Property

Two Oregon lawmakers, Rep. Pam Marsh and Sen. Khanh Pham, plan to introduce legislation next year to repeal a state records exemption that has hidden details of how hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are spent on subsidized housing. The effort follows ProPublica reporting that revealed Oregon has awarded developers $1.4 billion since 2021, with the cost of building each low-income apartment nearly doubling to $540,000, and another $850 million in state funding lined up for future projects.

Both lawmakers said they were unaware documents were being shielded until reading the reporting. Housing Oregon, an industry lobbying group representing developers and lenders, has voiced strong support for repealing the secrecy provision while urging protections for genuinely sensitive information. Oregon's Sunshine Committee is also reviewing the exemption. The state housing agency, which sought the exemption in 1997 and has cited it to redact cost reports, says it will review any legislation but has not taken a position. Washington and California disclose similar spending without reported harm to housing efforts.