Legislative Briefs
Hair discrimination
House Bill 2935
What it does: Oregon currently prohibits school and workplace discrimination based on race, but the applicable definitions do not explicitly include hair type, texture or style. House Bill 2935 would include physical characteristics, including hair type, texture and style, within the definition of race in school discrimination policies, interscholastic organization activities and unlawful employment practices.
What’s next: The bill has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Organ and tissue donation
House Bill 3234
What it does: Oregon’s health content standards do not cover organ and tissue donation. House Bill 3234 would require the State Board of Education to adopt related content standards and for school districts to provide instruction beginning with the 2025-26 school year.
What’s next: The bill has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature.
Class-size bargaining
What it does: Under the Public Employee Collective Bargaining Act, the public employer and the labor organization are required to collectively bargain in good faith with respect to identified aspects of employment relations. Other subjects may be bargained as long as there is mutual agreement to discuss them. Between 1989 and 1995, class size was a mandatory subject of bargaining. Before and after that time, the topic was identified as a permissive subject of bargaining. Senate Bill 580 would make class size and caseload limits in Title I schools a mandatory subject of school district collective bargaining.
What’s next: The bill has passed the House and Senate and is awaiting the governor’s signature.