate in the margins. Instead, lawmakers are deliberately reshaping expectations around transparency, accountability, and risk allocation in an economy increasingly driven by technology and complex employment relationships. From artificial intelligence and digital privacy to wage liability and healthcare coverage, these statutes expand both the scope of compliance and the potential consequences of getting it wrong.
