Legislative Session Update
PSU’s 2021 Legislative Agenda
Oregon’s 82nd Legislative Session adjourned sine die on June 26, 2021. Portland State and our sister institutions had a fantastic session. The Legislature funded the Public University Support Fund at $900M and the Oregon Opportunity Grant at $200M. These investments will provide essential support for our students and our institutions.
Additionally, the Legislature passed several policy bills that will impact Portland State. The new laws include the creation of Basic Needs Navigators, a new Student Voices Task Force, and Common Course Numbering. Each of these policies will improve the experience and services available to our students and are further described below.
What Happened?
Budget
- $900M Public University Support Fund: This funding is divided between Oregon’s seven public universities. It funds approximately 30% of PSU’s Education and General Fund.
- $200M Oregon Opportunity Grant: Support for low-income Oregonians to attend post-secondary institutions was a priority for many legislators. The legislature provided an increase of nearly $30 million over current service levels.
- $52.6M State Programs: State Programs were created by the Legislature and are integrated into Oregon’s public universities. At Portland State we received a portion of the funding that will go to Engineering Technology Sustaining Funds (ETSF), Oregon Solutions, Oregon Consensus, Signature Research, and the Population Research Center.
- 1% Sports Lottery: This funding is divided between the seven public institutions. This funding supports athletic scholarships and some graduate scholarships.
Policy Bills
HB 2412 College Access and Diversity Program Funding (Funded through HB 5006)
$1M to BUILD EXITO
$1M to College Possible
$1M to ASPIRE
$1M to AVID
$1M to TRiO
HB 2835 Basic Needs Navigators
This bill provided funding for a Basic Need Navigator at every public university and community college in Oregon. The Navigators will assist students in finding food, housing, child care, etc assistance that is available to them.
HB 2590 Student Voices
Establishes a task force on Underrepresented students at post-secondary institutions. The task force will visit university and community college campuses to listen to students and other higher education stakeholders about how to strengthen post-secondary education in Oregon.
SB 551 Part-Time Faculty Health Care
Provides health insurance coverage for part-time faculty at public universities and community colleges. To be eligible, a faculty member must be working at a level equal to at least half of a full-time equivalent employee.
SCR 12 PSU Turns 75
Congratulates Portland State University on its 75th year.
HB 2433 University Venture Development Fund
Omnibus Tax Credit bill that includes an extension of the sunset of the University Venture Development Fund.
SB 233 Common Course Numbering
Establishes a common course numbering system for introductory and lower-level courses offered at public post-secondary institutions of education and participating nonpublic post-secondary institutions of education.
Additional Funding for Portland State from State ARPA Funding
*This funding does not solely serve PSU students, but PSU students will benefit from this program.
Capital Construction Project: Gateway Center
The Legislature authorized:
$45M in Q bonds
$5M in G bonds (match required)
$18M in F bonds (university backed)
Total project with university match: $73 million
Additional Areas of Interest
University Governance continues to be a topic of discussion in the legislature. SB 854 was introduced and would have radically modified the system of governance for the public universities. Ultimately, this bill didn’t move out of committee. However, the Universities have committed to working with members of the Senate Education Committee on a comprehensive study of university governance and best practices.