Changes in the law (through June 2026) since the publication of Oregon’s Legal Guide for College Students:

1. Abortion Access

Despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision that there is no federal right to abortion, abortion is still legal in Oregon. It may not be legal in other states where you might be headed, so be careful where you go if you might be pregnant. Also, if you have questions about abortion, ask Planned Parenthood what your options are. It will give you the straight scoop. There are many “abortion services” whose purpose is to browbeat you into giving birth.

For now, at least, the U.S. Supreme Court has told the Trump administration it cannot keep doctors in one state from sending abortion drugs through the U.S. mail.

2. Food Stamps (SNAP)

Federal law no longer extends food stamp eligibility to college students. Luckily, state rules make it possible for some lower-income Oregon college students to qualify. See https://oregonee https://oregonhunger.org/snap-for-students for details.

3. Decriminalization of illegal drug possession

Oregon briefly decriminalized possession of many kinds of street drugs in 2021. The party is now over. What used to be illegal is once again illegal. 

4. Dreamers and DACA

Until 2026, DACA “dreamers” enjoyed protection from being summarily deported. That protection no longer exists; ICE enforcers have snatched students with Dreamer status. The situation remains unclear as of July 2026; it is likely this action will be challenged in the courts. Stay tuned, and be careful: keep your documents with you, and talk to an immigration lawyer about your rights. Make sure someone always knows where you are and where you are going–so they can help you if you get “disappeared.”

Other updates:

A. Where You Live and the Law

Another important change in the law affects how landlords can screen applicants to become tenants. Landlords cannot consider information on credit reports that shows non-payment of rent, charges, or fees for the period April 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Nor can they consider claims for back rent through February 28, 2022. (The law already requires landlords to have written screening criteria.)

As of 1 January 2024, it’s legal for landlords and tenants to agree, in writing, to send some tenancy-related notices to each other by email. A rent hike can be announced by email; ending a tenancy must still be by first-class mail (and honor a three-day mailing period), or be mailed and posted on the premises (no three-day period) if the rental agreement allows it. The written agreement can allow a landlord to return the tenant’s security deposit directly into a tenant’s bank account. The tenant still is entitled to an itemized statement of how any retained deposit was used. 

If you are concerned about illegal discrimination in housing, know that the Trump administration has stopped all investigations and lawsuits on behalf of renters. Do not file a housing discrimination complaint with the HUD fair housing office. Take your claim to the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries or the Fair Housing Council of Oregon. See Appendix 1 in the legal guide.

Remember that the outlines in this guide do not cover ALL situations that arise in landlord-tenant relations. If you have a legal question about your rights as a tenant, see www.oregonlawhelp.org and a lawyer.

B. Your Rights and Duties as a Consumer

B-7. Paying for College

Students with disabilities that make them eligible for SSI or SSDI now can establish ABLE savings accounts they can use to save money for eligible expenses–including education costs–without losing their income-limited eligibility. The student must have been under age 46 at the onset of disability. The accounts can be used for basic living expenses, disability-related technology (such as motorized wheelchairs etc), legal bills, transportation, workplace assistive devices, employment training and support, and tuition. There’s a ceiling on how much you can set aside. Information is available at https://oregonablesavings.com.

B-8. Student Loans and Grants

Access to federal loans and grants has changed dramatically. Pell grants, the most common “free” money from the government for low-income students, have been limited. Fewer students are likely to qualify for the grants starting in 2026, especially students who also rely on non-government grants or scholarships for school tuition. Students who can’t enroll full-time because they have work, caretaking, health issues, or other commitments will lose eligibility. The grants are smaller than they have been in the past, too.

As for federally subsidized loans, the large variety of loans described in the book has been shrunk to two for any loans taken out by students after 1 July 2026. The SAVE program has ended, and some other current loan repayment programs will be phased out by 2028. For parents seeking new loans for their children, there is now one option only, the standard repayment plan of 10 years.

Borrowers who were in a SAVE repayment plan should hear from their loan servicers beginning in July 2026 about when they must take action and what their new choices are. If they don’t decide, the government will most likely move their loan into a standard repayment plan. It’s possible that their new plan will require higher monthly payments.

SAVE borrowers will likely be weighing two choices. If they plan never to obtain any federal student loans in the future, they can choose the existing Income-Based Repayment Plan (IBR). IBR requires a 10 percent monthly payment of “discretionary” income on the balance of the loan, for 20 years. Discretionary income is all income above 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline amount based on family size. (Loans made before July 2, 2014 require 15 percent monthly payments over 25 years.) At the end of the loan period, any balance is forgiven but is taxable as income in that year.

