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Committee considers task force to align health-professional licensing with school settings
Summary
House Bill 2,423 would create a task force to review how professional licensing rules apply in school settings and recommend changes to ensure licensing boards’ regulations fit educational practice. Supporters include school nurses and educator groups; OSBA asked for administrative representation on the task force.
A staff summary and a panel of school nurses, licensing board representatives and education groups described House Bill 2,423 as a proposal to establish a task force “to ensure that licensing board regulations make sense in an educational setting.”
Celine Swanson Harris read Representative testimony supporting the bill and said the measure would create “a structured process for licensing boards to review their regulations with an educational lens and make necessary adjustments to better support school based professionals and students.” She framed the task force as a way to reduce practical misalignment between hospital/clinic-focused licensure rules and the daily realities of school-based care.
Wendy Niskinen, a school nurse with more than 20 years’ experience, urged support and described the practical problems that arise when licensing rules are written with hospitals or clinics in mind. “The disconnect creates significant barriers to the provision of evidence based care, putting students at risk,” she told the committee.
Cynthia Branger Muñoz, speaking for the Oregon Education Association, said OEA is working with licensing boards and education partners on technical amendments to broaden task-force representation and strengthen the proposal; she urged the committee to consider those changes. Stacy Michaelson of the Oregon School Boards Association said OSBA is officially neutral but requested at least two administrative seats on the task force so districts involved in staffing and standards would be part of the conversation.
Speakers from professional licensing boards said their rulemaking processes already try to account for school settings and recommended technical fixes—examples included interpreter availability and recordkeeping rules—that could be addressed through focused task-force work. The committee left the public record open for additional written comment.
Ending: Committee members indicated the task force could provide a forum to resolve recurring cross-sector issues and encouraged proponents and associations to continue negotiating amendments.
