Oregon’s 2025 Legislative Session – SEIU Members Made a Difference
Oregon’s 2025 legislative session ended with some major wins and a few misses for SEIU 503 members. Through the advocacy of our members, we were able to secure money for bargaining strong new contracts for state and homecare workers (Homecare members and state members are now ratifying Tentative Agreements!). We also won key investments in state agencies and passed legislation that will benefit all workers, including a bill to allow striking workers to collect unemployment insurance!
One of the toughest losses of the session was the Legislature’s failure to pass a transportation funding package that resulted in nearly 500 layoffs at the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). We were able to delay the layoffs until mid-September and Governor Kotek has called a special legislation session beginning August 29th to pass a bill and avoid layoffs.
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State Agency Budget Highlights
Care Facilities and Adult Foster Homes
Worker Rights
This session saw strong solidarity across labor to win for working people. As proud new members of the AFL-CIO, SEIU members joined together with workers from across sectors to support several important bills.
In June, the Legislature passed SB 916, Unemployment Insurance for Striking Workers. Now, Oregon workers who go on strike for longer than two weeks will have access to unemployment for up to 10 weeks, including public sector workers, making ours one of the strongest laws in the country. This was a top priority bill for our members and the Oregon AFL-CIO and a major victory for workers.
We also supported HB 3187, which passed this session. The bill bans requesting any age information on a job application to fight age discrimination. This effort, coordinated by the AARP, included testimony from several of our member leaders.
Finally, SB 968 (Overpayment Protections) also passed. A major victory for our union, this bill will limit clawbacks of overpaid wages to just one year. This will be a relief for many of our members who have been facing clawbacks for overpayments caused by Workday.
Long-Term CareOur members’ advocacy at hearings, lobby day, and more led to winning a pot of money to bargain our new homecare contract that includes a $3 wage increase over the life of the 2-year contract, end the requirement for Personal Support Workers (PSWs) to submit timesheets with signatures, raise the mileage reimbursement rate from .56 to .70 cents per mile, and much more. That’s union power!
In a major victory, $17 million was secured for the Essential Worker Health Trust in HB 5006, the 2025 budget bill. This funding supports health care for essential workers in skilled nursing facilities and leverage workforce investments to stabilize and strengthen staffing in critical care settings. SB 27 and SB 283 (Labor-Management Training Partnerships) did not pass this session.
Unfortunately, HB 3838 (Home and Community-based Care Workforce Standards Board), failed to pass despite being one of our Union’s top legislative priorities. This bill would create a statewide Workforce Standards Board for the long-term care industry, bringing workers, employers, and the state together to set standards for pay, training, and staffing. The goal is to improve working conditions, career opportunities, and the quality of care. Despite hundreds of members appearing at the Capitol and talking to their elected officials, opposition was stiff, and the bill didn’t pass this session. This fight is not over. Please stay in contact with your legislators and share your stories about providing needed services or friends and family who are using needed services.
State Agency Budget HighlightsThe Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) budget is set to increase by 15.7% over the previous budget, which is a big win during a time of statewide budget cuts due to falling revenue. This funding boost supports some of the most vulnerable Oregonians: children, foster youth, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Another ODHS win is a $4 million investment to improve safety in large public offices. While it’s not everything we asked for, it shows our advocacy made an impact and gives the agency the resources to take our safety concerns seriously.
The Oregon State Hospital (OSH) will receive $55 million to address staffing and safety needs, including funding for 76 new positions to fix operational gaps and 136 new Mental Health Technicians to strengthen staffing at the Salem and Junction City campuses. Our members have been raising the alarm about safety and staffing at OSH for years, so this is a major win in a tough budget environment.
The Bureau of Labor & Industries (BOLI), which has suffered from cuts and underinvestment for decades, received a 30% bump for the 2025-2027 budget. After a strong campaign led by BOLI workers, the AFL-CIO, and other partner organizations, the Legislature approved a one-time transfer of $14.6 million from the Workers’ Benefit Fund (WBF) to support BOLI programs. BOLI plans to use the money to hire additional workers and tackle a backlog of 7,500 civil rights and wage theft cases and take other steps to improve efficiency.
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Health Care & MedicaidOur top priorities were to preserve access to care for the 1.4 million Oregonians who rely on Medicaid and to protect the providers and care systems that serve them. We achieved major victories, including passage of HB 2010, protecting Medicaid funding, and SB 537, strengthening workplace safety in hospitals. We also advanced consumer protections by ending the use of medical debt in credit reporting and getting corporations out of the practice of medicine.
SEIU 503 members helped pass dozens of impactful health care bills by showing up, speaking up, and making a difference. Here are some highlights. HB 2010 reauthorizes provider assessments on hospitals, insurers, and Medicaid MCOs to fund the Oregon Health Plan. SEIU members testified in support of this bill that will help protect access to health care, including homecare. Our members’ advocacy led to the passage of HB 3064, which requires PEBB and OEBB to cover treatments related to perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
We also helped pass HB 3243, which prohibits balance billing for ambulance services and requires reimbursement transparency. Our members led on the passage of SB 296, expanding OHP post-discharge coverage from 20 to 100 days, boosts foster home rates, and streamlines eligibility. SB 537 defines workplace violence, provides support for workers after an incident, and mandates panic buttons, prevention plans, and de-escalation training. SB 605 requires providers to screen patients for financial assistance before referring medical debt to collections.
We also came up short on several health care-related bills. HB 2249 would have created a task force to reduce barriers to health care apprenticeships and licensure. SB 27 would have made investments in CareWorks, the Education Fund, FQHC training, clinical placement reimbursement, and the Essential Worker Health Trust. More than 15 SEIU members testified in support of the bill. While these bills failed to pass, we will not give up on the concepts. The work always continues.
