Senate Bill 819, a contentious bill about abbreviated days, was amended and moved out of the House Committee on Education last week on a 4-3 partisan vote.
The bill broadly clarifies existing requirements and creates new ones about placing students with disabilities, or those who may have disabilities, onto abbreviated school day schedules. Notably, the bill would give students with a disability the right to require access to a full day of school, most likely in their neighborhood. The House Committee on Education worked the bill last Thursday, May 18, just before the May 19 second chamber procedural deadline to vote on bills.
Bill proponents, including Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin (D-Corvallis), told committee members about the bill’s necessity, saying that students with disabilities “don’t have any less right” to attend a full day of school than any other student, as this is “guaranteed under the 14th Amendment” to the United States Constitution. Discussion in committee was contentious. Some legislators, including Rep. Emily McIntire (R- Eagle Point), expressed opposition to the bill, citing potential costs to school districts.
The bill now moves to the House floor for a vote by the full chamber. This is notable because initially the bill was expected to require funding, potentially millions of dollars. But the measure’s fiscal analysis indicates that cost calculations are challenging and that the bill will have a “minimal” fiscal impact. Because the bill was amended in committee, if it is voted out of the House it must return to the Senate for concurrence. Given the ongoing walkout by Senate Republicans and related inability of that chamber to do business, this procedural requirement could represent a significant hurdle.
-Richard Donovan
Legislative Services specialist
