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Committee Advances House Bill 2815 to Create Tribal Early Learning Fund and Advisory Alliance
Summary
The Oregon Education Subcommittee voted to send House Bill 2815 to the Ways and Means Full Committee with a "do pass" recommendation, advancing a bill that would create a Tribal Early Learning Fund and an 18‑member advisory alliance for tribal early childhood services.
The Oregon Education Subcommittee voted to send House Bill 2815 to the Ways and Means Full Committee with a "do pass" recommendation after brief discussion on June 3.
The measure directs the Department of Early Learning and Care to develop and implement a statewide tribal early learning plan serving children up to age 8 who are members of tribal communities and enrolled in early childhood care or education programs, and to establish an 18‑member Oregon Tribal Early Learning Alliance advisory committee. The bill also establishes the Tribal Early Learning Fund and continuously appropriates it to the department for awarding grant monies to each of the nine federally recognized Indian tribes in Oregon to implement the plan.
The Legislative Fiscal Office summarized the bill for the panel and the committee moved quickly to a vote. Co‑Chair Rees moved the bill to full committee with a due‑pass recommendation; there was no recorded formal opposition in the work session and the motion carried. Representative Wright was excused at the time of the first vote but later indicated he would have voted yes.
Committee discussion included support for providing tribes with additional local control over early learning services. One lawmaker said, "I think giving the tribes the option to manage more independently seems like the right direction," and added that local control is preferable because "they know what's best for them." That comment was recorded from a representative whose full name was not clearly stated in the transcript.
The bill would create an advisory structure and a dedicated fund to channel resources to the nine federally recognized tribes in Oregon; the bill text deposited existing early learning tribal hub funding into the new Tribal Early Learning Fund.
The subcommittee chair directed staff to watch OLIS for scheduling of future committee work; members noted the bill will now be considered by the full Ways and Means Committee.
The work session concluded without additional amendments recorded on the floor of the subcommittee.