In lieu of an IBR plan, some borrowers will sign up for a new income-dependent plan, called the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP). RAP has plusses and minuses. Like IBR, it’s tied to income and household size. After a set number of years, the balance is forgiven but taxable. The payment level varies, however. The higher the borrower’s income is, the larger the payment level–as high as 10 per cent of adjusted gross income. The term can last up to 30 years.

Other important features of RAP: The plan is not indexed for inflation. For those in low-paying careers, that inflexibility means increasing living expenses will not be considered as a factor in the repayment amount. And the payment schedule itself is rigid. Making $1 more than the amount that applied to a borrower’s former income could actually bump up the payment amount significantly. For borrowers who are temporarily without income, RAP requires a minimal $10 payment. One good feature of RAP is that if a monthly payment does not cover the interest owed for that month, the interest will be waived and erased. And the principal of the loan drops by up to $50 a month. The balance will not balloon over time. (This description does not cover every aspect of RAP or other plans discussed here.)

The two repayment plans that will sunset in 2028 are PAYE (Pay As You Earn) and ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment). For some borrowers, one of these plans may be less burdensome while they last. Crunching the numbers is important! It’s especially true now in that moving out of RAP is difficult and costly; that wasn’t the case with the older programs.

SAVE borrowers who DO take out new federal student loans and who haven’t made a choice about what happens to their earlier loans will see the old loans eventually moved into a new standard payment plan. The new loan period for those will depend on the size of the transferred balance.

What about borrowers who are enrolled in PSLF, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program? After making 120 qualifying payments in an eligible plan, their balance is wiped out–without becoming taxable, just as it was before 2026. Payments under RAP count; payments under IBR, ICR, and PAYE also count. But payments made in the new standard payment plan do NOT count. Consolidating loans has much higher risks than it did before 2026; borrowers should get expert advice before consolidating, which could wipe out some of the income-based repayment toward loan forgiveness.

For borrowers who experience economic hardship or unemployment and can’t make their payments, deferments are no longer an option. (Deferment is still available for military service, time as a full-time student, and cancer treatment.) The remaining option is forbearance, a “freeze” for up to nine months. As a practical matter, most borrowers who have chosen forbearance have found it difficult to return to regular payments again.

The new loan plans have ceilings that are lower in general than those under the old plans. The practical effect is that some borrowers will be looking at private lenders, which have fewer controls and safeguards for borrowers.

Where can borrowers and prospective borrowers get help determining their options? The Federal Student Aid office has a loan simulator that can look at the raw numbers and percentages. The Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project of the National Consumer Law Center has helpful tips on its website; it also tracks changing legislation and court actions affecting student borrower rights. The Student Debt Crisis Center is a good training resource.

As of 2026, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, responsible for monitoring unfair debt collection in general and unlawful student loan collections in particular, has stopped attempting to enforce student and other borrowers’ rights.

College transcripts and student debt:

Oregon colleges and universities cannot refuse to issue a transcript to a student who owes money to the school, or to require the student to pay off school debt in order to receive a transcript.  Schools can require the student to pay the normal cost for the transcript itself.

C. Your Rights in the Workplace

C-1. It’s unlawful for an Oregon employer to require an applicant to show a driver’s license for a job unless the ability to drive legally is an essential job function (if you’re a bus driver, for instance) or there’s some other legitimate business purpose.

C-3. Employers have abused “non-competition” agreements pretty badly. Oregon law will require employers who want to force you to sign a non-competition agreement to give you written notice after giving you a job offer in writing and letting you know about the non-competition rule at least two weeks before your first workday. When you leave the job, the employer must send a copy of the agreement to you within 30 days after you stop working. If it doesn’t do all these things, it can’t enforce the agreement. Similar restrictions apply to promotions. There are other limitations on employers, too. See a lawyer if your job ends and you want to know about your right to work somewhere else.

C-4. Getting Paid

Oregon’s minimum wage changes annually in response to costs of living. Starting July 2026, the general minimum wage was $15.55; in the Portland metro area, it was $16.80; and in some very rural counties it was $14.55. To find rates for 2027 and after, go to https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/minimun-wage-schedule.aspx.

C-6. Employment Discrimination

The federal government has stopped taking cases on behalf of people who have been discriminated against in the workplace. Contact instead Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries or the Fair Housing Council of Oregon.

