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:

• After School and Child Care

• Age-Related Issues

• Behavioral Health

• Education

• Housing Legislation

• Immigration

After School and Child Care

By Katie Riley

SB 896 is the only bill left regarding afterschool funding.  It is currently in Ways and Means and may receive some funding but it is unlikely to receive the $25-40 million that the sponsor, Senator Anderson, wanted.  HB 3162 which also sought funding for afterschool programs did not receive a work session so it is no longer viable.

Age-Related Issues

by Trish Garner

The Senate passed SB 548, a bill that increases the minimum legal marriageable age to 18. There were only two Nay votes. The bill had already been passed in the House and will be moving to the Governor for her signature.

HB 3187A, the workplace age discrimination bill, has been signed into law by the Governor. The bill prohibits employers from asking for a date of birth or graduation date on job applications unless it is a job requirement or an offer of employment has already been made.

Behavioral Health

By Trish Garner

The Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response unanimously passed HB 2481 -11 with a “do pass” recommendation and a referral to Ways & Means.  The Dash 11 Amendment constitutes a small but significant portion of HB 2481 and the Committee will be having a Work Session on the remainder of HB 2481 next week. 

Amendment 11 authorizes the OR Public Guardian and Conservator to develop and administer a program to provide guardianship services to persons who have been charged with committing a crime but who have been determined unable to aid and assist in their defense. It also requires courts to appoint counsel for these defendants and if the defendant is unable to afford counsel, the court will appoint one at state expense. It is likely that the Committee divided the bill as it did because Amendment 11 requires state money to be budgeted for it, and it is also likely that the Ways & Means Committee is well underway in its budgetary consideration process. Other provisions of HB 2481 relate to the aid and assist process in Oregon, and interactions between the state and tribal entities regarding behavioral health treatment and involuntary commitment procedures in these communities.

Education

By Jean Pierce

On May 21,  the House Committee on Education recommended Do Pass SB 1098, the Freedom to Read bill, LWVOR provided testimony  in support.

HB 2586A has been passed by both chambers. The bill  permits an asylum seeker who is a student at a public university to receive an exemption from nonresident tuition and fees. LWVOR filed testimony in support.  

Budget bills

LWVOR is following several budget bills relating to educational funding. In view of the revenue forecast, it is anticipated that amounts appropriated will be lowered. SB 5515  andSB 5516  concern funding for the State School fund.  It is anticipated that the final appropriations will be nowhere near the amount recommended by the American Institute on Research (AIR) in March. AIR recommended a 30% increase in funding, with more attention to equitable spending for the education of low income and high needs students.

SB 5525 appropriates funding for the  Higher Education Coordinating Council to divide among colleges and universities in Oregon.   In anticipation of inadequate budgetary allocations, the state’s seven public universities have announced plans to increase the average inflation-adjusted cost of undergraduate tuition for Oregon residents. Tuition will be nearly 30% higher than it was a decade ago. According to a 2022 report  from the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, a nonprofit think tank in Colorado. “About 25 years ago, public funding accounted for up to 75% of the cost of each full-time employee at an Oregon university. Now, it pays for about 50% or less.”   

Effect of Federal Actions on Oregon

Federal Judge blocks closing of DOE On May 22, Judge Joun in Massachusetts temporarily blocked efforts to carry out an executive order closing the US Department of Education, citing that only Congress can take that step. In addition, the judge ruled that the administration needs to reinstate Education Department employees who lost their jobs in March. Finally, the judge halted the administration’s effort  “to transfer management of federal student loans and special education functions out of the Department.” Currently, 77,275 Oregonians are receiving an average of $4,644 in Pell Grants for higher education. In addition, more than $170 million is coming to Oregon for IDEA (funding education of students with special needs.

Housing

By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona

Bills Passed 

SB 814 A will be administered by Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) to expand eligibility criteria for the agency’s existing Long-Term Rent Assistance Program. Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) youth under the age of 25 would have an opportunity to access long-term rental assistance to help achieve a greater level of housing security. This measure also requires OHCS to consult with the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), among other stakeholders. Youth assisted will be exiting a childcare center or a correctional facility. At least 14% of youth who were committed to OYA since October 2022 have already experienced some period of homelessness. Studies indicate that housing instability increases the risk for recidivism. This bill will assist youth by providing a safe and stable home so they can devote their attention to employment, education, and family. This bill passed the Senate and House on May 14 and was signed into law on May 19 by the Governor. The League submitted testimony in support.

