The legislative walkout continues with no sign of stopping.
Just last week, in an interview with KGW8, Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, reaffirmed his commitment and the commitment of the Senate Democratic Caucus to hold a vote on House Bill 2002. The bill offering protections for abortion and gender-affirming health care has been a major sticking point between the parties.
Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, reaffirmed his commitment to the walkout, in a news release.
The June 25 constitutional deadline for the end of session is just weeks away, and there is no reason to think this impasse will be resolved to save this session. If the session ends without a state budget, the Legislature will have to come back to pass budget bills. Policy bills that haven’t passed the Senate get no guarantees.
The Legislature has nearly ground to a halt, offering an opportunity to look at some education bills in danger of being lost (in no particular order).
Early literacy investments, HB 3198
Current location: Joint Ways and Means Committee
This bill is the vehicle for the first of two education policy priorities for Gov. Tina Kotek this session. It represents a major investment in early literacy, specifically for students from birth to grade three. The final investment level is still under discussion, but Kotek has targeted $140 million.
Education governance, SB 1045
Current location: Senate Rules Committee
The second of Kotek’s education priorities this session would change the tools the Oregon Department of Education has to address illegal discrimination. The bill would also update textbook adoption procedures and create a work group to address K-12 challenges highlighted by last year’s K-12 Systemic Risk Report.
Abbreviated school days, SB 819
Current location: House Rules Committee
This 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. The biggest policy change in the bill would give students with a disability the right to require access to a full day of school, most likely in their local neighborhood school. In a hearing May 18, the bill’s chief sponsor, Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, told House Education committee members of the great need for the bill, saying that the bill represents student rights that are “guaranteed under the 14th Amendment” to the United States Constitution. The bill was successfully voted to the House floor. On Thursday, June 1, when the bill was due for a floor vote, Rep. Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, motioned the bill to the House Rules Committee “for further work.” Procedurally, that committee may move the bill back to the floor at any time before the end of session.
Cybersecurity investments, HB 2049
Current location: Joint Ways and Means Committee
This bill addresses local government cybersecurity vulnerabilities. It would establish the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence within Portland State University and direct the center to deliver cybersecurity-related goods and services to local governments. It also would establish several funds and appropriate money for the center to carry out cybersecurity protection work. The bill is supported by a broad coalition of stakeholders and has no known opposition.
School board member stipends, HB 2753
Current location: Senate floor, awaiting a third reading and final vote
School board service is entirely voluntary with reimbursements for actual costs permitted to school board members. This bill would allow school board members to enact a policy to allow for monthly stipends of up to $500.
Health care interpreters technical fix, HB 2240
Current location: Senate floor, awaiting a third reading and final vote.
This bill would make a technical update to clarify that licensed health care professionals working in schools are not required to adhere to translation requirements for medical settings. This bill was supported by a broad group of stakeholders, including former state representative and current U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, and had no known opposition.
Candidate home address information protections, HB 3073
Current location: Senate floor, awaiting referral to the Rules committee.
In Oregon and nationally, school board elections have become increasingly partisan and higher profile in recent years. With this increase in pressure and attention, there has been a concern about harassment, doxing and property crimes against candidates’ homes. HB 3073, championed by Rep. Jami Cate, R-Lebanon, would allow candidates in local elections to check a box to keep their home address information private in elections filings.
Physical education minutes fix, HB 3199
Current location: Senate floor, awaiting a third reading and final vote.
Under existing Oregon law, elementary schools are required to provide 150 minutes and middle schools 225 minutes of physical education each week. This bill would reduce the physical education requirement for middle school students to 150 minutes and would allow for minutes to be calculated on a weekly basis or an average weekly basis, rather than a per-day basis. This second change would allow middle schools that run on block schedules to more easily comply.
Financial literacy curriculum, SB 3
Current location: passed by the Joint Ways and Means Committee, awaiting a Senate third reading and vote.
SB 3 would require Oregon students to complete one half-credit of higher education and career path skills and one half-credit of personal financial education to obtain their high school diplomas. It would also require the State Board of Education to adopt academic content standards for these new credit requirements.
These are just a few of the hundreds of bills imperiled by the ongoing Senate Republican walkout. Some of the bills represent potentially grand policy changes and investments. Some are modest policy tweaks. Some are technical fixes. OSBA has advocated for some of these bills, against some of these bills and, in the case of SB 1045 and relevant amendments, first against and then in support of the bill. Our association position on each individual bill is important, but the scope of the lost work if the session cannot move forward is staggering to consider.
– Richard Donovan
Legislative Services specialist