C-9. New law creates a presumption of employer retaliation, if, after an employee complains to the employer or an enforcement agency about health and safety violations, the employer takes negative action against the employee within 60 days.

Since 2024, most employees and prospective employees have the right to refuse to be exposed to serious injury or death resulting from a hazardous condition at the workplace. The employee must refuse in good faith, and there can be no reasonable alternative to what the employer is ordering the employee to do.

F. Family law–domestic violence

Domestic violence restraining orders, which through 2023 last one year and can be renewed for one more year, will last for two years starting 1 January 2024 and can be renewed for two years. If you currently have a one-year order, it can be renewed for two years under the new law.

G. Crime and Criminal Records

New law will make it possible for low-income people to get appointed counsel to help them clear juvenile records.

Police in Oregon (but not necessarily anywhere else) must tell anyone they’ve stopped that the person has the right to refuse a search (of the person’s body, clothing, or the area close to the person). Police CAN still require drivers to submit to urine/blood/breath testing in connection with suspicion the driver is impaired.

H. Other Topics

H-4: LGBTQIA Issues

Medical providers in Oregon are now on the list of services that can’t discriminate by denying treatment on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or disability.

Note that about 20 states–NOT Oregon!–now limit health care for non-cisgender patients. Be careful where you move if you are concerned about access to treatment.

As for passports, the federal government now requires you to use your sex-assigned-at-birth status. Expect to be hassled at borders, and have other documentation, including a birth certificate, of who you are.

H-7: Voting

The deadline for mailing ballots is now Election Day–so long as the clerk’s office receives them within seven calendar days. Note, however, that the Trump administration is trying to require the U.S. Postal Service to reject mail-in ballots; court cases are pending.

Editorial comment: In the 2024 election, 19 percent of college-age eligible voters actually voted. Since then, the U.S. Supreme Court took away the federal right to abortion; student loans have been harder to get and harder to pay back; for-profit schools have gotten the green light for student loans again ,and the right of students to sue fraudulent institutions has been eliminated. LGBT+ students must change their passport status to their sex assigned at birth; federal fair housing law is no longer being reliably enforced; and federal money for state-level fair housing enforcement has been withdrawn. Federal funds have been pulled from domestic violence and rape prevention programs nationwide. Voting rights are being challenged in many states.

NEW SECTION: H-10 Student Athletes Getting Paid for Sports

The National College Athletic Association has decided that student athletes can be paid for participating in sports and still qualify as amateurs. That means athletes who play high-profile sports can expect to hear from companies that want the students’ endorsements of their products and are willing to pay for them. This is a good news, bad news proposition.

First, the idea that you can make big bucks during your short athletic career can make you forget about your educational goals and career goals with more longevity. Second, most of the people who approach you to “make you famous” make their living negotiating deals in which they hold all the cards. They are NOT going to be looking out for your well-being or your interests.Second, who wants your name and photo for what purpose? Contracting with a local pizza parlor for a few hundred or thousands of dollars is pretty straightforward. But allowing your name or image to be used in sponsored social media or in videos on YouTube and Twitter will involve complexities you can’t even imagine. What are the terms of payment? What are you obligated to do in order to get paid? What happens if you don’t follow through on those duties? (Think in terms of lawsuits that land you in big, big debt.) What if your college wants a piece of the payment? What’s your tax liability for a big paycheck? Can your earnings be structured in a way that makes financial sense? Will your ability to get scholarships or loans go away for a small payday?

Short answer: Don’t sign anything until a lawyer or an agent has read it and explained to you what you are on the hook for. Get advice from a certified public accountant (CPA). And find someone who can negotiate a better deal for you. Women in particular need to be wary of deals that require them to wear certain clothing or look a certain way–sex sells.

Note that anyone who creates jerseys, video games, or trading cards for profit after 30 June 2022 must pay royalties to any student athlete whose name, image, or likeness appears on this swag.

Students can get free legal help from the University of Oregon law school clinic on performers’ name, image, and likeness rights.

NEW SECTION: Military draft

Before 2026, adult males could register for the military draft themselves. Starting December 2026, ALL 18-year-old males will be automatically registered–including citizens, legal permanent residents, refugees, asylum seekers, and undocumented persons. Note that persons with current student visas are visitors, not immigrants, so they should not be registered.

APPENDIX 1: Resources

L. Family law

It’s now possible to talk with a courthouse family law facilitator, at no charge, from anywhere in the state to get help filing divorce and custody cases. For contact information, see https://www.courts.oregon.gov/services/online/pages/gofi.aspx.