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:

• Afterschool and Summer School

• Criminal Justice

• Gun Safety

• Healthcare

• Education

• Housing Legislation

Afterschool and Summer School, Child Care

By Katie Riley

During the November Legislative Days hearings, The Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education held informational briefings on early learning as well as education regarding costs, performance considerations, and proposed cuts due to the pending loss of $880 million in federal funds.

Child Care:  In response to the Governor’s request to outline potential budget cuts of 5% and 2.5 %, the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) recommended that no cuts be made to the Employment Related Day Care (ERDC) program and the Early Learning Parent Education program at the 2.5% level.  Overall, recommendations showed potential cuts to administrative functions prior to programs. 

Programs with Reductions at 2.5% and 5.0% Scenarios 21.0M $2.4M $36.7M These are listed in prioritized order for reductions, and most are not targeted for a full 2.5% for the first scenario.

• Other Early Learning Grants

• Child Care Supports

• Early Learning Hubs

• Early Learning Professional Development

• Early Learning Program Supports

• Oregon Prenatal to Kindergarten 5

• Preschool Promise Health Families Oregon

• Relief Nurseries

• Early Childhood Equity

  
  

Fund Programs Held Harmless for both 2.5% and 5% reductions

• Baby Promise

• Birth to Five Literacy

• Kindergarten Partnership Innovation

• Tribal Early Learning Plan & Fund (Early Learning Tribal Hub)

• Every Child Belongs (Mental Health & Behavior Supports)

  
  

 No decisions were made on reductions. Long-term effects, alternative funding sources, reserves, and income potential will all be considered.

On the plus side, a report from Jessica LaBerge on 11-18-25 representing the Eastern Oregon Childcare Business Accelerator for the Southern Oregon Regional Solutions Exchange reported that the business accelerator has started its first cohort of 13 potential childcare providers across Eastern Oregon. This program will help provide childcare businesses with small business advising, childcare educational credits, curriculum support and ongoing assistance with the business side of childcare. The goal is for the participants to be fully licensed and opening their own childcare business to provide additional capacity for Eastern Oregon communities.  She is hoping to find additional funding to start a Spanish speaking cohort and additional cohorts in the future.

Afterschool Care

New data on the demand and need for afterschool care was included in the report,  America After 3 pm, published by the Afterschool Alliance, October 2025

Citing the most recent survey of over 30,000 parents nationwide, the Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant said “Families at all income levels want afterschool opportunities and those with resources invest heavily in afterschool programs and activities. But it’s concerning that, after adjusting for inflation, afterschool spending by families in the lowest income bracket has decreased since 2020, while spending by families in the highest income bracket has grown, exacerbating inequities.  Afterschool programs give students a safe place to go after the school day ends, boost their academic achievement, help address the youth mental health and chronic absenteeism crises, provide alternatives to screen time, give working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and supervised, and more. Our country will be stronger and more successful when all children can take advantage of what afterschool programs offer – but, sadly, this study shows we’re nowhere near reaching that goal. We need greater support from federal, state, and local governments, businesses, and philanthropy. Every child deserves access to a quality afterschool program.”

Oregon data shows that parents of 331,262 children want afterschool programs but 5 out of 6 children are not able to participate due to availability, access (location and transportation), and cost, the largest factor.  “In Oregon, the demand for afterschool programs is incredibly high. Parents value the benefits afterschool programs provide for young people—keeping them safe, helping build life skills, and getting them excited about learning.  They say that afterschool programs help them keep their jobs and provide peace of mind. Still, just a fraction of Oregon families who want afterschool programs have them…Overwhelmingly, Oregon parents are in favor of public funding for afterschool programs.” Recent surveys confirm this:

• 2025                                             89%

• 2020                                             90%

• 2014                                             83%

• 2009                                             79%

Support for public funding is high across the political spectrum in Oregon

• Democrats                                  92%

• Independents                            94%

• Republicans                                81%

  
  

However, currently, no public funding is available from the state specifically for afterschool care.  Funds from the Student Success Act can be used for that purpose, but most school districts use that funding for teachers and counselors.  Public funding is available for afterschool programs in some cities, e.g. Portland, Hillsboro.

