SALEM, Oregon — Republican lawmakers in Oregon are pushing a new bill that would require in-person learning next fall at all public schools.
At the state capitol, Republican legislators took the stage to announce House Bill 3399. Representative Vikki Breese Iverson of Prineville is chief sponsor of the bill.
"This bill is not complicated, it's simple—it requires public schools to provide full-time in-person classroom instruction during the 2021-22 school year," said Iverson
It is simple: just three pages long. But is it necessary?
Most public school districts we've heard from are planning on full-time in-person learning next school year.
Here's the answer to necessity from co-sponsor Rep. Christine Drazen (R), Canby:
"The governor has stepped in, the Department of Education steps in every so often and they change the rules, and that means that our school might want to reopen but if the Department of Education comes in and changes the rules again it could effect us. We need to give them certainty and this bill does that."
But it's that time in the legislative session when the minority party has a better chance of playing politics than passing substantive legislation, says KGW political analyst Len Bergstein.
"By and large your viewers should be skeptical of issues that are raised now where people are looking to have a political issue rather than a real solution," said Berstein.
Many parents have seen their kids suffer with virtual learning. The news conference featured some of them, including a mother from Canby.
"I watched every day as my kids went further and further down the road of unnecessary instability, I decided enough was enough and I unenrolled all my kids from the public education system."
And now there is HB 3399.
How closely should we watch the House bill and how far could it go?
"I don't expect it to go very far if what we know now is that it's asserted by minority (party) legislators and doesn't have a lot of detail," said Bergstein.
But at least it's a good chance to say what a lot of families understandably want.
"Our families need to count on full-time school, next year, 2021-22 school year, full time school," said Drazen.
Republicans called this bill bipartisan but there were no democrats at Thursday's news conference. House Republicans do say that Senator Betsy Johnson from Scappoose, a Democrat, has signed on as a co-sponsor. KGW has not heard back from, Johnson to confirm that information.