HB 3341B repeals the ‘adverse impact’ law that allows for-profit colleges to veto community college courses

SALEM—This morning the Oregon Senate removed a barrier to allow community colleges greater flexibility in offering coursework that serves the surrounding area. House Bill 3341B, which passed on a 21-7 vote with two excused, repeals the ‘adverse impact’ law, which allows for-profit colleges to stop local community colleges from offering courses they deemed too similar to their own.

“No other state has a law that allows private, for-profit schools to veto course offerings of community colleges. Under this law, the community colleges lose, the students lose, and our communities lose,” said Senator Mark Hass (D-Beaverton), chair of the Senate Education and Workforce Development Committee. “It’s time to retire this law so that we can let colleges respond to local workforce needs by creating lower-cost programs for students.”

Under current law, community colleges seeking to establish new programs that are also offered by for-profit career colleges must give a notice of intent to the career college. If the career college demonstrates that it may be adversely impacted by the community college offering, the community college is prohibited from developing and offering the new course. HB 3341B eliminates the career college’s ability to unilaterally block a community college course.

“Removing this barrier will allow our community colleges to get back in the business of offering affordable courses to help Oregonians get the job training they need,” said Hass.

Under HB 3341B, the Higher Education Coordinating Committee will set up a process for community colleges and career colleges to work out potential issues of duplication and adverse impacts.

“Repealing the adverse impact law will strengthen Oregon’s workforce by allowing job seekers to obtain skills and training at their local community college,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland). “Community colleges play a critical role in preparing Oregonians for the needs of the 21^st Century economy. It’s time they had the flexibility to offer more courses to respond to the needs of their communities.”

The bill now returns to the Oregon House of Representatives for a concurrence motion.

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For more information on the Senate Majority Caucus, please visit www.orsenatemajority.org

HB 2611A outlines next steps for greater awareness of health care disparities across minority groups

SALEM – A bill that addresses the disproportionate health problems faced by minority communities passed in the Senate this morning, with a 26-2 vote with two excused. House Bill 2611A establishes the protocol and next steps for creating cultural competency standards for Oregon’s health professional regulatory boards.

“The evidence shows clear health disparities in minority communities,” said Senator Chip Shields (D-Portland), a chief sponsor of HB 2611A. “We can work to close these gaps by adequately preparing health care providers to identify and address cultural barriers to quality care.”

Research has shown that training in cultural competency improves the skills and knowledge of health care providers, enabling them to work effectively in cross-cultural situations. Generally, cultural competency in health care is defined as a set of provider skills, provider communication strategies, and institutional policies that come together with the goal of improving care and outcomes.

Oregon has seen a steady increase in the diversity of the state’s population, with over 20 percent of Oregonians identifying as Latino or non-white according to 2011 American Community Survey data.

“Training for cultural competency will improve Oregon’s health care delivery system so that we can address the diverse needs of our rapidly-changing population,” said Senator Laurie Monnes Anderson (D-Gresham), chair of the Senate Health Care and Human Services Committee. “As Oregon becomes more diverse, House Bill 2611A will help us make sure everyone in Oregon is getting quality health care.”

Specifically, HB 2611A requires the Oregon’s health care professional regulatory boards to develop standards for continuing education in cultural competence. The bill also instructs the Oregon Health Authority to develop a list of opportunities for continuing education so that providers have a variety of sources for proper cultural training.

“Implementing cultural competency standards is a key part of making health care more effective,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland). “Senate Democrats will continue our efforts to strengthen Oregon’s health care workforce in order to provide greater access to affordable, preventative care.”

The bill now goes to Governor John A. Kitzhaber for his signature.

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For more information on the Senate Majority Caucus, please visit www.orsenatemajority.org

SALEM – Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum released the following statement this morning regarding the May 2013 Revenue Forecast:

“The revenue forecast this morning indicates a renewed sense of optimism. Oregon’s brightening economy has given us more resources to work with for the next biennium.

“But as Governor Kitzhaber mentioned yesterday, there’s more we can do to create a budget that truly reflects Oregon’s priorities. Now is the time to come together so we can reinvest in and stabilize our schools, keep our communities safe, and protect vital services for our most vulnerable.

“Senate Democrats will make a strong push to help the middle class share in the economic recovery by passing jobs bills that will help small businesses and get more Oregonians back to work.”

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HB 2654B prohibits current and prospective employers from demanding access to social media accounts

SALEM – The Oregon Senate today passed a bipartisan bill designed to protect the privacy rights of employees and job applicants. House Bill 2654B, which passed on a 28-1 vote with one excused, prohibits a current or prospective employer from demanding access to a private social media page, such as Facebook, as a condition of employment.

“Employees and applicants have a right to keep their professional and personal lives separate,” said Senator Ginny Burdick (D-Portland), a sponsor of the bill. “This bill draws a clear line for the working world by allowing employees to keep their accounts private, without intrusion from management.”

In addition to prohibiting access to a personal social network as a workplace requirement, the bill disallows retaliation based on an employee or applicant’s refusal to disclose information. HB 2654B does not restrict employers’ ability to access information that is otherwise publicly available.

“Supervisors don’t have the right to rifle through their employees’ journals and diaries. Why should this be any different?” said Senator Elizabeth Steiner Hayward (D-Beaverton). “Today’s vote reaffirms the idea that people can keep their personal information private, even in a digital form.”

In April, the Senate passed SB 344A, a similar bill that restricts colleges and universities from compelling a student to share social media account information as a condition of admission or enrollment.

“Job applicants should have a fair shot to get hired, and private social media accounts shouldn’t be a part of the process,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland). “This bill helps Oregonians get back to work by allowing them to compete for jobs based on their qualifications.”

House Bill 2654B now returns to the Oregon House of Representatives for a concurrence motion.

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For more information on the Senate Majority Caucus, please visit www.orsenatemajority.org

HB 2646A clarifies that prevailing wage law will apply to Oregon University System projects

SALEM—This morning, the Oregon Senate passed a bill to ensure that more workers on state projects receive the appropriate level of compensation and benefits. House Bill 2646A, which passed on a 27-2 vote with one excused, ensures that contractors for construction projects in the Oregon University System (OUS) use prevailing wage laws that benefit workers and Oregon’s economy.

“Extending prevailing wages to university contracts will result in high quality and cost-effective work while protecting wages and compensation for employees,” said Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum (D-Portland). “Communities benefit when projects use prevailing wage, and HB 2646A will help more Oregonians get to work with good-paying jobs.”

Oregon’s prevailing wage law is designed to ensure competent work, efficient use of state resources, and competition among qualified contractors while maintaining compensation standards that fit the surrounding community. The intent of HB 2646A is to make certain that construction projects at Oregon’s universities comply with the state policy that publicly funded works use prevailing wage.

“Workers on university projects from La Grande to Monmouth should receive proper compensation and benefits for the hard work they do to modernize our campuses,” said Senator Chris Edwards (D-Eugene), who led the floor discussion on the bill. “This principle is especially important as schools like Oregon State University and Oregon Institute of Technology expand their geographical reach with new campuses.”

Oregon is one of 32 states that currently have a prevailing wage law that is modeled after the federal Davis-Bacon Act. The Bureau of Labor and Industries is responsible for enforcing this law in Oregon and for providing resources to help contractors and agencies comply with prevailing wage requirements.

The bill now goes to the Oregon House of Representatives for a concurrence motion.

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For more information on the Senate Majority Caucus, please visit www.orsenatemajority.org