Building Bright Futures in a Thriving Oregon

At APANO Communities United Fund and APANO Action Fund, we believe in a future where all Oregonians—especially Asian and Asian American communities—have access to safe housing, economic stability, healthcare, opportunity, and the right to a healthy environment. But that future doesn’t happen on its own. It takes collective action, bold leadership, and policies that center racial equity, immigrant justice, and working families.

As we enter the 2025 long legislative session, Oregon faces growing challenges: from a deepening housing crisis to underfunded mental health services, barriers to child care, economic instability, and a degrading environment that all disproportionately impacts communities of color in an unfair system. The policies and laws we fight for today will shape the health and opportunities available for generations to come.

That’s why APANO is proud to advocate for a comprehensive legislative agenda that tackles some of the root causes of inequity. This year, our priorities fall into four key areas:

• 👶 Child & Parent Care – Expanding access to affordable child care, ensuring paid leave protections, and supporting families with young children.
• 🧠 Mental Health – Strengthening Oregon’s behavioral health workforce, increasing culturally responsive care, and expanding mental health access for immigrant and BIPOC communities.
• 🌱 Environmental Justice – Addressing climate change’s disproportionate impact on frontline communities, ensuring clean air and water, and protecting our workers from environmental hazards.‍
• 💰 Income Equality – Fighting for economic justice through employee protections, living wages, and policies that support working-class Oregonians, especially for our communities.

In the following sections, we’ll break down the key bills and priorities we are fighting for, why they matter, and where you can go to take action to help pass policies that will make a real difference in our communities. Join us in the fight for an Oregon that works for all of us. 

Learn more here:

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Take Action through our Sister Organization, APANO Action Fund

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Here are the key bills we are fighting for in 2025:

👶 Child & Parent Care

SB 691 (Momnibus) – Maternal Behavioral Health Support

1. What it is: Provides mental health support for new and expecting parents, reducing postpartum depression and improving family health.
2. Why APANO supports this bill: We love our mothers! Their mental health, especially when becoming a new mother, is of the highest priority and we uplift our community by making sure our families are stable and happy.

SB 692 (Momnibus) – Doula & Traditional Health Workers Proposal

• What it is: Expands access to culturally specific birth and postpartum care, ensuring better outcomes for BIPOC families.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Doulas have been proven to provide critical services to new mothers and their babies. Not only should this be covered by all insurance companies, but increases for culturally specific care needs to be prioritized as well.

SB 693 (Momnibus) – Perinatal Workforce Taskforce

• What it is: Strengthens Oregon’s maternal health workforce to better serve families and address disparities in care.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Identifying barriers in our behavioral healthcare will help us to support future policies that directly address those findings.

SB 694 (Momnibus) – Child Poverty Reduction

• What it is: Creates a statewide plan to reduce child poverty through policy changes that address food security, housing, and financial assistance for families.
• Why APANO supports this bill: APANO supports inflation adjustments and increases to provide more financial assistance for our families.

SB 695 (Momnibus) – Raising the Bar with CCOs

• What it is: Improves accountability and services provided by Coordinated Care Organizations, leading to better health outcomes.
• Why APANO supports this bill: We love our mothers! Collaboration between our communities and our families is what keeps us strong and resilient.

HB 2452 – Child Care Resource & Referrals

• What it is: Expands support services to help families find affordable and culturally responsive child care, ensuring parents can remain in the workforce.
• Why APANO supports this bill: The best community to take care of our children are the ones we pick. We need not only expansions to childcare programs, but methods that make it easier for parents to find the best childcare provider they can.

HB 3496 – Best Practices in Zoning for Child Care

• What it is: Makes it easier to build child care facilities by updating zoning laws, increasing access to care in all neighborhoods.
• Why APANO supports this bill: One of the most frustrating barriers to childcare facilities that we hear from our communities are unnecessary zoning laws. As the childcare crisis continues, we hope to make it easier for new businesses to open and provide the services we need.

HB 3560 – Inclusive Childcare Zoning

• What it is: Ensures that families in all areas, including low-income and immigrant communities, have local access to high-quality child care centers.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Opening up more possible locations for childcare facilities will help to ensure that every family has access to services that are culturally responsive, affordable, and close by.

