Photo by Zack Spear on Unsplash.
Oregon's Senate Bill 854 (PDF), which, if enacted, would have required local school districts to establish, and periodically update, a climate change instructional program for K-12 students under the supervision of the state department of education, died in committee when the legislature adjourned sine die on June 25, 2023.
The bill received a hearing in the Senate Committee on Education on March 9, 2023, where it received support from the Oregon Education Association, Portland Public Schools, and the Oregon Sierra Club, among others. The committee did not take a vote.
Senate Bill 854 was introduced by James I. Manning Jr. (D-District 7) and Deb Patterson (D-District 10) at the request of Oregon Educators for Climate Education, which describes itself as "a statewide group of educators working toward Oregon legislation that would integrate and infuse PK-12 climate change education across all core subject areas."
