Senate Education Committee advances several education bills, adopts amendments and referrals
April 07, 2025 | Education, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Oregon
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The Oregon Senate Education Committee on April 7 adopted amendments and moved a slate of education measures to the floor or to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, taking votes on several bills after brief discussion.
Chair Frederick opened the meeting by saying the committee would attempt to move quickly through items ahead of a longer discussion later: “we're gonna try to do those as quickly as possible.”
Why it matters: The bills advanced Wednesday cover assessments, school supports, teacher preparation and program funding; several will require additional budget review by Ways and Means or further consideration on the Senate floor. The committee recorded roll-call votes on multiple motions, including amendments and recommendations to refer bills for budget consideration.
What the committee approved (votes at a glance)
- Senate Bill 3 15 (dash 1 amendment adopted; bill moved to the floor with a due-pass recommendation). Roll call on the dash 1 amendment recorded: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes. Vote record on the subsequent motion to move SB 315 to the floor matched the same pattern and the committee reported the bill as passed out of committee.
- Senate Bill 4 43 (appropriation to support the Oregon Residency Collaborative Alliance for Family Medicine) — moved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference. Roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 5 41 (computer science in public schools) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment (which added AI to required programming and altered dates and funding). Dash 1 amendment roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — Yes; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes. The amended bill was approved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference; the final referral roll call recorded Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 7 35 (charter schools and abbreviated school day exception) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment and moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Recorded votes on the amendment and final motion included Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes; subsequent roll call during the floor motion included additional senators recorded as voting Aye.
- Senate Bill 9 80 (study of standardized job profiles for unlicensed school jobs) — moved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference. Roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 11 09 (audit of kindergarten assessments; later amended to address meeting recordings for governing boards) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment and moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation and rescinded the subsequent referral to Ways and Means. Roll call on the amendment and subsequent motion recorded Senators Gelser Blue, Robinson and Solman as voting Aye; Vice Chair Weber was excused.
Other business and carry-overs: The committee opened public hearings or work sessions on several additional bills, including SB 581 (psychology provider incentive program), SB 302 (kindergarten assessment audit / ODE audit language), SB 306 (carried over), and SB 141 (a major accountability and K–12 dashboard bill discussed in depth and carried for further work). Several bills were explicitly carried over to allow authors, staff and members to resolve outstanding amendment or implementation questions before the next scheduled meeting.
What the votes mean next: Bills referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will receive budget-level review; bills moved to the floor are eligible for full-Senate consideration. Several measures that were carried over will return to committee with requested answers or revised amendments.
Votes and formal motions recorded in the committee minutes are listed as formal actions in the meeting record.
Chair Frederick opened the meeting by saying the committee would attempt to move quickly through items ahead of a longer discussion later: “we're gonna try to do those as quickly as possible.”
Why it matters: The bills advanced Wednesday cover assessments, school supports, teacher preparation and program funding; several will require additional budget review by Ways and Means or further consideration on the Senate floor. The committee recorded roll-call votes on multiple motions, including amendments and recommendations to refer bills for budget consideration.
What the committee approved (votes at a glance)
- Senate Bill 3 15 (dash 1 amendment adopted; bill moved to the floor with a due-pass recommendation). Roll call on the dash 1 amendment recorded: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes. Vote record on the subsequent motion to move SB 315 to the floor matched the same pattern and the committee reported the bill as passed out of committee.
- Senate Bill 4 43 (appropriation to support the Oregon Residency Collaborative Alliance for Family Medicine) — moved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference. Roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 5 41 (computer science in public schools) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment (which added AI to required programming and altered dates and funding). Dash 1 amendment roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — Yes; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes. The amended bill was approved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference; the final referral roll call recorded Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 7 35 (charter schools and abbreviated school day exception) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment and moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation. Recorded votes on the amendment and final motion included Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Solman — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes; subsequent roll call during the floor motion included additional senators recorded as voting Aye.
- Senate Bill 9 80 (study of standardized job profiles for unlicensed school jobs) — moved with a due-pass recommendation and referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference. Roll call: Senator Gelser Blue — Aye; Senator Robinson — No; Senator Sullivan — Aye; Vice Chair Weber — Excused; Chair Frederick — Yes.
- Senate Bill 11 09 (audit of kindergarten assessments; later amended to address meeting recordings for governing boards) — the committee adopted the dash 1 amendment and moved the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation and rescinded the subsequent referral to Ways and Means. Roll call on the amendment and subsequent motion recorded Senators Gelser Blue, Robinson and Solman as voting Aye; Vice Chair Weber was excused.
Other business and carry-overs: The committee opened public hearings or work sessions on several additional bills, including SB 581 (psychology provider incentive program), SB 302 (kindergarten assessment audit / ODE audit language), SB 306 (carried over), and SB 141 (a major accountability and K–12 dashboard bill discussed in depth and carried for further work). Several bills were explicitly carried over to allow authors, staff and members to resolve outstanding amendment or implementation questions before the next scheduled meeting.
What the votes mean next: Bills referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means will receive budget-level review; bills moved to the floor are eligible for full-Senate consideration. Several measures that were carried over will return to committee with requested answers or revised amendments.
Votes and formal motions recorded in the committee minutes are listed as formal actions in the meeting record.
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