Oregon House adopts resolutions honoring Cambodian Americans, community health workers; passes school lighting and air-curtain incinerator bills

The Oregon House on Thursday adopted several resolutions and passed bills addressing commemorations, public-health workforce recognition, school lighting implementation and agricultural/forest land management.

House Concurrent Resolution 17: honoring Cambodian Americans and memorializing the Cambodian genocide

Representative Thuy Tran introduced HCR 17 and read the resolution to the chamber, saying she "rise[s] today in support of HCR 17 recognizing and honoring Cambodian Americans in Oregon and The United States and those lost in the Cambodian genocide." The resolution text, read on the floor, memorializes those who died in the 1975–79 Cambodian genocide and notes the fiftieth anniversary of the Khmer Rouge seizure of power on April 17, 1975. The resolution states that "approximately 2,000,000 people or a quarter of the Cambodian population died in the killing field." The House declared HCR 17 adopted after a voice vote.

House Concurrent Resolution 28: Community Healthcare Workers Week

Representative Ruiz urged adoption of House Concurrent Resolution 28, which designates August 17–23, 2025 as Community Healthcare Workers Week in Oregon. Ruiz called community health workers "the backbone of our public health system," saying they "provide outreach, health education, case management, and advocacy." The House adopted HCR 28 after the sponsor closed without further debate.

House Bill 2307: school lighting implementation deadline extended

Representative Mannix presented House Bill 2307 as a narrow correction to 2023 lighting legislation. Mannix said that immediate compliance by districts would be costly and that extending the compliance deadline by five years would allow school districts to phase changes in as they modernize buildings. On the floor Mannix cited district estimates, saying immediate implementation "would cost $42,000,000" for one large district and referenced another district's estimate of about $30,000,000; those figures were offered to illustrate the immediate cost of full, immediate implementation as described in committee testimony. The House declared HB 2307 passed on final reading.

House Bill 2332: air curtain incinerators and permitting

Representative Owens described House Bill 2332 as "a simple fix on air curtain burner[s]," explaining that the devices