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Share Testimony for the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session

Dear PSUFA, 

Labor union coalitions are working with legislators NOW to make positive changes through the 2023 Oregon legislative session. These motions are made stronger with testimony from you, the workers. 

Now is your chance to submit testimony—your stories from working as contingent academic workers—to make change that matters. 

Below you’ll find:

  • Instructions on writing testimony

  • Current bills, testimony needed, and deadlines

Adjunct faculty bills are at the top. Please note: 

  1. The “Adjunct Pay Parity” bill is happening tomorrow, Thursday at 3pm. ***This is our priority for messaging. Please send in your written testimony as soon as possible.***

  2. Another priority bill is the Public University Governance Reforms (SB 273), which is happening a week from now—March 30 at 3pm. Please submit any testimony by 11am on Thursday, March 30.

How to Write Testimony

  • Write your own testimony, in your own words, and in your own voice.

  • The messaging and testimony template included below are examples only. Feel free to use as much or as little of them in your own testimony as you would like.

  • If you would like someone to review your testimony before you submit it, please send it to andreah [at] aft-oregon.org or taylor [at] mahoniapublicaffairs.com 

  • Remember that any testimony you submit—whether it is written and submitted online or verbal on the day of the hearing—will be publicly available in perpetuity on the Oregon Legislature’s website. This includes your name, what you write, and any personally identifiable information that you include in your testimony.

  • The maximum number of characters allowed in the text box is 4,000. The maximum PDF upload size is 15 MB.

  • Upload all completed testimonies to this Google Folder OR email to Andrea Haverkamp.

Testimony Messaging and Templates

Below are links to the bills in  Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS), short summaries of the bills, important deadlines, and testimony templates to download or make a copy of in Google Docs. View or download all templates here.

Adjunct Faculty Issues

Adjunct Pay Parity (SB 416)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB416 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: Requires public universities and community colleges to pay part-time faculty at the same rate, on a per-hour basis, as public university or community college pays full-time faculty to prepare for and teach courses.

  • Deadlines: Public Hearing THIS THURSDAY, March 23 at 3pm. Written and/or verbal testimony is needed as soon as possible! Let us know if you are available. Note: You can continue to submit testimony 48 hours after the bill (until Saturday), but it is more impactful beforehand.

  • Testimony Template

Adjunct Faculty Healthcare Vision, Dental, Funding Allocation (HB 2611)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2611 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: Requires that dental and vision are included in health benefits available to part-time faculty members. Requires public institutions of higher education to notify potentially eligible part-time faculty members of eligibility requirements and details of health care benefits available to part-time faculty no later than 30 days before application deadline. Reduces the amount of time part-time faculty must work to qualify for health care benefits from 50 percent of full-time equivalent employees to 30 percent of full-time equivalent employees. Requires institutions to include non instructional work when making eligibility determination.

  • Deadlines: Ongoing. We are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

  • Testimony Template

General Higher Education Issues

Public University Governance Reforms (SB 273)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  SB273 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: The full text of the bill is still being workshopped and will be introduced before next Thursday. It is expected to include expanded representation for faculty, students, and staff with voting rights, and require two-way communication and availability of email addresses.

  • Deadlines: Public Hearing NEXT THURSDAY, March 30 at 3pm. Written and/or verbal testimony is needed as soon as possible! Please do not submit testimony yet - we’ll need a strong group to ensure consistent messaging. Let us know if you are available to participate!

  • Testimony Template

Campus Safety Survey and Survivor Services (HB 3456)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB3456 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: Requires college campuses to provide certified survivor services including free medical, legal, and counseling services. Requires biannual campus climate survey data collected at each institution and aggregated by the State of Oregon. Ensures amnesty protection for reporting parties. 

  • Deadlines: Work Session scheduled today, we are collecting testimony in anticipation of forward movement.

  • Testimony Template - Use talking points from This Document

Graduate Employee Hours-worked Eligibility for SNAP Benefits (SB 609)

Classified Staff Issues

Equal Access to UI Benefits for K-12 Classified Staff (SB 489)

Classified Staff Recognition Week (HB 2708)

There are more Classified Staff bills in the hopper. Contact Andrea if you’d like to work on the full range of bills being considered.

“Fair Shot for All” Coalition / Common Good 

Public Banking Bill (HB 2763)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2763 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: Establishes State Public Bank Task Force. Directs task force to study and make recommendations regarding establishment of state public bank. Requires task force to submit report to committee of Legislative Assembly by January 31, 2024.

  • Deadlines: Already passed with amendments! We can collect testimony ahead of forward movement in the Senate.