Summer care: The appropriation for summer school that was funded in the 2025 legislative session is probably not in danger of being cut because the appropriation was made into a special fund outside the general fund.  Funding is still available for summer 2026 and 2027.  These funds are designated to school districts for summer literacy and although there is a mandate to involve at least one community-based organization, the requirement does not include after school hours care.

Criminal Justice

By Marge Easley

The Senate Judiciary hearing on November 17 provided an update on wrongful conviction legislation, SB 1584 (2022), and the need to pass additional legislation to ensure a more effective and timely compensation process for those who have been wrongly convicted. The 2025 Oregon Justice for Exonerees Act (SB 1007) failed to make it out of session. The Innocence Project and the Forensic Justice Project will also push for fixing gaps in current law that have allowed convictions based on flawed and outdated forensic science, including hair comparisons, bite mark analysis, and comparative bullet lead analysis.

Education

By Jean Pierce

In the coming session, school funding will be a major concern.  On November 19, Legislators heard a report from LPRO and LFO staff outlining deficiencies of the Quality Education Model used to determine equitable funding.  This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed. In addition, education agencies were not immune from the request to identify potential spending cuts. Their proposals are outlined below.  However. public school administrators are urging lawmakers to allocate money from the $1.2 billion education stability fund to meet the current budget emergency.

K-12  Education

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) used the following guiding principles when they decided where to make cuts:

• Protect student-centered supports

• Maintain statutory compliance

• Preserve organizational stability

• Limit disruption to districts and classrooms

• Establish programs to hold harmless

ODE is proposing partial reductions in General Funding to some programs, including

• Every Day Matters, which addresses barriers to attendance

• Career and technical Education grants and career pathways

• ·High School Success

Further, ODE is proposing State School Fund cuts to

• 10^th Grade Assessment

• Educator Advancement Fund

• English Language Learners

• Health Schools Fund

• Local Option Equalization

• Menstrual Products

• Speech Pathologist

• Talented and Gifted

  
  

Members of the Ways and Means subcommittee expressed concerns particularly about the potential loss of the Educator Advancement Fund (EAF). The EAF  provides professional development, mentorship, and Grow Your Own programs for teachers. This would mean less support for teachers who are charged with implementing the recently-approved science of reading curriculum. The Grow Your Own  program recruits teachers from local communities, particularly minorities.

Higher Education

Proposing cuts to higher education funding comes at a particularly challenging time for colleges and universities which are experiencing cuts to research and other programs from the federal government.

When the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) shared their proposals for 2.5% cuts, they noted that the cuts would result in hundreds of eliminated positions, including full-time faculty and administrators.

They reported using these criteria for cuts:

• There would be minimal impact on support for the most vulnerable students.

• Other programs could continue to support the affected populations.

• Targeted programs were new or had received a large funding increase in the past four years.

• Merging or consolidating programs could increase administrative efficiency.

The proposal  includes cuts to

• The HECC agency

• Workforce development grants

• Career pathways funding for community colleges

• Childcare grant for student parents would no longer support new students

• Oregon Promise would no longer support new students

The proposed cuts to the HECC budget would cause universities to increase tuition by close to 7% and community colleges to increase tuition by 10%, making higher education unaffordable for a number of students.

Gun Safety                  

By Marge Easley

Supporters of Measure 114, including the League, will be pushing for the passage of a bill in the upcoming session to provide implementation details and technical fixes for Measure 114, the 2022 measure that requires a permit to purchase a firearm and bans high-capacity magazines. It has been under court review since that time. The Oregon Supreme Court hearing on its constitutionality occurred on November 6, and it most likely will take several months for the ruling to come down. Last session SB 243 set the date of March 15, 2026, for implementation of Measure 114 with the condition that the Oregon Supreme Court decides in its favor. The Christmas Tree bill also allocated over $14 million to the Oregon State Police to help cover implementation costs. 

Healthcare

By Christa Danielson

Legislative meetings held last week focused on how we are going to continue to provide our current level of services for Medicaid and SNAP in light of HR.1.  Speaker of the House Julie Fahey reported cuts in the Medicaid and SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) budgets of up to 15 billion in future years for Oregonians. In light of this, the legislators are looking at funding sources such as decoupling some taxes from the federal budget or using the reserve fund. There is also a task force convened by the governor to consider how to sustain Medicaid benefits.

