A bill in Oregon is being considered by the legislature would establish a pilot program at Portland State University and Eastern Oregon University to enhance hiring of public university students by nonprofit organizations.

HB 2802 is sponsored by Representative Nathan Sosa (D-Hillsboro), Representative Ricki Ruiz (D-Gresham), Senator Michael Dembrow (D-Portland) and would require Portland State University and Eastern Oregon University to submit reports to interim committees of Legislative Assembly related to higher education by September 15 of each year.

The bill would also appropriate money for purposes of conducting the program. The bill has the emergency declaration attached to it, which would make it effective on July 1, 2023. Critics of the bill are speaking out through public testimony, pointing out the bill's potential for corruption.

An Oregonian, submitting testimony on behalf of NW Coast Range, speaking in opposition to the bill, is quoted as saying: "Why would the Oregon Legislature using taxpayers money fund an employment match program between college students and NPOs? NPOs are no-accounts and a drain on the revenue of the state in the form of grants. NPOs are an intrusion into the state public services domain without a legislative matrix scale to measure what is expected to be accomplished."

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The testimony continues, "HB 2802 is a nepotism scheme by government to enrich the people that are known to them or at least have the same societal legislator’s objectives. All the while grants to NPOs and NGOs decimate grant funds by the high five or six figure salaries or more for executives and salaries for field/office personnel."

The testimony concludes, "What incentive do these NP/NG Organizations have in solving society’s problems? NONE! To receive money on the pretense of helping no one, would be solving themselves out of a lucrative job/salary that the state grant system affords. Until the state and nation figure out a responsible metric system of evaluating the services NP/NG Organizations provide, it is time to curtail the free money scheme (grants) of enriching legislative hanger-on-ers of the Oregon and American taxpayers."

HB 2802 is currently being considered in the Legislative Joint Committee On Ways and Means.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-03-19 13:28:04

Last Update: 2023-03-19 15:44:13