Supporters urge funding in public hearing for SB 5525, citing workforce, climate and cybersecurity needs

SALEM, Ore. — Dozens of educators, university staff, trade groups and students testified May 6 in support of Senate Bill 5525, asking the Joint Committee on Ways and Means’ subcommittee on education to continue or increase state funding for a range of higher-education programs and statewide services.

Senate Bill 5525 would provide appropriations affecting Oregon’s public universities and statewide programs. Witnesses described how the funding supports workforce development, regional services and direct assistance to under-resourced communities.

Supporters said the bill’s funding would maintain technical assistance and training, preserve community-facing programs and help universities respond to economic and technological change. “TAO respectfully urges your support of Senate Bill 5525,” said Maddie Doan, representing the Technology Association of Oregon, describing a proposed $11,300,000 allocation for the Oregon Cybersecurity Center of Excellence as “a relatively small investment for the state to support an organization with a significant mission and demonstrated impact.”

Patrick Sponsler, administrator of Resolution Oregon, urged continued funding for community dispute resolution services, saying the network served more than 35,000 people and more than 10,000 cases in the last biennium and that housing-stability mediation produced a large return on investment. “In housing stability mediation cases alone, the return on investment in Resolution Oregon in 2024 is estimated to be an average of 3,000% or more than $31,000,000 in saved shelter cost, medical cost, and other costs that are known direct results of evictions,” Sponsler said.

Breck Foster, a Portland-area high school social studies teacher, asked lawmakers to maintain funding for Oregon State University’s Oregon Climate Change Research Institute (OCRE), calling OCRE “a statewide source of expertise in scientific research for educators and community-based organizations” and noting its place-based climate assessments and outreach. Lisa Debra Kerr, president of Creative Resource Strategies, described Oregon State University’s Institute for Natural Resources (INR) as an “impartial convener” that produces decision-support tools such as the Oregon Biodiversity Information Center and IMAP invasives used by land managers.

Several witnesses, including Kate McMichael and other rural landowners, testified about the OSU statewides and extension services that connect landowners with stewardship resources and local foresters. Ella Cleek, an 18-year-old who served as a student leader at Multnomah Education Service District outdoor school, described outdoor-school experiences that she said foster curiosity and scientific engagement in students.

Parker Cooper, an OSU fermentation science graduate, urged continued funding for the Fermentation Science program and described the program’s role supporting nearly 1,700 fermented-food businesses in Oregon and about 49,000 related workers; he also recounted rapid technical support from OSU faculty that helped a producer diagnose a microbial problem.

Union and student speakers urged substantially larger investments in core university funding. Sage Tobeast (recorded in the hearing as a SEIU sub-local president at Southern Oregon University) asked the committee to support $276,000,000 in additional funding for the Public University Support Fund to help universities respond to changes such as automation and artificial intelligence. Sloan Oakrest, a Ph.D. student at Portland State University and vice president of communications for the graduate employees union, called for larger allocations including $1,275,000,000 for the Public University Support Fund, $920,000,000 for the community college support fund, and $450,000,000 for the Oregon Opportunity Grant, and requested $22,000,000 for a basic-needs package identified in cited house bills.

Multiple witnesses framed the appropriations as investments that produce state savings or regional benefits — from eviction-prevention savings to emergency-response and producer support — and urged the subcommittee to protect funding as federal support and economic conditions change. The public hearing concluded without a committee vote; the co-chairs closed the hearing and noted forthcoming informational and work sessions on other bills.

The committee’s next scheduled business includes an informational meeting on the Every Child Belongs program and a first work session on the Board of Pharmacy budget bill, the co-chairs said. The subcommittee adjourned after closing the public hearing on SB 5525.