Addressing Oregon’s opioid crisis and reforming Ballot Measure 110 were among top priorities for legislators during the 2024 short session. HB 4002 and its companion funding bill, HB 5204, passed the legislature overwhelmingly with bipartisan, bicameral support, instituting a variety of new programs and policies. Among those new programs is the Oregon Behavioral Health Deflection Program, established at the Criminal Justice Commission (CJC) to coincide with the newly created misdemeanor for possession of a controlled substance.
The new misdemeanor, coupled with the deflection program, is intended to re-establish local partnerships between law enforcement and the behavioral health safety net to effectively connect individuals to treatment and recovery while minimizing costly interactions with the justice system.
Twenty-three Oregon counties opted in to receive fast-tracked funding to stand up deflection programs. These counties are encouraged to establish their deflection programs quickly in preparation of the new misdemeanor’s effective date of Sept. 1. Initial funds may also be used as planning grants for counties needing time to explore programmatic options. The legislature also allocated funding through the end of the current biennium to support the coordination and case management of deflection program participants in each county and federally recognized Oregon tribe, which means every interested county government still has the opportunity to draw down their formula funding to set up a program.
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) was successful in advocating for maximum flexibility in how a local deflection program is administered and operated, allowing the required local partners (law enforcement, the district attorney, county government, the Community Mental Health Program, and a Behavioral Health Network provider) to make the best use of their existing resources and processes.
Over 150 county leaders attended AOC’s first deflection program summit on March 18, designed to help county commissioners and local partners understand the CJC’s program requirements and timeline, as well as equipping county leaders to begin formulating their local implementation plans. The summit’s plenary and regional break-out session recordings and materials are available in the AOC archive.
AOC will continue to convene the CJC, county commissioners, and local deflection partners through the summer and fall to assist in program planning and implementation. Please contact jpratt@oregoncounties.org or jlewis-goff@oregoncounties.org to receive those meeting notifications.
Contributed by: Legislative Affairs Managers Jessica Pratt and Jen Lewis-Goff