Subcommittee adopts A5 amendment to HB 4124, sends postsecondary study to full Ways and Means

The joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education on Feb. 24 adopted the A5 amendment to House Bill 4124 and moved the bill to the full Ways and Means Committee with a "do pass" recommendation. The bill directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to conduct a comprehensive study of Oregon’s postsecondary education system and develop recommendations for a more coordinated, financially sustainable, and workforce-aligned institutional framework.

Under the A5 amendment, the commission must submit a preliminary report by Oct. 1, 2026, and a final report by April 1, 2027. The Legislative Fiscal Office told the committee the proposal’s fiscal impact is indeterminate but anticipated to be absorbable within the agency’s existing resources; it recommended adoption of the amendment and sending the bill to the full committee.

Representative McLean said he supported moving the study forward but put on the record concerns he had received—including material from the University of Oregon—about any perceived expansion of the commission’s authority to remove programs. Committee members and LFO clarified the bill authorizes the commission to study programs and make proposals; it does not give the commission authority to change or eliminate programs on its own. Final decisions on any substantive program changes would require legislative action.

A committee member moved adoption of the A5 amendment and Co-chair Ruiz made the motion on the record; there were no objections and the amendment carried by voice consent. The committee then moved the amended bill to the full Ways and Means Committee with a due-pass recommendation.

The subcommittee closed the work session on HB 4124 and announced which members would carry the bill to the House floor. No roll-call vote was recorded in the work session minutes; motions were adopted by voice consent.