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OregonHB 40662026 Regular SessionHouseWALLET

Relating to education; and declaring an emergency.

Sponsored By: Sponsor information unavailable

Signed by Governor

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

19 provisions identified: 14 benefits, 1 costs, 4 mixed.

Mental health access without disability exclusion

Covered public bodies and providers cannot deny mental health assessment, treatment, or services because someone also has an intellectual or developmental disability. State health, human services, education, and licensing agencies must adopt rules to carry out this protection.

Optional monthly pay for school directors

School district and education service district boards can offer voting directors stipends of up to $500 per month. The cap adjusts each July 1 for changes in the specified West Region consumer price index. Directors can decline payment, and receiving a stipend does not make them district employees. Districts must reimburse actual and necessary expenses whether or not they offer stipends. When stipends are offered, additional expense reimbursement is optional.

Community employment support for disabled people

Education officials must keep transition services for students with intellectual or developmental disabilities out of sheltered and mock sheltered workplaces. The State Board of Education defines those settings by rule. Human services and education agencies must coordinate employment-first work through committees, annual job-outcome data, an agency agreement, and a statewide coordinator. Transition planning must include community employment services. Regional coordination staff, provider training, and technical help depend on available funding; the law does not guarantee a job.

Easier school moves for military children

For covered military transfers, new schools must request records; sending schools have 10 days or the compact commission's deadline. Students get 30 days for required shots, or longer under commission rules; vaccine series must start within that period. Schools must honor prior grades regardless of age, including kindergarten; an accredited sending school must confirm placement after school starts. Schools must initially honor courses they offer and qualifying program placements, but can review placement later. They must initially provide comparable services under current special education plans and reasonable accommodations under existing Section 504 or Title II plans.

Graduation safeguards for military transfer students

Schools must waive specific graduation courses when covered military students completed similar coursework elsewhere, or reasonably explain a denial. After denial, schools must offer timely alternatives when the student otherwise qualifies to graduate from the former school. Receiving states must accept qualifying sending-state exams, national achievement tests, or alternative graduation tests. Seniors receive a diploma from the sending district when they meet its requirements but cannot graduate locally after alternatives. When one state is outside the compact, the member state must use best efforts to support on-time graduation.

Special education guidance reaches all teachers

The State Board of Education adopts special education rules, rather than the Department of Education. The department must send special education guidance and training materials to school districts. Districts must share those materials with all instructional staff. The State Advisory Council publicly comments on proposed special education rules.

Tuition protection for military children's caregivers

Districts cannot charge local tuition for covered military children placed with a noncustodial parent or someone acting as a parent. This protection applies when that caregiver lives outside the custodial parent's jurisdiction. The child can keep attending the school attended while living with the custodial parent. A special power of attorney for guardianship is enough for enrollment and parental actions.

Penalties for youth apprenticeship training violations

Youth apprenticeship training agents can lose eligibility for the specified business tax credit and for training and employing youth apprentices for one year. This applies after firing an apprentice without cause before training ends, as determined by the apprenticeship committee. Violating the listed apprenticeship laws or rules can also trigger these penalties. State education and apprenticeship council rules govern the requirements.

Optional sickness payments for education employees

The State Board of Education can authorize sickness payments instead of accrued and future paid sick leave for covered unclassified employees. Payments can be made directly or through an insured plan. They cannot include health care or duplicate employer group insurance coverage. The Board does not have to establish this option, and no payment amount is set.

School activity access for military children

Schools must help transitioning military children join extracurricular activities despite application deadlines, provided they otherwise qualify. Superintendents may also approve extra excused absences for visits with an active-duty parent or guardian. The parent must be called to, on leave from, or recently returned from combat-zone or combat-support deployment. Extra absences remain the superintendent's decision.

Equity advisers join school budget committees

School district budget committees must include at least one member of the district's educational equity advisory committee. The requirement applies to budget committee vacancies occurring on or after September 15, 2025. A district is excused when no equity advisory committee member is willing or able to serve.

Families receive school health testing results

Districts, education service districts, and public charter schools must post testing results online. They must notify staff, students, and parents by email within 10 business days. They must also post annual statements about testing plans and exposure reduction. The State Board of Education must set rules after consulting state health officials, school representatives, and other interested people.

Funded study examines farmworkers' working conditions

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission must send appropriated money to Portland State University for a farmworker study, consulting Oregon State University. Within available funding, research examines wages, schedules, benefits, financial security, safety, complaints, retaliation, enforcement, and contractor and temporary-visa work. It includes farmworker interviews and a confidential farmer survey covering diverse farms, sizes, and regions. Researchers must protect identities as far as practicable and obtain express, informed consent before including personal statements or experiences. A status update is due May 1, 2026; progress findings September 1, 2026; and the final report December 1, 2026.

