Legislative Highlights
Key 2025 Legislature days
January 17, 2025To become a law, bills must pass through committee hearings and earn chamber approval in the House and Senate before the session ends. The legislative calendar is a series of... Read More
Long months spent preparing for important work ahead
January 17, 2025Since I joined OSBA in May, the focus has been on the 2025 legislative session. I have spent the previous eight months steeping myself in the education issues our members... Read More
Fresh start on familiar grounds makes for an exciting start to 2025 legislative session
January 17, 2025My second week on the job with OSBA is the beginning of my 14th legislative session as a lobbyist. It’s an exciting mix of the new and the known. For... Read More
Extern will bolster OSBA advocacy efforts
January 15, 2025Jennifer Davis Salazar, OSBA’s new government relations extern, adopted Gracie from Hopes Haven, a dog rescue center in Salem. The OSBA Government Relations and Communications team will have a legislative... Read More
2025 legislative session already under construction
March 8, 2024The short Oregon legislative session is often described as a sprint. Education advocates will barely have time to catch their breath after Thursday night’s finish before they are training for... Read More
Bills receive ‘A’ for legislative advocates’ efforts
March 4, 2024With less than a week left in the 2024 session, education advocates are breathing some sighs of relief. There are still some important issues to be settled, such as summer... Read More
OSBA calls on legislative leaders to support summer learning bill, HB 4082
February 26, 2024NEWS RELEASE With time running out during the current legislative session, the Oregon School Boards Association is lending its full support to House Bill 4082, designed to support students’ academic... Read More
Senate Bill 1552 carries current needs and future dreams
February 26, 2024OSBA Legislative Services Director Lori Sattenspiel testified Thursday before the Senate Education Committee and Chair Sen. Michael Dembrow (left) on a school bus emissions standard in a bill about stop-arm... Read More
The road to reduced school resources is paved with bills with good intentions
February 20, 2024The Legislature is full of good ideas that OSBA supports because they will help students and improve schools. Good ideas usually require money, though, and OSBA is careful to monitor... Read More
Bills this year are starting the conversation about the State School Fund in 2025
February 12, 2024Sometimes a bill isn’t just a bill. Sometimes it’s a launching point. The Legislature’s education committees heard several bills last week that have little chance of passing. The bills’ real... Read More
Will the short 2024 session be haunted by the 2023 walkouts?
February 5, 2024The current forecast for the short Oregon legislative session, which debuted Monday, Feb. 5, might best be characterized as cloudy with a chance of missed opportunity. Hanging over the session... Read More
Legislature gets moving, pushing school funding forward
June 20, 2023The Senate Republicans reached a deal with Democrats and went back to work Thursday, June 15. Hundreds of bills that likely would have been left for dead in a special... Read More
Senate Republicans return with a deal to roar session back to life for ‘Go time’
June 20, 2023The longest legislative walkout in Oregon’s history came to an end Thursday, June 15. Minority Senate Republicans ended their 42-day walkout after striking a deal with majority Democrats on bills... Read More
As legislative session nears closing time, speculation runs rampant
June 12, 2023The 2023 legislative session is drawing toward an uncertain close. For weeks, Senate Republicans have stayed off the chamber floor, preventing votes on bills. But over the weekend, reports emerged... Read More
Education advocates face down attack on school funding
June 12, 2023The House passed a $10.2 billion State School Fund last week, generally pleasing education advocates. But the struggle to protect school funding will go on until the last gavel falls... Read More
Staggering amount of education policy work lost if walkout crashes session
June 5, 2023The 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... Read More
Subcommittee approves Oregon Department of Education budget
June 5, 2023The State School Fund grabs the spotlight, but anyone who has looked at a school district budget knows education funding comes from many different directions. Savvy education advocates also keep... Read More
Legislative Briefs | June 5
June 5, 2023Closed captioning on televisions Senate Bill 569 What it does: Oregon grants all persons of age the right to full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities and privileges of any place... Read More