SB 973 protects residents of publicly supported housing by requiring notices from landlords when affordability restrictions are ending. This applies to tenants who are living in subsidized units, applicants, and new tenants. For existing tenants, the bill would extend the notice requirements from 20 to 30 months. It will require landlords to warn tenants that their housing will no longer be affordable. For applicants and new tenants who are entering into a new rental agreement, landlords of publicly supported housing must provide written notice of when the affordability period will end, prior to charging a screening fee or entering into a new rental application. These tenant protections are critical to giving low-income Oregonians additional time to find stable housing they can afford. The Senate and House passed this bill on May 14 and the Governor signed it into law on May 22.  The League submitted testimony in support.

Bill in Progress

Lottery Revenue Bonds are used to provide financial assistance to local governments for facilities and infrastructure improvements and continue to have a statewide impact. SB 5531 seeks to use Lottery Revenue Bonds for affordable housing preservation, and infrastructure to support new housing production. Thirty-six affordable housing properties in Oregon face foreclosure in the next two years. An additional 76 properties are operating at a monthly deficit due to unsustainable operating costs. Preservation is a cost-effective and efficient approach to address our state’s housing crisis. Allocating $160 million to preserve rental housing and $25 million to preserve manufactured housing parks is a sound investment. The Senate held a public hearing on May 9, and an informational meeting on May 16. The bill now is in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means on Capital Construction, where it should be. A work session is expected to be held toward the end of the session. The League submitted testimony in support of this bill. 

HB 3054 A would limit rent increases and sales constraints by a landlord in a home park or marina, which can threaten residents’ ability to stay in their homes. It would fix at six percent the maximum rent increases for rental spaces in a larger facility and limit to 10 percent the maximum increase in rent paid by the purchaser of a dwelling or home in a facility. It prohibits a landlord from requiring aesthetic improvements or internal inspections as conditions of sale of a dwelling or home in a facility. The bill passed the House, and the Senate Committee on Housing and Development held a work session on May 19 and recommended passage. It declares an emergency, effective September 1, 2025. LWVOR submitted a letter in support.

HB 2964: Requires the Oregon Housing and Community Services Department to award loans to non-profit affordable housing developers to cover pre-development costs of developing new housing. The bill passed the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 15. It was then referred to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. The committee held a work session on May 21 and recommended passage. LWV testimony supports passage of the bill. 

HB 2735: The House Committee on Revenue held a work session on the Independent Development Accounts (IDAs) bill on May 22, and recommended passage, and referred it to Tax Expenditures. The League submitted a letter in support. 

The Legislature created the IDAs program in 1999. The state matches participants’ savings up to 5-to-1. Money can be used to invest in the individual financial goals most important to each person’s own circumstances, such as buying a home or enrolling in higher education. The state tax credit that funds IDAs has not kept up with inflation. HB 2735-3 would raise the cap on the tax credit from $7.5 million/year to $16.5 million/year. The cap has not changed since 2009. If the Legislature does not act this session to “fix the funding” for IDAs, the program will shrink to serve 50% fewer Oregonians each year.

HB 2958: The House Committee on Revenue held a work session on the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on May 22, and recommended passage with a -2 Amendment and referred it to Tax Expenditures. The bill would extend the sunset date to 2032 and increase to 25 percent the EITC for families with children under three years of age. Other families with children will receive 20 percent of the federal credit. With the amendment, the bill no longer extends the benefit to all childless working adults over age 18. 

The League submitted a letter in support. The bill, if passed, will put more money in people’s pockets and help avoid the trauma, instability, and costs to society and affected individuals that come from losing one’s home, deferring medical care, or missing meals.

Immigration

By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith

Highlights - News 

• Will President Trump use Oregon National Guard in immigration crackdown? - OPB

• Republicans aim to punish states that insure unauthorized immigrants - Oregon Capital Chronicle

• The HILL: Oregon Legislature advances bill to stop landlords from asking immigration status

• Trump Welcomes White South African Refugees as He Shuts Out Afghans and Others - The New York Times

• 20 state AG's sue feds for tying transportation and disaster funding to immigration enforcement • Oregon Capital Chronicle 

• Legislative Bulletin — Friday, May 23, 2025 - National Immigration Forum

  
  

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