HB 3201 – Child and Adult Care Food Program

• Provides increased funding for food programs in child care settings, ensuring kids receive nutritious meals while in care.
• Why APANO supports this bill: When we feed our children and parents, its impacts are felt in higher attendance rates for schools, better grades, and happier families.

SB 1098 – Freedom to Read

• What it is: Prevents book bans in public libraries and schools, ensuring access to diverse perspectives.‍
• Why APANO supports this bill: Knowledge is power, and this should never be kept from any of our communities or schools. APANO will always support efforts to fight widespread discrimination and increase transparency for our youngest Oregonians.

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🧠 Mental Health

HB 2024 & HB 2203 – United We Heal

• What it is: Increases wages and improves working conditions for behavioral health professionals, ensuring more Oregonians have access to mental health care.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Oregon has an ongoing mental healthcare crisis, and we need to protect the workers who choose to help in this field. They deserve safety plans and trainings to ensure this important work can continue.

SB 539 – Facility Fees

• What it is: Lowers hidden fees that drive up costs for medical and mental health visits, making essential services more affordable.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Hospitals are centers of care, not business. Fees added onto our bills should be completely transparent and well understood by all patients.

HB 2729 – School-Based Mental Health Centers

• What it is: Establishes on-site mental health centers in schools so children and teens can access care where they learn.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Mental health support is vital at all ages. We support schools prioritizing this need and further expanding health services to ensure stability for future generations.

HB 2143 – 5-Point Acupuncture

• What it is: Expands access to acupuncture for pain management and mental health treatment, particularly for underserved communities.
• Why APANO supports this bill: By relaxing the laws around licensure, more people can access the 5-point acupuncture treatment that has been proven to ease symptoms of PTSD, addiction, depression, and anxiety.

SB 203 – ERPOs and Protective Orders

• What it is: Strengthens protections against gun violence by improving the process for obtaining Extreme Risk Protection Orders.‍
• Why APANO supports this bill: Currently, ERPOs are not well regulated or enforced. This can be detrimental to families seeking to protect their loved ones, and we welcome continued regulations on gun violence.

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🌱 Environmental Justice

SB 88 – Junk Out of Rates

• What it is: Stops utility companies from charging customers for unnecessary corporate expenses, keeping electricity and water bills affordable.
• Why APANO supports this bill: With the rising costs of living, utility companies should not be allowed to charge their customers for things we didn't agree to. APANO raises this issue as both an income stability bill and an environmental justice bill.

HB 3062 – Planning for Healthy Communities Act

• What it is: Requires cities to consider public health impacts when designing communities, leading to cleaner air and safer neighborhoods.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Industrial facilities often produce mass amounts of pollution, which impact our communities and can cause severe health effects for our most sensitive populations: young children, older Oregonians, and medically vulnerable folks. We need to know about these impacts BEFORE development happens.

HB 3193 – Farmworker Climate Disaster Relief

• What it is: Provides financial assistance to farmworkers affected by extreme heat, wildfires, and other climate-related disasters.
• Why APANO supports this bill: As climate change worsens, we must protect our in-field workers and ensure that they are protected and have the means to provide for their families, even in cases of extreme weather.

HB 2567 – ODOE Heat Pump Program Funding

• What it is: Expands funding to help low-income households install energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
• Why APANO supports this bill: The tragic loss of life during the 2021 Heat Dome still weighs heavily on our state. More programs are needed to ensure that heat pumps are fully funded, installed correctly, and distributed to all in need.

SB 1187 - Make Polluters Pay

• What it is: Holds major polluters financially accountable for climate-related damages and funds resilience projects, especially for wildfire recovery and environmental justice communities
• Why APANO supports this bill: Polluters should be paying for environmental clean-up, not citizens. A right to a healthy environment starts with ensuring that we are holding those who cause the damages accountable.

HB 3081 – One-Stop Shop

• What it is: Simplifies access to government benefits by creating a single portal where Oregonians can apply for multiple programs at once.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Knowing and applying for assistance programs is confusing and often way more time-consuming than it needs to be. We support any legislation that increases accessibility for our low-income communities.

