Kotek considers vetoing funding for Willamette Falls Trust, three other bills

Published 7:55 am Monday, August 4, 2025

The Office of the Governor said Kotek is exercising due diligence

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek is considering vetoing a plan to allocate $45 million to the Willamette Falls Trust, along with three other bills from the 2025 legislative session.

The 2025 legislative session adjourned June 27. Kotek has 30 days to sign a bill if it was delivered to her after adjournment and must announce any plan to veto a bill at least five days before filing her decision.

The Legislature approved allocating $45 million from lottery funds to the Willamette Falls Trust to acquire land for a project led by the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs to make Willamette Falls publicly accessible. Located in the Willamette River between West Linn and Oregon City, the falls are natural and horseshoe-shaped.

Kotek’s office said she is committed to using public funds in the most equitable, responsible manner possible, but that she’s interested in seeing how past lottery fund allocations have been spent in city parks and nature bonds.

“The governor supports the opportunity of creating public access to the natural wonder that is Willamette Falls, from both sides of the falls,” according to a statement from her office on Friday. “She is exercising her due diligence to understand more fully the use of these dollars and wants to hear more from all interested parties.”

The Legislature’s grant to the Willamette Falls Trust, a nonprofit organization led by former Gov. Kate Brown, has proven controversial as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde asserts it should have sole control over the falls. The Grand Ronde Tribes were part of the trust but withdrew in 2022.

Other bills Kotek is considering vetoing include:

• House Bill 3824, which allows physical therapists to practice dry needling.
• Senate Bill 976, which allows people to verify whether cattle are pregnant without holding a valid license issued by the Oregon State Veterinary Medical Examining Board under certain circumstances.
• Senate Bill 1047, which requires Curry County and the Water Resources Department to expedite review of applications for use on specified lands.

Kotek did not give a reasoning for the potential policy vetoes but said her team will continue to review these bills and consider all perspectives to inform her decision.

She has until Aug. 8 to make a decision. A two-thirds vote of both houses can override a governor’s veto. The Oregon Legislature is meeting on Aug. 29 to meet for a special session to pass legislation to pay for basic road maintenance and operations, local government transportation spending and transit needs.