Legislative Endorsements and Actions

PSU-AAUP’s top two priority bills of this legislative session are SB 712 and HB 3007/SB 551.

SB 712, the HECC voting rights bill, passed on the Senate floor by a vote of 18-10. The bill extends voting rights on the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to five non-voting members, including one public university faculty member, one community college faculty member, and one public university or a community college non-faculty member. The bill now moves to the House Education Committee for consideration.

SB 551 and HB 3007, the part-time health care bills, would impact Oregon’s 1700 part-time faculty members. Both bills, which were passed in their respective House and Senate Education Committees, have been referred to the Joint Ways and Means Committee. PSU-AAUP has organized a letter-writing campaign to urge the co-chairs to support the legislation.

HB 2919, the textbook affordability bill, which requires each public university and community college to display the estimated costs of all required course materials and course fees for no less than 75 percent of total for-credit courses at time of registration, is in the queue for a vote by the House of Representatives. AAUP Oregon submitted testimony in support of the bill with a -2 amendment, which exempts certain courses with late hires.

The co-chairs Joint Ways and Means Committee roadshow is underway.  Beginning April 14, the co-chairs will hear public testimony on the state budget appropriation from constituents of the five congressional districts. You will hear how you can help us improve the Public University Support Fund in a separate email.