Senator and SEIU 503 member Deb Patterson hosted a public hearing to discuss the impact of Congress’ proposed cuts on Oregonians. SEIU 503 members Andrea Carr (Sprague River) and Lorinda Gieler (Dufur) delivered powerful testimony before the Senate Committee on Health Care, urging lawmakers to stand strong against proposed federal Medicaid cuts. Their personal stories emphasized that Medicaid “keeps our families together.” Andrea spoke about caring for her daughter with autism.
Lorinda shared how Medicaid supports her grandson’s complex medical needs. She warned the cuts would “rip away coverage from the people who need it most,” and that rural clinics and hospitals would suffer dire consequences.
SEIU 503 members Andrea Carr and Jenny Widder joined a roundtable with Governor Kotek in Bend to underscore the urgent, real-world risks Medicaid cuts pose to everyday Oregonians.
From Salem to Bend to Washington, DC, SEIU 503 members are doing all we can to protect Medicaid and prevent deadly cuts to essential health care for our members, consumers, and everyone in need.
HousingHousing access and affordability was one of the most critical issues in this session, notable for many of our members, especially communities of color. SEIU members fought for additional funding to address Oregon’s affordable housing crisis. Here are some of the major housing bills our members helped pass:
SB 599: Fair Housing for All Oregonians prohibits landlords from inquiring about or disclosing immigration status or rejecting an applicant due to immigration status.
HB 3054: Manufactured Home Park Rent Stabilization. This bill caps rent increases in mobile homes to 6% to protect homeowners living in parks who are experiencing rent increases and other requirements that far outstrip what they can afford with income from pensions, social security, or modest wages.
With a budget impacted by economic uncertainty at the federal level, lawmakers only provided $44 million out of the $173.2 million requested for homelessness prevention. The eviction prevention programs that lost funding have already proven effective in keeping thousands of Oregonians housed. Without continued funding for these critical safety-net services, the eviction crisis will deepen, pushing more families into crisis.
This lack of funding will put an estimated 20,000 households at risk of eviction. We will be doing work through the Stable Homes coalition during the interim to address this funding gap. We will continue to advocate for homelessness prevention funding.
The legislature also failed to pass SB 722, which would have reduced the exemption for rent affordability requirements on newly constructed housing from 15 years to 7 years. Our state is facing a housing crisis, and our members cannot afford to wait 15 years for newly constructed buildings to no longer be exempt from the rent stabilization policies that we’ve passed in this state. We are working with housing coalition members during the interim to create a strategic plan for the 2026 session so that this doesn’t happen to us again.
TransportationThe Oregon Legislature ended its session without passing a transportation package, despite urgent warnings from ODOT about declining gas tax revenue and rising costs. Without new funding, ODOT faces around 500 layoffs, especially impacting rural, coastal, central, and southern Oregon. Services like snowplowing, road striping, and accident response will be cut. Gutting ODOT will reduce safety, maintenance, and accident response for all Oregonians.
As a union, this was more than just saving jobs, but more about saving lives. This fight is not over, and through our members’ strong efforts since June we have delayed the layoffs until September 15 and successfully demanded a Special Session to fix the problem – that’s now scheduled for August 29. You can take action to support your fellow workers at ODOT here: https://secure.everyaction.com/K67F3SN69UCFQEXnhMS7Vg2
Higher EducationSEIU members worked hard this session alongside other union members to advocate for investments in higher education and student services, including having a successful joint lobby day in MONTH! While we weren’t able to pass important bills that support Student Basic Needs, we were able to maintain the Governor’s recommended investment of $1.079 billion for Universities in a really tough budget environment. This was an important win and it doesn’t mean we’re not seeing the impacts of the attacks on higher ed funding coming from President Trump and the federal government. All of this will have an impact on our members’ contracts and the ability of Oregonians to afford higher ed. The fight here is just beginning, so stay tuned for updates.
Fair Shot for AllThe Fair Shot coalition continues to push a shared agenda that improves the lives of all Oregonians, regardless of race, geography, or background. This year’s agenda focused on protecting immigrant families, keeping Oregonians housed, strengthening behavioral health care, and giving essential workers a voice. The Fair Shot agenda for 2025 is here.
Important wins for Fair Shot this session included: funding for key parts of the immigrant justice package (including $15 million for Universal Legal Representation) and investments in safety for behavioral health workers. There is still unfinished business on the agenda that we and others will continue to fight for, including our workforce standards board bill and SB 611, Food for All Oregonians.
Climate JusticeThis session, our Union worked with labor and environmental allies to advocate for legislation related to climate, community resilience, and emergency preparedness.
Governor Kotek signed HB 2081, directing the Oregon Treasury and Investment Council to better manage climate risks in PERS investments. This legislation is consistent with a resolution passed by our members at our last General Council. The Governor also signed HB 2567 to make heat pumps more affordable. HB 3546, the POWER Act, requires data centers, cryptocurrency, and other large industrial energy users to pay their share of electricity use and costs. HB 2945 (electric school buses) and HB 3489 (revenue for wildfire preparedness) did not pass this session.
Care Facilities and Adult Foster HomesWe advanced stronger oversight of facilities and secured critical wins for disability rights and mental health access by helping pass important pieces of legislation. SB 739 strengthens oversight of LTC facilities by enhancing staffing requirements, speeding up complaint investigations, increasing transparency for residents and families, and imposing stricter licensing standards for RCF & AFH. SB 729 prohibits denying mental health services to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and expands the entities required to comply with this mandate, while also directing relevant agencies to adopt rules for implementation.
These victories and more reflect our fight for safe staffing, dignity, and equitable care for providers and consumers in home and community-based settings, ensuring workers and those they serve are prioritized.