Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson Greenlights January Special Election on Tax Repeal

State's top elections official says Republican lawmakers gathered more than enough signatures to make the ballot.

Secretary of State Dennis Richardson

It's official: There will be a special election on Jan. 23, 2018 to consider a partial repeal of House Bill 2391, a healthcare and insurance tax increase passed in the 2017 session.

Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, Oregon's top elections official announced the result today.

"Of the 84,367 signatures submitted, 70,320 or 85.43% were deemed valid which exceeds the required number of 58,789," Richardson said in a statement.

State Reps. Julie Parrish (R-West Linn) and Cedric Hayden (R-Roseburg) set out to repeal parts of the measure soon after it passed. Their measure is referendum #301.

A fiscal impact committee estimates that if the repeal succeeds, it will cost the 2017-19 budget $840 million and $1.3 billion.

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