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:

• Education

• Gun Policy

• Housing Legislation

• Immigration

Education

By Jean Pierce

On April 30, SB 1098, the “Freedom to Read” bill,  had a public hearing in the House Education Committee. The bill would prohibit banning a book simply because it concerns a group experiencing discrimination. As of the time of the hearing, they had received 1113 written testimonies, with 83 percent supporting the bill. LWVOR submitted testimony when the bill was in the Senate. 

Impact of Federal Actions on Education in Oregon

Head Start

Recently, Head Start has been the subject of a tug of war over federal funding. In March, the Administration announced that it was closing 5 regional offices, including one in Seattle which oversees funding for programs in Oregon.  Nevertheless, programs did receive delayed funding in early April.  But the office remains closed, jeopardizing funding of $196M for over 8000 students in Oregon. The proposed budget would totally eliminate funding for Head Start and Early Head Start.

According to Education Week, on April 28, four state Head Start associations joined parent groups including Family Forward Oregon and the American Civil Liberties Union in a lawsuit challenging the administration’s actions towards Head Start as unlawful and unconstitutional. The groups are calling for a court order that reverses recent layoffs and funding changes affecting Head Start.

On Wednesday, seven Oregon school superintendents  released a video  describing the potential impact of federal cuts on Oregon children and schools. The video mentions that $7 M in federal funding for food banks has already been cut, causing 144,000 children to experience hunger.

K-12

On March 28,   a US Department of Education letter  to State Departments of Education contended that “many states and school districts have enacted policies that presumechildren need protection from their parents.” And that “schools are routinelyhiding information about the mental and physical health of their students from parents.” The letter insisted that this was being done to hide schools’ indoctrination of gender ideology.  This week, Charlene Williams, director of Oregon’s Department of Education, responded, assuring the federal government that Oregon is complying with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, and that this has been required in the in state statutes dating back to 1996. 

Higher Education

All 13 international students at the University of Oregon whose visas had been revoked in April have had them reinstated. Oregon State University officials also reported that seven international students had their visas reinstated as well, out of a total of 13 students with revoked visas. 

Gun Policy

By Marge Easley

Although we remain hopeful that the omnibus bill SB 243 A will soon be voted out of Senate Rules and move to the Senate floor, two other bills related to gun policy (HB 3075, HB 3076) are in serious jeopardy as legislators grapple with the state budget crisis. League members have been asked to contact legislators to urge passage of SB 243 A, which bans rapid-fire devices, mandates a 72-hour waiting period between a background check approval and the transfer of a firearm, and expands the public areas that are designated as “gun free zones.”

Bad news arrived at the end of April with the announcement that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is terminating grants to Multnomah County and four nonprofit organizations for existing gun violence prevention programs, resulting in a loss of $6 million in funding. SB 1015 was introduced to provide state funding to compensate for the expected loss of federal dollars, but it is highly unlikely the bill will move out of Ways and Means. Nationwide, the DOJ is terminating $811 million in grants for community safety programs.

Housing

By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona

5,000 Unit Housing Challenge 

On May 1, Governor Kotek announced the partnership with Portland Mayor, Keith Wilson on a new initiative to develop 5,000 new housing units in Portland. If passed by the Portland City Council, the System Development Charges (SDCs) would temporally be waived until 5,000 housing units are built or three years have passed. By waiving these fees, stalled housing projects could be made available to bolster the city’s housing supply.  Mayor Wilson has estimated that developers are ready to build over 4,000 homes in Portland, but because of costs, waiving SDCs can reduce the cost of thousands of needed to build homes, which would be affordable and market rate. 

Status of Housing Bills 

LWVOR has submitted testimony on a number of housing-related bills during the session. Following is a status report on the bills we have supported that have passed or are in the review process.

Bill Passed by the Senate and House

SB 973: Requires landlords of publicly supported housing to notify applicants when the 

affordability contract will expire. Also extends from 20 months to 30 months the minimum notice landlords must give tenants when affordability restrictions will expire. LWV testimony supports passage of this bill.

The bill passed the Senate on April 2. The House Committee on Housing and Homelessness held a public hearing on April 23 and the bill passed unanimously during a work session on 4/30. 

Bills in Process 

SB 814 A: Expands eligibility for Oregon Housing and Community Services long-term rent assistance program to youth under the age of 25 exiting Oregon Youth Authority or childcare facility. League testimony supports passage of the bill. 

It passed the Senate 30 – 0 on March 6. 

A public hearing was held in House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 16, and on April 21 it was referred to Housing and Development. A  public hearing is scheduled for May 7.

HB 3054 A seeks to limit rent increases for homeowners experiencing escalating rents and other practices by landlords that can threaten their ability to stay in their homes. This bill with the -2 amendment establishes the maximum annual rent increase percentage for homeowners in a home park or marina with more than 30 spaces to 6% from the current level of 7% plus consumer price index (CPI) changes. 

League testimony supports passage of this bill.  On April 16 the bill passed the house, and on May 7 a public hearing is scheduled by the Senate Housing and Development Committee. 

HB 2964: Requires Oregon Housing and Community Development to award loans to non-profit affordable housing developers to cover pre-development costs of developing new housing. LWV testimony supports passage of the bill. 

The bill passed the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness on April 15, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development. The Senate had its first reading on April 16, and the bill was referred to the Housing and Development on April 21. 

Immigration

By Becky Gladstone and Claudia Keith

Highlights - News 

5/1 Oregonians rally on May Day to protest Trump admin, defend immigrant rights • Oregon Capital Chronicle

5/1 Oregon lawsuit seeks to block immigration enforcement at churches, schools - OPB

4/24. Feds Threaten Oregon Transportation Funding Over DEI and Driver’s License Policies - Oregon is one of many states that offer licenses to undocumented immigrants. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy disapproves.

Click Scroll Bar on Bottom of Table to View All Columns

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