The Oregon House of Representatives has approved House Bill 3954, a measure designed to clarify the circumstances under which the Oregon National Guard can be deployed for federal service. The bill passed with a vote of 32-16 on Friday.

The passage of the bill comes amidst ongoing legal debates surrounding President Donald Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops to Los Angeles.

Democratic Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth, a military member, stated that the bill “reflects long-standing legal precedents.”

“Quite frankly, what we used to think of as normal,” Evans said.

House Bill 3954 seeks to establish clear boundaries regarding the deployment of National Guard units for federal duty. specifically, the bill stipulates that if such mobilization would compromise the Guard’s ability to respond to disasters within Oregon, such as wildfires or earthquakes, the deployment would not be permitted.

The bill was initially introduced in April, prior to President donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles in response to protests against federal immigration raids. That deployment was reportedly the first instance since 1965 of a president deploying a state’s National Guard without the governor’s consent.

“Guess who we look to,” rep. Dacia Grayber said of potential resource shortages during a severe wildfire season, “the National guard.”

Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland, a firefighter, presented a wildfire risk map on the House floor, highlighting the extensive areas of high fire potential across Washington, Oregon, northern California, Montana, and idaho.

“This is the first time in 30 years that this map has been coming out that anyone can remember this fire potential map looking like this,” Grayber said.”And this tells us a couple of things. We are in for a heck of a ride this year with fire season.”

grayber also noted the recent Rowena fire, which destroyed 56 homes, as an example of the state’s vulnerability. She cautioned that Oregon could face challenges in securing fire resources if neighboring states are simultaneously battling wildfires.

The National Guard has historically played a vital role in firefighting efforts in Oregon, particularly during the devastating 2020 wildfire season.

The National Guard serves under the command of both state governors and the President. Oregon’s National Guard comprises approximately 2,300 members of the Air National Guard and 4,800 members of the Army Guard, with bases located throughout the state.

“I see part of this bill as an unneeded and essential step to ensuring that when we most need our folks for the citizens of this state for our homes and our state lands that they are available for that purpose,” Grayber said.

The bill will now be considered by the Senate.