Research that Oregon lawmakers consider while writing changes to state law could be shielded from the public under a bill that received a hearing in a Senate committee Wednesday.

Senate Bill 555, introduced by Senate President Rob Wagner, focuses on work carried out by the nonpartisan Legislative Policy and Research Office. LPRO, as it’s known, is a vital part of the legislative process, staffing committees, summarizing bills and – increasingly – carrying out original research to help inform lawmakers’ decisions.

Most of LPRO’s work draws on publicly available information, but LPRO Director Misty Mason Freeman told the Senate Rules Committee that her staff have run into a problem: When the office conducts individual interviews or surveys, it can’t guarantee confidentiality. Information that could reveal the identity of a candid survey respondent, for instance, isn’t protected from public disclosure.

The office recently has surveyed volunteer firefighters and court staff as it looks to brief lawmakers on policy.

“If we were to lay out all of the raw data so that everyone can see exactly what Joe from Roseburg said, Joe from Roseburg is never going to talk to us again,” Mason Freeman told lawmakers. “And anybody who knows about that situation is never going to talk to us again. That compromises our ability to get you information.”

SB 555 is an attempt to alleviate that problem, Mason Freeman said.

The bill would bar the state research office from releasing “the contents or nature of any research requested, collected, maintained or utilized” by the office without express written permission from the person who provided data for the research.

The breadth of that language drew concern on Wednesday.

“It’s a very sweeping bill to put a blanket of secrecy over the work of LPRO,” said Tom Holt, a lobbyist for the Society of Professional Journalists, who said the organization would “object strenuously” to the proposal. “The public has a right to know how policy is getting made.”

Holt said Oregon journalism organizations would be willing to discuss a more narrow bill to address Mason Freeman’s concern.

The state’s largest business lobbying group, Oregon Business and Industry, offered a similar warning.

“LPRO is intended to be nonpartisan and unbiased and serve the Legislature as a whole,” said Paloma Sparks, a lobbyist for the group. ”We are concerned that this would allow work to be kept secret from the public and from other members of the Legislature.”

At least one lawmaker offered a similar take. State Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, said the bill “seems like more of a hatchet approach than a scalpel approach.” Thatcher says she preferred the scalpel approach.

That sentiment is likely to doom SB 555 in its current form, but Mason Freeman suggested Wednesday her office might come back to lawmakers with a revamped proposal.

“We fully recognize that this concept may not be ready this session, or may need some amendments,” she said.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/03/12/bill-legislative-policy-block-research-state-law-public-data/