Oregon State Seal

OREGON HOUSE REPUBLICANS

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 16, 2012

Contact: Nick Smith

503-986-1351

 

HOUSE APPROVES ADDITIONAL MANDATE RELIEF FOR OREGON SCHOOLS

 

 Click here for video of Rep. Wingard on mandate relief.
Click image, above, for video of
Rep. Wingard on mandate relief.
SALEM—House Republicans continued their efforts to relieve Oregon school districts from expensive and unnecessary state education mandates.  Rep. Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville) led House passage of HB 4014 that eliminates eight such mandates from state law.

 

“This bill is part of ongoing effort to repeal some of the unfunded mandates that result in large and growing administrative expenses for our school districts,” Rep. Wingard said.  “It’s a product of education stakeholders that have worked to identify unnecessary mandates and rules. This mandate relief bill will not only produce savings for state government, but savings for school districts that can be re-directed to the classroom.”

 

HB 4014 eliminates various mandates on both school districts and the Department of Education.  For example, the bill eliminates the requirement that schools observe Arbor Week, as well as another mandate requiring districts to inform the state before they adopt textbooks or instructional material that’s not on the list adopted by the State Board of Education.

 

So far, education stakeholders have eliminated more than 150 state mandates and obsolete rules, including the repeal of 41 statutes, 32 amended statutes, 73 repealed rules and four amended rules. After passing legislation in 2011 to eliminate 30 unfunded mandates, Rep. Wingard said the Legislature should continue to support mandate relief whenever legislative action is necessary.

 

“I am urging these stakeholders to keep working to identify and repeal these mandates,” Rep. Wingard said. “Hopefully, this is an ongoing process that produces real savings for Oregon schools, and gives school districts more flexibility to set policies that work for their own schools.”

 

HB 4014 was approved 58-0 in the Oregon House, and now moves to the State Senate for further consideration.  

 

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