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To contact me, please click here: Rep.EdDiehl@oregonlegislature.gov
Friends,
Welcome to the 2025 legislative session! As your State Representative, I am honored to serve you and House District 17 once again. This year, we have an opportunity to address some of the most pressing issues facing our state and to work together to create a brighter future for all Oregonians.
My legislative priorities:
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Restore Public Safety: Eliminate unrestricted public camping and reform Oregon's catch & release laws.
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Reform Public Education: Implement cross district enrollment, school choice, and create safer classrooms for teachers and students.
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Return to Active Forest Management: Minimize wildfires. Generate jobs and revenue.
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Reduce Regulations on Small Businesses and Family Farms: Support economic growth and sustainability.
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Increase Our Healthcare Labor Force: Improve access to care.
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Continue to Protect 2A Rights: Uphold the Second Amendment.
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Continue to Fight for Parents' Rights: Empower families in decision-making.
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Agency Accountability and Fiscal Responsibility: All government agencies should have objective performance metrics and be able to demonstrate a return on every taxpayer dollar spent.
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Oppose new taxes: We are facing a slew of proposed tax increases. I will be fighting against them on your behalf.
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Election Integrity: Voter ID requirement. Proof of citizenship.
I am committed to working on your behalf and to ensuring that your voices are heard in Salem. Together, we can make a positive impact and build a stronger, more resilient Oregon.
We're introducing a number of bills that I'm excited to share with you in the coming weeks; a couple are highlighted below. We will also keep you posted on bad bills that we will be fighting. As always, we need your help to make sure House District 17 values are represented in Salem! Your testimony on pending legislation is invaluable.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement. Let's make this legislative session a productive and successful one!
In Liberty,
 Representative Ed Diehl
House District 17
Oregon classrooms have become dangerous places for teachers and students. I am introducing legislation this year to help alleviate that, and I will share the bill numbers as soon as I have them. I am asking Oregon teachers to help me get this legislation passed.
News reports have highlighted a noticeable increase in behavioral issues within Oregon classrooms. Teachers across the state have noted a surge in disruptive behavior, verbal outbursts, and instances of physical violence. This environment not only hampers the learning process but also poses significant challenges to teachers' ability to manage classrooms effectively.
OSHA actually considers Oregon students a “workplace hazard.” The reasons are many: we are mainstreaming kids that, in the past, would have been placed in more controlled settings. We also have parents who are not taking accountability for their kid’s behavior in school. Some of today’s parent’s say things to teachers like “he’s your problem now” - something unheard of when I was attending public school. And Oregon is really lacking in mental health resources for youth – we rank 51st in the nation for youth behavioral health access and 2nd highest for youth incarceration.
Recent laws have made it even more difficult for teachers to do the right thing. Senate Bill 790, passed in 2023, modified the definition of child abuse in a classroom setting to include the use of restraint and seclusion on students. This bill makes the teacher personally liable if they are not in strict compliance with the restraint and seclusion laws, even if they have not been adequately trained and even if they are trying to do the right thing. It is completely unforgiving, and assumes the teacher intends to do harm instead of trying to do their best in a difficult situation. As one teacher told me; “if a student takes a sharp pencil and moves to stab another student with it, the state will accuse me of abuse. My only recourse is to stand in the way and take the stab myself.”
This new restraint law has created one of the single largest classroom challenges for teachers. It creates anxiety for teachers for fear of legal action. It also creates a more disruptive and dangerous classroom environment for students. Teachers have left the profession because of this law.
Oregon teachers often find themselves in challenging situations where they must intervene physically to maintain safety. My proposal aims to provide them with the necessary framework to act without fear of wrongful accusations. The legislation makes it clear that restraint or seclusion is acceptable as long as there is no intent to harm the student. Or, in the case of a teacher who has received training, the teacher has not materially failed to comply with the statutes (meaning more than a minor discrepancy with the statutes.) The legislation also shifts responsibility from the teacher to the school - this should be dealt with as an employer-employee issue.
This doesn’t fix all our classroom discipline challenges, but it is a step in the right direction. More needs to be done. If we can gain some traction in the legislature with this simple fix, my hope is we can make more substantive changes to Oregon law in the future to protect teachers and students.
Here’s what we hope to accomplish for our public-school teachers and students:
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Maintain Classroom Discipline: By empowering teachers with clear authority to enforce rules, we can cultivate a learning environment marked by respect and order.
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Enhance Student Safety: Effective discipline strategies are key to minimizing disruptive behaviors, ensuring a safer space for all students.
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Focus on Education: With explicit guidelines and legal protections, teachers can devote their energy to education rather than worrying about litigation.
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Support Mental Health: A calmer classroom reduces stress, positively affecting the mental well-being of both educators and students.
Real-World Examples Highlighting the Urgency:
For the 2025 session, I am bringing a bill that will require Oregon's Health Evidence Review Commission (HERC) to follow the evidence concerning so-called "gender affirming care." Their draft 2023 report, which they never completed, noted a "paucity of evidence" for these treatments in youth. HERC is now using the mandates from House Bill 2002 of 2023 to avoid their responsibility to follow the evidence.
This Lund Report article goes into more detail on the HERC decision-making: Oregon officials, experts grappled behind the scenes with youth gender-affirming care guideline
Will Oregon's Democrat majority be more informed in 2025? My hope is that they will do the right thing and support this bill. I will share the bill number as soon as I have it.
WATCH clips from 2023 HB2002 hearings on X:
A group of bipartisan legislators has joined me, calling on the new Federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to reverse the plan to kill 450,000 barred owls in the Pacific Northwest. This 30-year, $1.35 billion plan is a boondoggle.
A billion-dollar price tag for this project should get the attention of everyone on the Trump team concerned about government efficiency. Killing one type of owl to save another is outrageous and doomed to fail. This plan will swallow up Americans' hard-earned tax dollars for no good reason.
Statesman Journal Article:
Why Oregon lawmakers are asking Elon Musk to stop plan to kill 450,000 barred owls
 
Capitol Phone: 503-986-1417
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-378, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.EdDiehl@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/diehl
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