Legislators are taking up a number of proposals this session that deal with wildfire.

One exempts awards from a lawsuit over wildfire from income taxes.

Another might give people who had their homes destroyed in the 2020 wildfires a break on their property taxes for a new home built on the same lot up to the old square footage.

Three proposals are a bit broader.

Earlier this year we told you about a possible bill that would charge every property owner in the state a $10 fee to help raise money for state wildfire protection. That seems dead.

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner, D-Portland, dropped it after the Oregon Capital Chronicle revealed that some timber companies were involved in the proposal and had made donations to her campaign for treasurer. She is proposing to reduce per-acre fees that some agricultural landowners pay for wildfire protection.

Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, is proposing a ballot measure that would mean many Oregonians would pay more for wildfire protection. It would lead to a new statewide property tax “not to exceed $0.25 per $1,000” of the assessed value of the property to fund a new statewide body for public safety. He also has a bill to create a related task force to create the new entity.

Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, is proposing a new tax that would mean timber companies would pay more for wildfire protection. It would be a tax on the sale of timber cut on private land larger than 500 acres. The tax would be referred to the ballot.

We’d like to see the proposals from Evans and Golden on the ballot so voters can decide.