New year, new laws in Oregon

(JANUARY 3, 2025) Many new laws in Oregon began on January 1. The website of Oregon Public Broadcasting described some of them.

Oregon is now the fourth state with a "right to repair" law. This means that cell phone makers must offer tools and information for people to fix their devices. This will let independent shops and owners repair their own phones without needing to go to the manufacturer.

Another law makes possession of drugs like heroin and meth a crime again. The new law is about using drugs on public transportation. It increases the penalty. Criminals might spend up to a year in jail.

A new law allows schools to add cameras to the stop arms of their buses. If a driver does not stop for the school bus when its lights are flashing and the stop arm is out, then the school can send the video recording to police. Police can give the driver a ticket.

Cameras are now also required at meetings of school boards (the group of people who manage the schools). Schools must post a video or audio recording of their regular meetings within a week of the meeting.

Finally, there are new penalties for people who create, distribute, or access video recordings of animals being killed or tortured. There's already a similar federal law, but people say it is difficult to enforce. So the Oregon law will be another way to help solve this problem.