  • Testimony Template 

Reproductive and Gender Healthcare Access Bill (HB 2002)

  • Link to Bill and Testimony Submission:  HB2002 2023 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System 

  • Summary: This bill protects reproductive healthcare providers from criminal charges relating to other states, funds a pilot ‘mobile reproductive healthcare’ service for underserved regions, removes limitations within commercial insurance on gender affirming healthcare, increases reproductive healthcare access on community college and public university campuses. More info here. 

  • Deadlines: Passed.

  • Testimony Template - courtesy of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon

Stable Homes for Oregon Families (SB 611)

AFT-Oregon's 2021 Legislative Report

We’re proud to share this message from AFT-Oregon about the 2021 Oregon Legislative Session. Read on and download the PDF for the full report.

Executive Summary

It goes without saying that the 2021 Legislative Session was unlike any other session Oregon has witnessed in recent memory. From gavel-in to adjournment sine die, Oregonians watched as the Legislature attempted to navigate a worldwide public health emergency and conduct the people’s business.

In order to accomplish this, legislative leadership ramped up a fully virtual session that found one of the most accessible capitol buildings in the country closed to the public. While this action was a key contention of the session—leading to a short-lived walkout by Republicans in late February—business carried on with the use of video conferencing for public hearings and strict protocols for floor votes.

While the overall session went as smooth as it could have, it was not without complications and controversy. The Oregon House of Representatives lost several days throughout the session when positive COVID-19 tests were identified among members and staff—leading to the cancellation of multiple floor sessions and many members missing for floor votes due to illness and isolation.

This session also saw two members of the House forced to vacate their seats. The first, Democrat Rep. Diego Hernandez, resigned under growing pressure to do so based on multiple allegations of harassment in the workplace. The second, Republican Rep. Mike Nearman, became the first legislator in Oregon’s history to be expelled from the Legislature after evidence surfaced of his involvement with armed protesters at our capitol.

Despite all of these roadblocks and distractions, a majority of legislators were able to work together to meet their constitutional obligation of crafting and passing a budget for the next biennium. The efforts of the Ways and Means Tri-Chairs were buoyed by a very optimistic May revenue forecast and the infusion of federal American Rescue Plan funds.

Progress in Education

When it comes to issues related to pre-K to 20 education, the Legislature spent this session debating bills and budgets aimed at providing quality, equitable education and child care access for all Oregonians. Some highlights of these efforts include, but are not limited to: expanded health care and unemployment insurance access for part-time faculty and classified staff; increased financial aid for students; the inclusion of class size as a mandatory aspect of collective bargaining; and the use of American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds to increase access to child care throughout the state.

On top of the many policy efforts, the Legislature allocated over $3 billion to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (including $900 million for the Public University Support Fund and $703 million for the Community College Support Fund), just under $7 billion to the Oregon Department of Education, fully funding the Student Success Act and providing $9.3 billion to the State School Fund for the next biennium. Outstanding issues with the State School Fund are set to be addressed during the interim.

AFT-Oregon Legislative Victories

Adjunct Faculty Health Care: SB 551
PASSED: OR Senate 20-9 | OR House 50-5
A historic legislative win over a decade in the making, SB 551 will ensure that AFT-Oregon adjunct faculty members have access to quality and affordable health insurance. With nearly $13 million allocated to the newly created Part-Time Faculty Insurance Fund established by SB 551, adjunct faculty who work at least half time will be provided the same employer offered health insurance available to their other faculty colleagues at the home institution selected by the adjunct faculty.

Student Loan Forgiveness Eligibility: HB 3255
PASSED: OR Senate 20-2 | OR House 52-6
Further addressing inequities for adjunct faculty, HB 3255 will require notification to all eligible education employees in Oregon about the Public Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) as well as direct institutions to credit adjunct faculty with 3.35 hours of credit for every one hour of instruction—a much-needed policy to ensure adjunct faculty can participate in the PSLF program.

UI Clarity for Education Assistants: SB 495
PASSED: OR Senate 21-7 | OR House 40-17
The passage of SB 495 provides clarity for education assistants when trying to access UI benefits. By aligning statutory definitions of “instruction,” SB 495 removes confusion within the Oregon Employment Department and provides clarity about which employees a “reasonable assurance” test must be applied to.

Removing UI Barriers for Classified Staff: SB 496
PASSED: OR Senate 22-6 | OR House 46-9
With the enrollment of SB 496, the Legislature removed the unfair restriction on UI eligibility for school employees in Head Start programs and food service and ensured these employees will not face adjudication when trying to access UI benefits.

HECC Voting Rights: SB 712
PASSED: OR Senate 18-10 | OR House 50-10
AFT-Oregon’s HECC Voting Rights bill will extend voting rights to the existing Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) positions for students, faculty, and non-faculty higher education staff and creates one new position to extend much-needed representation to graduate students.

Read or download the full AFT-Oregon 2021 Legislative Report here (PDF).