Sen. Dallas Heard

Requires school district board and public charter school governing body to adopt and implement policy that requires volunteers to undergo background check if district or school allows volunteers to have direct, unsupervised contact with school children. Allows governing body of private school to adopt and implement policy that requires volunteers to undergo background check if school allows volunteers to have direct, unsupervised contact with school children. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Requires development of plan for Oregon Coast Trail. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Establishes official name of open resources program as "Oregon's Open Educational Resources (OER) Program." Requires Higher Education Coordinating Commission to regularly convene faculty, staff and librarians from public universities and community colleges for purpose of coordinating program in specified manner . Appropriates moneys from General Fund to fund program. Requires Higher Education Coordinating Commission to report to Legislative Assembly during each regular session held during odd-numbered year on summary of current status of program, amount of moneys program has saved students, amount of moneys commission anticipates program will save students in future and evaluation of existing barriers preventing approval of more open educational resources. Declares emergency, effective July 1, 2017.

Establishes Task Force on Assessments of Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Directs task force to submit report to interim committee of Legislative Assembly related to education no later than January 1, 2018. Sunsets task force on June 30, 2019. Declares emergency, effective on passage.

Directs Housing and Community Services Department to develop and implement Rent Guarantee Program to provide incentives and financial assistance to landlords that rent or lease to low income households by guaranteeing payments to landlords for unpaid rent and for eviction and property damage costs within certain limits. Authorizes department to request proposals from and contract with program providers to administer program. Requires collection of performance outcome measures and annual report to interim committees of Legislative Assembly on housing. Establishes Rent Guarantee Program Fund and continuously appropriates moneys to department for Rent Guarantee Program.

Modifies purposes for which school districts may receive grants to pay for costs incurred by school districts to purchase food produced or processed in state. Expands types of entities eligible to receive grants to assist in paying costs incurred to provide food-based, agriculture-based or garden-based educational activities in school districts. Appropriates moneys to Department of Education for grant programs that allow school districts to purchase Oregon food products and to pay for costs related to food-based, agriculture-based and garden-based educational activities. Declares emergency, effective July 1, 2017.

Provides that portion of U.S. Highway 20 shall be known as Oregon Medal of Honor Highway. Authorizes Department of Transportation to install memorial markers that recognize and honor Oregon's Medal of Honor recipients in roadside rest areas and turnouts on U.S. Highway 20 . Takes effect on 91st date following adjournment sine die.

Requires State Department of Agriculture to adopt rules governing posting of tax information by gas stations. Authorizes Director of Agriculture to impose civil penalty for violation of statute governing posting of tax information by gas stations.

Establishes Oregon Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing Program within Department of Human Services. Establishes Oregon Deaf, Deaf-Blind and Hard of Hearing Committee for purpose of advising department on implementing and administering program. Specifies components of program and duties of department and committee. Becomes operative January 1, 2018. Takes effect 91st day following adjournment sine die.

Provides that with respect to newborn screening, Oregon Health Authority shall specify that person providing newborn screening may conduct tests for conditions listed on most recent edition of Recommended Uniform Screening Panel by United States Department of Health and Human Services. Specifies that person providing newborn screening shall test for certain condition through implementation of laboratory developed test approved by federal Food and Drug Administration, under certain circumstances. Establishes Review Committee on Newborn Screening for purposes of studying, evaluating and making proposals related to newborn screening. Sunsets committee on December 31, 2018. Takes effect on 91st day following adjournment sine die.