Gov. Tina Kotek on Aug. 7 closed the book on several contested items from the 2025 legislative session — greenlighting a $45 million allocation for the Willamette Falls Trust while using her veto pen on two bills that drew wide, if disparate, support. The moves mark a cautious end to a bruising post-session review that touched tribal politics, rural health care and water permitting.
Governor frames decision as due diligence
In a short statement accompanying her final actions, Kotek said she gathered additional information after issuing a notice of potential vetoes and made decisions she believes "reflect what is best for the state." The governor’s office posted a summary of the signed and vetoed measures and included signing letters explaining her conditions.
According to the Office of the Governor, Kotek’s approval of the Willamette Falls funding came after the Willamette Falls Trust provided commitments on transparency and restrictions about seeking additional state funding.
Willamette Falls funding clears final hurdle amid tribal tensions
The governor signed the $45 million allocation for the Willamette Falls Trust, a coalition of tribal governments and nonprofit partners planning public access, scenic improvements and cultural programming at the falls. That money had been one of several items Kotek flagged for potential veto last week.
Reporting from OPB notes the decision follows commitments from the trust to accept accountability measures and not seek additional legislative dollars, while supporters argued the investment is a rare chance to restore long-closed public access to one of the state’s most iconic sites.
But the appropriation was never just about parks and trails. Longstanding disputes among regional tribes over stewardship and treaty rights have shadowed the proposal, and critics — including leaders of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde — urged Kotek to block the funds. Coverage in Willamette Week details the intertribal and political pressures that surrounded the question.
Dry needling signed; cattle pregnancy bill vetoed
Alongside the Willamette Falls decision, Kotek signed House Bill 3824 to allow certain physical therapists to perform dry needling, while directing regulators to limit the practice to musculoskeletal claims and to clarify insurance coding — a compromise meant to balance patient access and acupuncturists’ concerns. Oregon Capital Chronicle covers the governor’s signing letter that laid out those conditions.
But not every bill she’d signaled she was considering survived. Kotek vetoed Senate Bill 976, which would have allowed trained non-veterinarians to verify cattle pregnancies and be paid for the service. The governor’s veto letter cited public-health concerns — warning that allowing unlicensed providers to perform and be paid for these services could reduce veterinarians’ role in disease detection and reporting. The agricultural trade outlet Capital Press reported on the veto and the bill sponsor’s pushback.
Why the cattle bill mattered
Supporters argued SB 976 responded to a shortage of large-animal veterinarians in parts of Oregon; opponents and the governor countered that loosening licensing could create oversight gaps and undercut disease surveillance. The bill passed both chambers with near-unanimous margins, and its sponsor has publicly signaled interest in exploring an override or other avenues to restore the measure, according to reporting by OPB.
Water permitting veto underscores rural concerns and equity questions
Kotek also vetoed Senate Bill 1047, which would have expedited review of certain water-right applications for projects in Curry County. In her veto letter she argued the bill improperly preferred one county’s projects without a broader policy rationale, saying singling out specific applications in statute undermines deliberative resource management. Oregon Capital Chronicle covered the governor’s initial notice that she was considering that and other vetoes.
Legal implications and tribal litigation context
The Willamette Falls appropriation arrives against a backdrop of active legal disputes over fishing and fishing-access rights tied to the falls, and competing project proposals on both sides of the river. Willamette Week outlines several pending challenges — including litigation that involves Portland General Electric and competing tribal claims — that mean any state investment could be entangled with courtroom contests and negotiated access agreements for years to come.
Separately, veto overrides remain a live procedural option for lawmakers: bills that pass with large margins, like SB 976, sometimes get reconsidered by the Legislature if sponsors marshal the two-thirds support required to overturn a governor’s veto. OPB reports lawmakers are already weighing next steps.
What happens next
With the governor’s formal letters posted and the vetoes filed, the immediate next steps are administrative: the Willamette Falls Trust will move into pre-acquisition planning under the conditions Kotek set, and sponsors of the vetoed bills will decide whether to pursue overrides or alternative fixes. The governor’s office and trust must now translate signed assurances into enforceable bond agreements and oversight language before funds flow.
The two most relevant street locations tied to this story are the State Capitol in Salem and the Willamette Falls scenic area in Clackamas County. The Oregon State Capitol is located at 900 Court St. NE, Salem, and a public viewing point for the falls sits near 120 McLoughlin Blvd., Oregon City.
As the dust settles, the package of decisions illustrates a balancing act: political pressure and coalition-building nudged one contested line item into law, while public-health and equity arguments persuaded the governor to strike others. For now, the Willamette Falls project advances but not without caveats — and at least two bills face an uncertain path forward.
