Oregon's self-service gas bill moves to House floor

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – The bill that will allow Oregonians to pump their own gas at stations around the state will move to the House floor after members of the House Committee on Emergency Management voted to advance it in a work session Thursday. 

House Bill 2426 is a bipartisan bill with chief sponsors Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany; Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene; Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles; and Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro. 

The bill would allow gas stations across the state to give drivers the option to either pump their own gas or have an attendant do it. It would require that gas cost the same amount no matter what service a person chooses and would not allow stations to have more self-service pumps than they have attendant-service pumps. 

Businesses would need to have clearly visible signs that indicate which pumps are designated for self-service and which are for attendant service. 

Proponents of the bill say it will help address the labor shortages many gas stations have been dealing with for the last few years. 

“As a legislative body, we should look for opportunities to help ease that labor shortage across industry sectors. This bill proposes to do just that,” Boshart Davis said at a previous public hearing. 

Of the written testimony submitted to the Oregon state legislature as of Thursday, March 9, 11 people said they support the bill, six people oppose the bill and one person was neutral on the issue. 

Aileen Kaye from Turner, Oregon wrote to lawmakers to say she opposes the bill. She said she’s spoken to gas station attendants who say they want to keep their jobs and fear this bill could cause their employers to lay them off. 

Kaye said there are no shortages of gas station attendants where she lives and she enjoys not having to get out in the wind and rain to pump her own gas.