House Higher Education committee advances a package of workforce and higher-education bills, including childcare and tuition measures

The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development advanced a set of bills on April 8, moving several measures to the floor or to joint Ways and Means with due-pass recommendations.

The committee approved work-session changes and passed amended versions of bills addressing early childhood workforce and childcare supports, expansion of workforce grant programs, degrees for adults in custody, tuition-flexibility for technical and regional universities and establishment or modification of multiple workforce-study and grant programs.

The session opened with work on House Bill 3,008, a childcare workforce bill. A staff summary said the dash-2 amendment directed $9,000,000 for recruitment and retention payments to child-care providers and $6,460,000 for child-care workforce training programs and removed a previously listed appropriation to United We Heal Training Trust. Representative Fragle moved the dash-2 amendment and moved the bill as amended; the motion carried.

Committee members revisited language in several bills that had prompted concerns about priority groups. Representative Young criticized provisions she said could make education less affordable, saying, "It's very, very concerning that we have some of the highest tuition rates in, in our country." Representative Wright described Oregon's childcare shortage during remarks on House Bill 3,011, calling it a "childcare desert" and saying she would vote for that bill.

Other actions taken by the committee included: - House Bill 3,669 (prosperity 10,000 program): amended to permit the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to distribute additional funds and to allow funds to go directly to employers; motion carried and Representative Daniel Wynne was assigned as the carrier. - House Bill 2,405: appropriates funds to provide university degrees to adults in custody at four Eastern Oregon correctional institutions; the dash-2 amendment appropriated $2,000,000 to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission for distribution to Eastern Oregon University; motion carried. - House Bill 2,649: amended to permit governing boards of technical and regional universities to develop cooperative programs with East Asian countries and to charge fees for students in those programs; the committee adopted the dash-2 amendment and moved the bill to the floor. - House Bill 3,030 (administrator scholars): adopted amended language that permits grants to administrator candidates with "experience with diverse populations" rather than the earlier phrasing; motion carried. - House Bill 3,011 (early childhood workforce): the dash-3 amendment reduced the appropriation from $20,000,000 to $5,000,000 and narrowed distribution to campuses with on-site child-care centers that provide on-the-job training; motion carried. - House Bill 3,029 (workforce grants / prosperity program transition): committee adopted dash-2 amendments and moved the bill to the floor. - House Bill 2,686 (reenrollment grant for Oregonians with some college, no credential): dash-1 amendment set the appropriation at $2,000,000; motion carried. - House Bill 3,026 (studies and governance changes for HEC): adopted with dash-1; among other changes it extended the deadline for the forestry workforce study to Dec. 31, 2025; motion carried. - House Bill 3,552 (regional career centers): dash-2 amendment significantly narrowed the measure's scope and reduced the appropriation from $156,400,000 to $3,600,000; the bill was adopted and will be referred to Joint Ways and Means. - House Bill 3,634 (water workforce program): the dash-1 amendment expanded program eligibility and reduced the appropriation to $3,500,000; motion carried.

Votes at a glance (selected bills and key appropriations or changes): - HB 3,008 (childcare workforce): dash-2 amendments adopted; appropriation in summary: $9,000,000 for recruitment and retention payments; $6,460,000 for workforce training; bill as amended carried to Joint Ways and Means by prior reference. - HB 3,669 (Prosperity 10,000 modifications): amendments adopted; motion carried; carrier assigned. - HB 2,405 (education for adults in custody): dash-2 amendment adopted; $2,000,000 appropriation to HEC for Eastern Oregon University; bill referred to Joint Ways and Means. - HB 2,649 (tuition/focused international programs): dash-2 adopted; bill moved to floor; committee discussion flagged affordability concerns. - HB 3,011 (early childhood workforce): dash-3 adopted; appropriation reduced to $5,000,000; funds restricted to public colleges/universities with campus-based child-care centers offering on-the-job training; referred to Joint Ways and Means. - HB 3,552 (regional career centers): dash-2 adopted; appropriation reduced from $156,400,000 to $3,600,000; bill moved with subsequent referral to Joint Ways and Means. - HB 3,634 (water workforce): dash-1 adopted; appropriation reduced to $3,500,000; bill referred to Joint Ways and Means.

The committee recorded several objections and minority reports on specific bills but moved a broad package of measures to further fiscal review or to the floor. Several members pressed for clearer language on priority groups and non-discrimination, and multiple members cautioned about tuition increases and the affordability of higher education. The committee adjourned after addressing the bills on its agenda.