House Action: Passed 35 -25 Senate Action: None Governor Action: None HB 2184 | Retroactivity Provisions for Sexual Misconduct OEA Position: support with amendments HB 2184 clarifies that current law prohibiting sexual conduct by school employees toward students applies to conduct that occurred before the effective date of the 2009 law. House Action: Passed 55- 4 Senate Action: Passed unanimously Governor Action: Signed 4/2/13 HB 2192 | Modernizes School Discipline Policies OEA Position: support with amendments HB 2192 as amended is a consensus bill developed by a legislative workgroup that included OEA. HB 2192 directs school boards to adopt policies that will update Oregon’s student discipline, suspension and expulsion statutes. HB 2192 strikes the important balance of making appropriate changes to Oregon’s discipline statutes to ensure no student group is disproportionately taken out of the classroom while also maintaining local control. Under this law, school boards will improve school and staff discretion over discipline decisions and most importantly ensure the safety of all students and employees. House Action: Passed unanimously Senate Action: Passed unanimously Governor Action: Signed 6/4/13 HB 2279 | Local Government Employees can Access OEBB and PEBB OEA Position: neutral
HB 2279 will allow employees of local governments to participate in benefit plans provided by Public Employees’ Benefit Board and Oregon Educators Benefit Board. Local governments across Oregon have seen a dramatic increase in the cost of healthcare benefits in recent years. OEBB and PEBB increases have been below the medical trend for the past three years and Local Governments see this as a cost savings measure. House Action: Passed 45-14 Senate Action: Passed 16-14 Governor’s Action: Signed 8/14/13 HB 2322 | District Reimbursement for FDAB Subs OEA Position: support OEA worked with a coalition to devise a method of reimbursing school districts when teachers serve on Fair Dismissal Appeals Board cases. $10,000 in funding will be available to districts whose teachers are empanelled to consider teacher or administrator dismissal appeals. This bill instead became the vehicle for the session’s final “program change” legislation, which includes various last-minute policy elements. The $10,000 appropriation became a budget note in SB 5518, the Department of Education’s operations budget. Specifically, the measure as finalized by the Ways and Means Committee authorizes the Department of Education to make $1.5 million in grants to some federally designated “Priority” elementary schools for hiring new teachers to improve student achievement; it authorizes a transfer of up to $12 million from the State School Fund to the Network of Quality Teaching and Learning Fund established by HB 2506; it provides resources for non-Portland resident students who receive services from the Providence long-term care facility
and services from Portland Schools; and it allows the State Treasurer to establish conditions by which a school district may qualify for state guarantee of school bonds. House Action: Passed 37-22 Senate Action: Passed 22-7 Governor’s Action: Signed 8/14/13 HB 2325 | Measure 85 Implementation OEA Position: support OEA requested this bill to ensure that corporate kicker monies will be distributed through the State School Fund and not used for other General Fund purposes. It also clarifies that the distribution is not to be used to offset General Fund or lottery monies already appropriated to schools, but is to be an additional distribution when a corporate kicker would otherwise kick. House Action: Passed 49-6 Senate Action: Passed Unanimously Governor’s Action: Signed 8/14/13 HB 2426 | Personal Electronic Devices in Schools OEA Position: support with amendment Under HB 2426 school boards are directed to adopt policies to govern the use of personal electronic devices in the classroom. This bill will also require school districts to provide annual professional development to specified employees about the use of online resources for students with print disabilities. This bill was largely motivated by the successful models like the Canby School District, and recognized the importance of technology for students who may not otherwise be able to read or write using traditional classroom tools. An amendment to HB 2426 clarified that the teacher maintains discretion in determining if and when an electronic device can be used. 5