Note:  Education reports after January, 2024, are included in Social policy reports. Education reports prior to February, 2024, can be found HERE.

Please see the Legislation Tracker for 2025 Social Policy bills.

Jump to topic:

• Behavioral Health

• Education

• Gun Policy

• Healthcare

• Housing

Behavioral Health

By Stephanie Aller

HB 2596 (School Psychologist Interstate Licensure Compact) was passed by the House and had its first reading in the Senate on February 25. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Education. The League presented testimony supporting a related bill, HB 3351, which lets licensed counselors from other states work in Oregon. 

The League of Women Voters of Oregon submitted testimony in support of HB 3129, the Higher Education Behavioral Health Workforce Expansion Fund. The bill will help to address the behavioral health workforce crisis by funding students and investing in faculty and program resources. 

The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a public hearing on HB 3129 on February 25. Rep. Nosse, a chief sponsor of the bill, testified that many behavioral health educational programs at public institutions are at full capacity. They do not have the funding to expand enrollment. Other institutions would like to start new programs to train behavioral health providers but also lack funding.

SB 527 is scheduled for a public hearing on March 13 before the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health. The bill directs the Oregon Health Authority to start a grant program to establish behavioral health workforce training programs for high school students.      

Education

By Jean Pierce

On February 26, the Education Committees of both chambers met together to hear a presentation from authors of the American Institute for Research (AIR)  report analyzing School Funding in Oregon.  AIR has found that funding would need to be increased by $5074 per student if Oregon were to reach the level of adequate performance to which it aspires. But it is up to the legislature to determine whether that is the level they are willing to fund. 

They also noted that increasing funding to achieve equity is only the first step. The next step would be to analyze how some districts are doing more with less, with an eye to providing guidance for how schools and districts should use the resources provided in order to achieve better outcomes..

Specifically addressing special education funding, the authors of the AIR report noted that there was an increase of 21.5% in funding per student between 2018 and 2023, and yet that was only an increase of 4.3% in inflation-adjusted figures.   

Over that same time period - there was a 27.6% increase in students with moderate or high-cost disabilities and a 7.2% decrease in low-cost disabilities in the state.  The one-size-fits all Special Education weight that is part of the State School Fund does not accommodate this shift.  Oregon is one of only eight states which use a single weight. AIR recommends that our state use a system more like that of 21 other states which group categories into tiers according to the cost of services needed. 

In addition, the research group recommends eliminating the State School Fund cap on special education funding. They noted that 88% of school districts have exceeded the cap, but the waiver which is available to those districts covered only 30%  of the amount of funding which they received for students under the cap. Accordingly, they reported that districts with more high-need students are receiving less money than needed. Further, since public schools are required to accommodate these students’ needs, they must make cuts in other programs.

LWVOR submitted testimony for SB 1098, which prohibits discrimination when selecting or retaining school library materials, textbooks or instructional materials or when developing and implementing a curriculum.

The League submitted testimony for HB 3182, which directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide affordable housing support to low-income students in higher education. This bill is addressing a serious problem in Oregon. A 2023 survey of Portland Community College students revealed that 56% were experiencing housing insecurity

LWVOR submitted testimony for HB 3183, which would appropriate money tothe Higher Education Coordinating Commission for purposes of the Open Educational Resources Program. The funds would continue to provide no-cost, low-cost textbooks and course materials across Oregon’s colleges and universities. This is a significant problem, since a 2022 survey of students at Oregon State University revealed that 61% had not purchased textbooks due to the cost.

Gun Policy

By Marge Easley

The League has signed on to the legislative agenda of the Alliance for a Safe Oregon, which includes the following gun policy bills:

• HB 3076: institutes state licensing of firearm dealers 

• SB 696: places a statewide ban on rapid-fire devices, such as bump stocks

• HB 3075: allocates resources for Measure 114 implementation

• SB 1015 and HB 5014: funds community violence intervention programs

• SB 697: raises the minimum age from 18 to 21 to purchase a semi-automatic rifle

• SB 429: requires a 72-hour waiting period before the transfer of a firearm

• SB 203: strengthens Oregon’s Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law

The Alliance will hold its Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 4. A joint informational session of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees has been scheduled for the week of March 10, with hearings on several of the bills tentatively scheduled for March 17 and March 20. Links to League testimony on these bills will appear in upcoming Legislative Reports.   

Meanwhile, the Trump administration will have a significant impact on gun policy at the federal level, as was made clear by the issuance of the February 7th executive order on “Protecting Second Amendment Rights.” Newly named FBI Chief Kash Patel has also taken the reins of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and a bill has been introduced in the House to eliminate the entire agency.  

Health Care

by Christa Danielson

HB 2010 A: LWVOR presented testimony for this bill, which funds the state portion of the Oregon Health Plan.  The bill continues the assessments  on health insurance and hospitals that have been in place for the last five years. One half of all children and one fourth of the population of Oregon have the Oregon Health Plan as their health insurance. 

The bill  passed the House with bi-partisan support, and is currently in the Senate Committee on Health.

Housing

By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona

Governor Kotek’s Statewide Shelter System Proposal

On February 24, Governor Kotek testified before the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness to present her proposal for a statewide shelter system. HB 3644 would create the system, which would be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS). The bill appropriates $218 million to reduce unsheltered homelessness and transition people into stable housing. It codifies the structure established by the Governor’s statewide housing emergency declared at the beginning of her term in office. The proposal is the product of a Sustainable Shelter Work Group created by the Governor and Representative Pam Marsh.

The bill calls for dividing the state into regions. Each region will have a regional coordinator responsible for planning, funding, and services. OHCS will enter into five- or six-year agreements with each region. They will be required to submit an annual report outlining progress on their regional plans. The proposal would move Oregon away from one-time emergency funding for shelters towards a stable outcomes-based system.  

At least 70 percent of the funds would go towards low-barrier shelters with the remainder available for recovery-based shelters. Programs will be open seven days a week, 24 hours a day. In order to accommodate regional differences, shelters eligible for the program include congregate and non-congregate shelters, safe temporary emergency sites that meet health and safety standards for vehicular camping, and basic freestanding structures that are sound, weatherproof, and have locking doors.  

Interested in reading additional reports? Please see our Climate Emergency, Governance, and Natural Resources report sections.