Nash: Urban politicians block rural housing bill
By Terry Murry on Monday, February 16th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – Oregon State Senator Todd Nash (R-Enterprise is sharply critical of the failure of Senate Bill 1578 to move out of the Senate Housing Committee. He said that panel initially expressed support, but then bent to pressure from “political allies who are intent on halting housing production in Oregon.”
Senate Bill 1578 was the result of work with county commissioners and planners in Eastern Oregon and had gained the support of all 36 counties in Oregon. It would have allowed counties with some of the lowest-density populations in the nation to designate an additional 50 acres for housing. Nash said it would help address the housing shortage in rural Oregon by making a modest change to the state’s land-use law. Its creators said it would not compromise critical agriculture land.
“I spent the last few years developing this proposal with the people who actually live and work in rural Oregon and who are begging for more housing,” Nash said. We’re talking about 50 acres in counties with hundreds of thousands – even millions – of acres and populations as small as 1,500 people. Two hundred fifty new hoes would be transformative in these rural Eastern Oregon counties.”
Nash said that local commissioners and planners know far better than the politicians on the “other side of the state” where housing can and should go in their communities.
File photo of Sen. Todd Nash
