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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Bill 318
Printed pursuant to Senate Interim Rule 213.28 by order of the President of the Senate in conformance with pre-
session filing rules, indicating neither advocacy nor opposition on the part of the President (at the request
of Senate Interim Committee on Education)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act says that substitute teachers can enroll in a health benefit plan with OEBB.
The Act says that the teacher has to pay 10 percent of the premiums. The Act says that the
teacher’s home district has to administer the plan for the teacher and pay the rest of the premiums,
but the district will be paid back by OEBB. The Act says that a district has to keep old health care
benefits for teachers who cannot enroll in an OEBB plan. (Flesch Readability Score: 74.6).
Provides that certain substitute teachers are eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan offered
by the Oregon Educators Benefit Board. Requires the substitute teacher to pay 10 percent of the
premiums for the plan. Requires the substitute teacher’s chosen home district to administer the plan
for the substitute teacher and pay the remaining premiums, subject to reimbursement by the board.
Requires a district to maintain legacy health care benefits for substitute teachers who are not
eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan offered by the board.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to health benefits for substitute teachers; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. Sections 2 to 4 of this 2025 Act are added to and made a part of ORS 243.860
to 243.886.
SECTION 2. (1)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, a substitute
teacher employed by a common school district, union high school district or education ser-
vice district is eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan offered by the Oregon Educators
Benefit Board if the substitute teacher worked at least half-time at either a single common
school district, union high school district or education service district, or in aggregate at
multiple common school districts, union high school districts and education service districts
during the previous school year.
(b) The total cost of providing any health benefit plan offered by a district to a substitute
teacher under this section may not increase annually by more than the annual increase in
premium amounts paid for contracted health benefit plans that is permitted under ORS
243.866(9)(b).
(2)(a) In order to enroll in a health benefit plan under this section, a substitute teacher
must select a home district for the duration of the benefit year under a process established
by each district. A home district selected under this subsection:
(A) Must be one at which the substitute teacher worked as a substitute teacher at:
(i) The time of the application; or
(ii) Any time during the previous benefit year, if the substitute teacher is not currently
working at a district but otherwise is eligible under this section; and
(B) Is responsible for:
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 2283 SB318
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(i) Determining whether the substitute teacher is eligible to enroll in a health benefit
plan under this section;
(ii) Determining, on an annual basis, whether a substitute teacher who was found to be
eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan under sub-subparagraph (i) of this subparagraph
continues to be eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan under this section;
(iii) Collecting the premiums for health benefit plans that must be paid by the substitute
teacher under subsection (3) of this section;
(iv) Paying the full cost of the insurance premiums for providing health benefit plans to
the substitute teacher, subject to reimbursement as described in subsection (4) of this sec-
tion; and
(v) Administering and providing health benefit plans to the substitute teacher in the
manner described in this section.
(b) In order to enroll in a health benefit plan under this section, a substitute teacher
must provide the home district with all information necessary for the district to determine
the eligibility of the substitute teacher to enroll in the health benefit plan under this section.
(c) No later than 30 days before the deadline to submit an application to enroll in a health
benefit plan under this section, each district must notify all substitute teachers who have
worked for the district during the current academic year and the previous academic year of:
(A) The eligibility requirements to enroll in a health benefit plan under this section;
(B) The health care benefits and associated costs available to eligible substitute teachers;
and
(C) Instructions on how substitute teachers may apply to enroll in a health benefit plan
under this section.
(3)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, a substitute teacher shall
pay 10 percent of all insurance premiums for health benefit plans.
(b) A district may provide by collective bargaining to pay for some or all of the insurance
premiums that must otherwise be paid by a substitute teacher under paragraph (a) of this
subsection. The district may not be reimbursed under subsection (4) of this section for the
costs the district incurs to provide health benefit plans under this paragraph.
(4)(a) Every three months a district may request reimbursement from the board for the
cost of paying insurance premiums for providing health benefit plans to each substitute
teacher who has selected the district as the substitute teacher’s home district under sub-
section (2) of this section.
(b) The board shall use moneys from the Substitute Teacher Insurance Fund established
under section 4 of this 2025 Act to fully reimburse each district for all documented costs
requested by the district under this subsection, except for any costs described in subsection
(3) of this section.
(5) Unless otherwise provided for by collective bargaining, a substitute teacher who is
eligible to enroll in a health benefit plan under subsection (1) of this section may receive
health care benefits only in the manner provided by this section.
(6) The board may adopt rules necessary to implement this section, including but not
limited to rules for:
(a) Determining a substitute teacher’s eligibility to enroll in a health benefit plan under
this section;
(b) The aggregation of hours worked at multiple districts; and
[2] SB318
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(c) The payment of premiums when a substitute teacher works at multiple districts.
SECTION 3. A common school district, union high school district or education service
district that, on the effective date of this 2025 Act, provided health care benefits to substi-
tute teachers who are not eligible for health care benefits under section 2 of this 2025 Act:
(1) May not increase the eligibility requirements that must be met by a substitute
teacher who is not eligible for health care benefits under section 2 of this 2025 Act in order
for the substitute teacher to qualify for health care benefits from the district; and
(2) Must continue to provide comparable health care benefits to substitute teachers who
are not eligible for health care benefits under section 2 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 4.The Substitute Teacher Insurance Fund is established in the State Treasury,
separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Substitute Teacher In-
surance Fund must be credited to the fund. The fund consists of moneys appropriated, allo-
cated, deposited or transferred to the fund by the Legislative Assembly or otherwise and
interest earned on moneys in the fund. The moneys in the fund are continuously appropri-
ated to the Oregon Educators Benefit Board for the purpose of reimbursing districts for the
cost of paying premiums for health benefit plans for substitute teachers under section 2 of
this 2025 Act.
SECTION 5.In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appropri-
ated to the Oregon Educators Benefit Board, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025, out of
the General Fund, the amount of $_______, for deposit in the Substitute Teacher Insurance
Fund established under section 4 of this 2025 Act, for the purposes specified in section 4 of
this 2025 Act.
SECTION 6.(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, section 2 of this 2025
Act applies to health benefit plans offered to substitute teachers on or after October 1, 2025.
(2) To the extent that a conflict exists, the terms of collective bargaining agreements and
other contracts entered into before the effective date of this 2025 Act shall prevail over
section 2 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 7.This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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