Governor Kotek said fall enrollment is down at Oregon State University's Graduate School of Education and that medical and dental students at OHSU may face gaps of tens of thousands of dollars between costs and federal borrowing under HR 1.

Governor Kotek said HR 1, the recent federal law, caps many graduate student federal loans and is already reducing enrollment and creating financing gaps for professional students in Oregon. She urged federal action and said the state is fighting the limits in court.

Lawmakers and witnesses urged quick action on SB 8 to replace eliminated federal Grad PLUS loans, highlighting risks to nursing, social work, physical therapy and other graduate pipelines. CHESLA says a $30M structure (state $10M + CHESLA $20M) could help about 1,200 students initially.

Board member reports covered Senate Bill 375 (would require AEDs at PIAA events), House Bill 1751 (study of ACT/SAT as Keystone alternatives), and federal student loan changes including Parent PLUS caps and Pell eligibility adjustments. No board action was taken.