---
type: "Bill"
title: "Relating to Willamette Falls navigation infrastructure; and declaring an emergency."
description: "Establishes Willamette Falls Locks Commission as advisory body for issues relating to repair, reopening, operation, maintenance and future transfer of ownership of navigational canal and locks."
jurisdiction: "us/states/or"
legislature: "Oregon Legislative Assembly"
session: "2017 Regular Session"
identifier: "SB 256"
citation: "Oregon SB 256 (2017 Regular Session)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["Alan Olsen", "Ann Lininger", "Bill Kennemer", "Julie Parrish", "Mark Meek", "Richard Devlin"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 24
vote_count: 4
first_action: "2017-01-09T18:52:09+00:00"
last_action: "2017-08-23T20:41:03+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/1402934b-b807-43aa-97ba-f84fdbef46c3"
source_url: "https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Measures/Overview/SB256"
source_hash: "bd9030bc58d8764ac813afc8682449bbb78a289dc3164800ce6b804cdc167b6f"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-or"]
---

# Oregon SB 256 (2017 Regular Session) — Relating to Willamette Falls navigation infrastructure; and declaring an emergency.

Establishes Willamette Falls Locks Commission as advisory body for issues relating to repair, reopening, operation, maintenance and future transfer of ownership of navigational canal and locks.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB256/Introduced)
2. **Senate Amendments to Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB256/Senate Amendments to Introduced)
3. **A-Engrossed** (committee substitute) — [source](https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB256/A-Engrossed)
4. **Enrolled** (enrolled) — [source](https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2017R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB256/Enrolled)

## Votes

- Heard and Reported Out — **5–0** (pass) · legislature
- Third reading. Carried by Meek. Passed. — **60–0** (pass) · legislature
- Third reading. Carried by Monroe. Passed. — **29–0** (pass) · legislature
- Heard and Reported Out with Amendments — **44–0** (pass) · legislature

## Sponsors

- Alan Olsen — primary (person)
- Ann Lininger — primary (person)
- Bill Kennemer — primary (person)
- Julie Parrish — primary (person)
- Mark Meek — primary (person)
- Richard Devlin — primary (person)
- Alissa Keny-Guyer — cosponsor (person)
- Arnie Roblan — cosponsor (person)
- Bill Hansell — cosponsor (person)
- Brad Witt — cosponsor (person)
- Caddy McKeown — cosponsor (person)
- Carla Piluso — cosponsor (person)
- Chuck Thomsen — cosponsor (person)
- David Gomberg — cosponsor (person)
- Fred Girod — cosponsor (person)
- Ginny Burdick — cosponsor (person)
- Jackie Winters — cosponsor (person)
- Jeff Barker — cosponsor (person)
- Jeff Reardon — cosponsor (person)
- John Huffman — cosponsor (person)
- Karin Power — cosponsor (person)
- Kathleen Taylor — cosponsor (person)
- Ken Helm — cosponsor (person)
- Laurie Monnes Anderson — cosponsor (person)
- Lew Frederick — cosponsor (person)
- Mike Nearman — cosponsor (person)
- Rob Nosse — cosponsor (person)
- Rod Monroe — cosponsor (person)
- Susan McLain — cosponsor (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2017-01-09T18:52:09+00:00** Introduction and first reading. Referred to President's desk. `introduction, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2017-01-17T16:06:43+00:00** Referred to Business and Transportation, then Ways and Means. `referral-committee`
- **2017-02-15T23:01:00+00:00** Public Hearing and Work Session held.
- **2017-02-20T22:07:46+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass and be referred to Ways and Means by prior reference.
- **2017-06-14T20:01:00+00:00** Public Hearing held.
- **2017-06-20T20:01:00+00:00** Work Session cancelled.
- **2017-06-27T20:01:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2017-06-07T00:10:00+00:00** Assigned to Subcommittee On Transportation and Economic Development. `referral-committee`
- **2017-06-28T20:03:00+00:00** Returned to Full Committee.
- **2017-06-28T20:01:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2017-06-29T19:01:00+00:00** Work Session held.
- **2017-06-30T16:21:50+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass with amendments. (Printed A-Eng.) `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-07-01T16:35:04+00:00** Second reading. `reading-2`
- **2017-07-03T21:22:58+00:00** Third reading. Carried by Monroe. Passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-07-05T15:25:47+00:00** First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk. `introduction, reading-1, referral-committee`
- **2017-07-06T01:38:39+00:00** Referred to Ways and Means. `referral-committee`
- **2017-07-06T21:55:11+00:00** Recommendation: Do pass. `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2017-07-06T23:26:45+00:00** Second reading. `reading-2`
- **2017-07-07T17:06:04+00:00** Third reading. Carried by Meek. Passed. `passage, reading-3`
- **2017-07-18T20:42:13+00:00** President signed. `passage`
- **2017-07-18T20:45:00+00:00** Speaker signed. `passage`
- **2017-08-15T17:39:28+00:00** Governor signed. `executive-signature`
- **2017-08-23T20:36:16+00:00** Chapter 734, 2017 Laws.
- **2017-08-23T20:41:03+00:00** Effective date, August 15, 2017.

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/1402934b-b807-43aa-97ba-f84fdbef46c3`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Oregon legislature records).