HB 2684 – Toxic Free Schools

• What it is: Limits children's exposure to harmful chemicals in schools by strengthening pesticide regulations and air quality monitoring.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Much like many environmental justice heroes of the past, APANO supports the removal of harsh chemicals from school grounds to promote a healthy and safe environment for all.

SB 92 – Low-Generation Community Solar

• What it is: Expands community solar programs, allowing more households to benefit from clean energy without installing solar panels.
• Why APANO supports this bill: As an organization starting a community solar project, APANO supports renewable energy and increasing the amount of solar in our neighborhoods.

HB 3170 – Community Resilience Hubs

• What it is: Funds centers that provide shelter, food, and resources during climate disasters, helping communities recover faster.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Supplying more funding for this program will help to build a bigger network of safe places for those adversely affected by climate disasters.

HB 2947 – PFAS in Biosolids Study

• What it is: Investigates the impact of toxic “forever chemicals” in wastewater, helping protect public health and water sources.
• Why APANO supports this bill: PFAS are harmful chemicals that never degrade in our environment. Our state needs to understand the impact this can have and be prepared to take action should we require increased protections.

SB 550 – Right to Repair for Wheelchairs

• What it is: Ensures people with disabilities can get affordable repairs for their wheelchairs, reducing financial burdens.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Following a short session bill last year, we support small businesses' rights to repair common technologies, especially wheelchairs.

SJR 28 – Environmental Rights Amendment

• What it is: Establishes environmental protections in the state constitution, ensuring the right to clean air, water, and land for all Oregonians.‍
• Why APANO supports this bill: With climate change on the rise, Oregon needs to officially endorse the right to a better environment so all our communities can live and breathe healthily.

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💰 Income Equality

HB 2958 – EITC Expansion

• What it is: Increases Oregon’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), putting more money into the pockets of working families to help cover basic needs.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Many families rely on this credit to help pay for the many expenses that involve raising a family. We support and fight for their continued and expanded financial stability.

HB 2991 – Tax Grant Infrastructure Expansion

• What it is: Strengthens free tax assistance programs, helping low-income families access refunds and credits they are eligible for.
• Why APANO supports this bill: We hope to help folks cut through some of the red tape and make it easier for low-income communities to receive their tax refunds.

SB 611 – Food for All Oregon

• What it is: Expands food assistance programs to include low-income immigrants and refugees, ensuring no one goes hungry due to their status.
• Why APANO supports this bill: Food is a basic human right, regardless of immigration status. APANO supports providing nutrition assistance to all Oregonians.

SB 722 – Rent Stabilization Improvement

• What it is: Strengthens rent control protections, preventing extreme rent hikes that displace families.
• Why APANO supports this bill: We need to help people stay in their homes and stop gross price inflations in rent. Housing will always be a top priority for APANO, and we will continue to advocate for fair rental practices statewide.

SB 599 – Prohibitions on Immigration Status for Housing

• What it is: Prevents landlords from denying housing based on immigration status, ensuring fair access to rental homes.
• Why APANO supports this bill: We all need a place to call home, regardless of where you were born. Your immigration status should not affect your ability to buy a house or rent property.

HB 3118 – Communications for In-Custody Prisoners

• What it is: Protects incarcerated individuals' ability to communicate with their families by limiting excessive phone call costs.
• Why APANO supports this bill: We all deserve to talk and connect with our families. APANO believes that this right should be extended to those in prisons.

HB 3595 – Lunar New Year Holiday

• What it is: Officially recognizes Lunar New Year as a state holiday‍
• Why APANO supports this bill: Lunar New Year is a time of celebration with family. We hope Oregon will enact this law so we can all have the time to embrace and sustain each other in community

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The 2025 legislative session presents a critical opportunity to fight for policies that support working families, protect our environment, and promote economic and racial justice. These bills represent real solutions to the challenges our communities face, and we are proud to support and advocate for the communities we serve.

Together, we can build a stronger, more equitable Oregon.