Flexible bond allocations for school construction

Authorized state agencies can set rules for assigning and reassigning school construction bond authority created or expanded under the 2009 recovery law. Rules can cover applications, allocation standards, and conditions for receiving an allocation or its benefits. The education department manages Oregon's qualified school construction bond authority with the Governor's approval. This provision states no new funding amount.

Temporary lamp purchase exemption for schools

School districts and education service districts gain an exemption from the cited lamp restriction for purchases serving educational buildings. The exemption starts on this Act's effective date and lasts through January 1, 2030. The law also moves the start of the 2025 lamp-rule amendments from January 2, 2030, to this Act's effective date. No calendar effective date or dollar savings is stated in the supplied provisions.

Classroom air monitoring adds school duties

Districts using federal or state funds for indoor heating and cooling upgrades must install classroom carbon dioxide monitors. Monitors need readable placement, a visual alarm above 1,100 parts per million, and a 400–5,000 measurement range. Required accuracy is plus or minus 75 parts per million at 1,000; calibration cannot be required more often than every five years. Districts must retain peak readings, meet testing and reporting duties, and adjust ventilation or install outside-airflow measurement devices after more than four monthly setpoint exceedances. The State Board can update technical requirements as technology changes, consistent with applicable ventilation codes.

Education background checks with hearing safeguards

The education department can require fingerprint-based criminal checks, including FBI checks, for covered employees, contractors, vendors, and volunteers. Covered roles include unsupervised child access, confidential information, money handling, personnel, auditing, mailroom, or computer-system access. This authority is subject to State Board of Education rules. The Board must follow required notice and hearing procedures before adopting criminal-record-check rules, including through an abbreviated process.

Military school compact support and obligations

Oregon adopts the military school compact and must coordinate agencies, schools, and military installations to carry it out. The Governor appoints a military family education liaison who serves in the uniformed services, with state education department help. The interstate commission's lawful rules and agreements bind member states and override conflicting state laws within constitutional limits. The commission can assess annual state charges; withdrawing states remain responsible for obligations through the one-year withdrawal period. If withdrawal or default leaves only one member state, the compact ends and remaining funds are distributed under commission bylaws.

University board representation and bargaining limits

Oregon Health & Science University's 11-member voting board includes seven mission-experience members, a student, faculty member, staff member, and president. Governor appointments require Senate confirmation. Mission-experience members serve four years; other non-president members serve two, with successor terms beginning October 1 after expiration. Student, faculty, and staff members cannot join board discussions, actions, or closed sessions about bargaining issues affecting their represented groups.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

There is no primary sponsor on record.

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 80 • No: 14

Senate vote • 3/2/2026

Third reading. Carried by Sollman. Passed.

Yes: 28 • No: 0

Senate vote • 2/26/2026

Education: Heard and Reported Out

Yes: 5 • No: 0

House vote • 2/11/2026

Rules suspended. Third reading. Carried by Hudson. Passed.

Yes: 40 • No: 13

House vote • 2/9/2026

Education: Heard and Reported Out with Amendments

Yes: 7 • No: 1

Actions Timeline

  1. Chapter 42, (2026 Laws): Effective date March 31, 2026.

    4/6/2026House

  2. Governor signed.

    3/31/2026House

  3. President signed.

    3/5/2026Senate

  4. Speaker signed.

    3/4/2026House

  5. Third reading. Carried by Sollman. Passed.

    3/2/2026Senate

  6. Second reading.

    2/27/2026Senate

  7. Recommendation: Do pass the A-Eng. bill.

    2/27/2026Senate

  8. Work Session held.

    2/26/2026Senate

  9. Public Hearing held.

    2/17/2026Senate

  10. Referred to Education.

    2/12/2026Senate

  11. First reading. Referred to President's desk.

    2/12/2026Senate

  12. Rules suspended. Third reading. Carried by Hudson. Passed.

    2/11/2026House

  13. Second reading.

    2/11/2026House

  14. Recommendation: Do pass with amendments and be printed A-Engrossed.

    2/10/2026House

  15. Work Session held.

    2/9/2026House

  16. Public Hearing held.

    2/4/2026House

  17. Referred to Education.

    2/2/2026House

  18. First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

    2/2/2026House

Bill Text

  • HED Amendment -5 (Adopted)

    2/9/2026

    PDF

  • HED Amendment -3 (Proposed)

    2/4/2026

    PDF

  • HED Amendment -4 (Proposed)

    2/4/2026

    PDF

  • A-Engrossed

    PDF

  • Enrolled

    PDF

  • House Amendments to Introduced

    PDF

  • Introduced

    PDF

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