Legislators are waiting to hear about need for COVID-19 liability protection
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Public hearings will give school advocates an opportunity to tell legislators about the need for COVID-19 liability protection.
The Joint Interim Committee on the Third Special Session of 2020 will listen to public comment on four potential bills 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, if necessary. The Legislature is holding a special session Monday, and a bill offering liability protection for schools is on the agenda.
“Legislators really need to hear from school advocates about how important it is that this bill pass,” said Lori Sattenspiel, OSBA Legislative Services director.
School leaders, including OSBA, have been working for COVID-19 liability protection since it became clear in early summer that schools could not buy insurance coverage against disease-related lawsuits. Disease transmission in a school could lead to potentially budget-destroying litigation without some sort of legal protection for schools that are following state and local guidelines.
The online proceedings can be viewed on the Legislature’s website. OSBA and the Coalition of Oregon School Administrators, which helped craft the bill, expect to have representatives offer testimony.
