House Higher Education committee advances four bills on student pay, trucking workforce, IDA funding and military tuition waiver

The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development advanced four bills in brief work sessions on April 1, moving each to the next legislative step after adopting or rejecting amendments as noted.

House Bill 3694 — student-athlete name, image and likeness: The committee approved the dash‑2 amendment and moved HB 3694 to the floor with a “do pass” recommendation. The bill, as summarized for the committee, protects a student athlete’s contract from public records disclosure, permits institutions to directly compensate student athletes or prospective student athletes for the use of their name, image, likeness or athletic reputation, and prohibits student athletes from using their name, image or likeness to promote certain products or brands. The dash‑2 amendment removed language that would have prohibited athletic associations or conferences from requiring disclosure of a student‑athlete contract. Vote: motion carried (7 yes, 0 no).

House Bill 3826 — trucking industry workforce program: The committee adopted the dash‑1 amendment which reduced the program appropriation from $5,000,000 to $2,000,000, and moved the bill as amended to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means by prior reference with a due‑pass recommendation. HB 3826 would direct the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) to award grants to local workforce development boards to promote workforce development initiatives in the trucking industry and requires reporting to the legislature; the staff summary called for a report to the legislative assembly by Sept. 15, 2026. Vote on final motion: motion carried (6 yes, 1 no).

House Bill 3809 — individual development account (IDA) fund: The committee adopted the dash‑1 amendment that replaced the original measure with a version that establishes an Individual Development Account fund at Oregon Housing and Community Services and allocates $2,500,000 each calendar quarter from the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund into that account. The amendment also declares an emergency effective 7/1/2025. The committee moved the bill as amended with a due‑pass recommendation and requested a subsequent referral to Joint Ways and Means. Vote: motion carried (7 yes, 0 no).

House Bill 3920 — tuition waiver for dependents of disabled or deceased service members: The committee considered a dash‑2 amendment that would have made the waiver “first dollar” (i.e., prevent the state waiver from being reduced by the amount a student receives in federal, state, or institutional aid). The committee voted down the dash‑2 amendment. Members then moved the base bill forward with a due‑pass recommendation; the bill raises the age at which a dependent child may qualify for the waiver from 23 to 31 and allows an exemption for those qualifying for the federal Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program. Vote on the base bill motion: motion carried (7 yes, 0 no).

Votes at a glance (motions recorded in committee): - HB 3694 (as amended) — Adopted dash‑2 amendment; moved to floor with due pass. Outcome: advanced to floor. Vote: carried (7‑0). - HB 3826 (as amended) — Adopted dash‑1 amendment (appropriation reduced to $2,000,000); moved to Ways and Means by prior reference with due pass. Outcome: advanced to Ways and Means. Vote: carried (6‑1). - HB 3809 (as amended) — Adopted dash‑1 replacement (establishes IDA fund; quarterly allocations of $2,500,000 from Admin Services Economic Development Fund); moved with due pass and request for Ways and Means referral. Outcome: advanced. Vote: carried (7‑0). - HB 3920 — Dash‑2 amendment (first‑dollar funding) failed; base bill moved with due pass. Outcome: advanced to floor. Vote on base bill: carried (7‑0).

What changed in committee and next steps: Where amendments were adopted, the committee either removed or replaced language (HB 3694 and HB 3809). HB 3826’s appropriation was reduced in committee; HB 3920’s amendment expanding to first‑dollar funding was defeated on the floor of the committee and the base bill advanced. Several bills were referred to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means for fiscal consideration per standard legislative procedure.

Provenance: the committee opened each work session with a staff measure summary, took motions to adopt amendments, and recorded votes for each bill; those measure summaries and vote calls were the basis for the outcomes above.

Ending: The committee closed its series of work sessions and the clerk assigned carriers for the advanced bills as they moved to the next legislative steps.