November 27, 2024 3:00 p.m. 

On Tuesday, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek announced that she is using her constitutional authority to call a special session of the Oregon Legislature, to begin on Thursday, December 12th.

A release said the session is being called for lawmakers to appropriate funds to pay for the historic 2024 wildfire season. A record 1.9 million acres burned this wildfire season, far exceeding the state’s 10-year average of 640,000 acres per season, incurring costs of $350 million. The release said with over half of the costs eventually being covered by disaster relief funds from the federal government, the state needs to pay its bills as expeditiously as possible.

Kotek said, “The unprecedented 2024 wildfire season required all of us to work together to protect life, land and property, and that spirit of cooperation must continue in order to meet our fiscal responsibilities. Kotek said, “I am grateful to legislative leaders for coming to the consensus that our best course of action is to ensure the state’s fire season costs are addressed and bills paid by the end of the calendar year”.

The governor is asking the legislature to release a combined total of $218 million to the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal to address all costs of the season assumed to date. This includes meeting the state’s financial obligations to small, medium, and large contractors who worked to protect and support Oregonians for more than five months.