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Bill would fund two Spanish‑language pesticide educators at OSU to reach farmworkers statewide
Summary
Representative Courtney Niron’s HB 3010 (dash‑2) would allocate state general funds to create a Spanish pesticide safety education initiative at Oregon State University, funding two full‑time trainers to provide in‑person, culturally appropriate Worker Protection Standard instruction.
Representative Courtney Niron, chief sponsor of House Bill 3010, told the House Committee on Agriculture, Land Use, Natural Resources, and Water on Jan. 27 that the bill and its dash‑2 amendment would establish a Spanish pesticide safety education initiative and allocate general funds to support two full‑time trainers at Oregon State University’s Pesticide Safety and Education Program (PSEP).
Niron said Oregon’s essential agricultural workforce is predominantly Latino and Spanish speaking and that language barriers limit access to pesticide safety education, increase the risk of exposure and impede regulatory compliance. The dash‑2 amendment specifies funding for two full‑time Spanish‑language trainers who would deliver in‑person, linguistically responsive Worker Protection Standards (WPS) and handler trainings statewide.
Speakers supporting the bill included Andrea Kreiner, executive director of the Oregon Association of Conservation Districts; Chris Chaddell of the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District, who described delivering Spanish‑language trainings in the Mid‑Columbia region; and Leslie Tamura, a Hood River pear grower and board chair of Columbia Gorge Fruit Growers Association, who said local growers value bilingual, in‑person instruction and sometimes send employees to Washington trainers when Oregon offerings are not available.
Witnesses and committee members discussed scope: WPS training is required for workers on farms where pesticides are used and must be delivered annually; Chaddell said there are roughly 100,000 farm workers in Oregon and that many are Spanish speakers. Supporters said existing Spanish materials and online videos are helpful but that in‑person instruction by bilingual, culturally competent trainers produces better outcomes for worker understanding and safety.
Why it matters: Supporters framed HB 3010 as a workforce‑safety and environmental protection measure that would increase compliance with federal standards and reduce pesticide exposure. The committee took testimony from growers, conservation districts and a wine grape farmer, and closed the public hearing; no formal vote was taken that day.