 The system is already straining in light of new work requirements, eligibility checks and budgeting for a possible revenue shortfall from the state, i.e. the hospital tax.

 Enhanced premium tax credits are due to expire at the end of 2025. They were set up during Covid via the American Rescue Plan. Some families will have to pay double what they pay now for health insurance. Average premiums could increase by 12-25 %.

Housing

By Nancy Donovan and Debbie Aiona

Interim committees are meeting to prepare for the upcoming legislative session. They are studying policy issues, learning from invited leaders, and considering recommendations for potential legislation. Recently, the Senate and House housing committees invited agency leaders to speak on a range of housing issues as reported below.

Presentations to the Senate Committee on Housing and Development, November 17, 2025

Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) Executive Director Andrea Bell presented information on the impact of federal funding and policies on Oregon. The state received a little over $530 million from the federal government for housing production and services for people accessing housing and homeless programs. That amount represents about 15 percent of the state’s housing resources.

Congress has not yet finalized the Housing and Urban Development budget. OHCS serves as a pass through for federal dollars to local jurisdictions and non-profit providers. 

Inclusionary Zoning

Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) promotes mixed income housing developments by requiring developers to include affordable units in their housing projects. The policy was banned by the Legislature in 1999. They relegalized it in 2016 (SB 1533) and required developers to include a percentage of units affordable to households at 80 percent of Area Median Income (AMI). It does not apply to buildings with fewer than 20 units. LWVOR supported the 2016 legislation.

Portland is the only city in Oregon that implemented IZ. It was fully funded for projects in the central city and underfunded for projects in surrounding neighborhoods. Underfunding led to developers creating projects with just under 20 units in order to avoid the IZ requirements. Portland recently revisited its policy and fully funded the IZ program throughout the city. It prioritized development of 60 percent AMI units in higher priced neighborhoods. In the first six months, 20 projects opted in to the program, fewer developers are proposing projects with fewer than 20 units. Regular check ins are essential.

A Habitat for Humanity representative presented information on the potential for applying IZ to affordable homeownership in condominium projects.

Presentations to the House Interim Committee on Housing and Homelessness met on November 18

Andrea Bell, Executive Director of Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), began by saying her agency is tracking the evolving federal landscape on housing and homeless service programs. During the shutdown a majority of federal funds awarded to OHCS were accessible and obligated during the shutdown. When the furlough affected federal staff, some projects were on pause, such as contracts and project certifications. FY 2025 funding levels were sustained for the agency.

Oregon is working, although homeless numbers continue to grow. The importance of a full continuum of services is essential to keep the system viable. New homelessness is largely economically driven, a problem that is decades in the making and will take time and effort to remedy.

Jimmy Jones, Executive Director of the Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency in Salem, presented information to both the House and Senate committees. He explained that his agency focuses on reducing poverty, including housing assistance, child care and youth programs, and offers support for those experiencing homelessness. He commented on the history of federal homeless housing programs, and the importance of retaining the Continuum of Care program.

He also highlighted “observables” in his presentation:

1) What we are doing in Oregon is working, 2) homeless numbers continue to grow, 3) observable 2 is not connected to observable 1, 4) a new wave of homelessness is largely driven by economics, 5) criminalization will fail, 6) we need full continuum of services and they are all interconnected, 7) the problem is decades in the making and will take time to solve.

He is concerned about the July 2025 Executive Order issued by the White House on homelessness and related topics. It seeks to encourage civil commitment of individuals with mental illness who pose risks to themselves or the public or are living on the streets and cannot care for themselves in appropriate facilities for periods of time.

In the past, homeless individuals were expected to work their way through a stair step into permanent housing. More recently policies have prioritized Housing First and harm reduction that do not require working through specific steps to qualify for housing, but instead place clients into housing and then provide services and support. The Trump administration will fund the older failed approach to addressing homelessness. It will focus on criminalizing homelessness, reducing funding for permanent supportive housing, incentivizing treatment first and transitional housing. It will shift funds to faith-based providers, require cooperation with immigration enforcement, and disallow racial and transgender preference policies. States will need to re-compete for federal funding grants.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: What is your passion related to Social Policy? You can help. Volunteers are needed.  We particularly need help tracking legislation concerning 

• Criminal justice

• Hate and bias crimes

• Juvenile justice

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