Oregon Public Health Legislation Proposed in 2007

updated on June 8, 2007

Healthy Foods for Healthy Students

House Bill 2650 will get the worst junk foods out of schools by setting nutrition standards on fat, saturated fat, sugar and transfats for foods sold in school vending machines, student stores, and the a la carte line of cafeterias. This bill passed the both the House and Senate and was signed into law.

Smokefree Workplaces

Senate Bill 571 will require all workplaces to be smokefree, including bars and restaurants, beginning on January 1st, 2009. This bill narrowly passed both chambers and became law.

Farm-to-School and School Garden Bills

These bills would act together to bring healthier products into schools, teach kids about where their food comes from. House Bill 3476 would provide seven cents per school lunch and breakfast to buy Oregon fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products. House Bill 3185 would provide mini-grants to schools to set up school gardens and teach kids about food and farms. House Bill 3307 would create a program at the Oregon Department of Agriculture to coordinate farm-to-school and school garden projects. The position was created at the deparment of agriculture but the other components of the bill were not passed.

Healthy Kids Plan

House Bill 2201 will increase the tobacco tax by 84.5 cents to be consistent with Washington State and use 10% of the funds for tobacco prevention and 90% for child healthcare. This bill receives a majority of votes in the House but not the 60% margin needed for a tax increase. This plan was referred as a referrendum to be voted on in November of 2007.

Community Water Fluoridation

House Bill 3099 will require water systems with more than 10,000 customers to fluoridate water to protect against tooth decay and thereby reduce health risks for a variety of chronic diseases. Unfortunately, this bill did not make it to a vote in the House of Senate.

Physical Education Standards

The legislature passed physical education standards for schools that will be phased in over ten years. In the shorter term, schools will be eligible for grants to improve PE offereings and comply with the standards immediately.

Breastfeeding Accomodation

House Bill 2372 will require employers with more than 10 employees to allow breaks and provide space to accommodate breastfeeding at work. This bill passed the House and Senate and was signed into law.