Jun 27, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Legislative Committee
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) policy steering committees met June 17-18, to deliberate and make recommendations to the AOC Legislative Committee for the short list of top-priority policy objectives for the 2025 Oregon State Legislative session. The AOC Legislative Committee ultimately adopted five priorities, which make up the 2025 AOC Policy Priority Platform (View PDF). The following priorities all speak to AOC’s overarching state-county partnership goal – counties provide essential public services to all Oregonians and must be supported by adequate resources and appropriate authority.
Governance and Revenue
- Sustain and protect the property tax asset to the benefit of all property owners and taxing districts through adequate, equitable, and stable funding for county assessment and taxation programs.
Health and Human Services
- Provide counties with the resources to address Oregon’s addiction and homelessness crises by removing administrative burdens and funding county public health and behavioral health services, deflection programs, and local homelessness response coordination for youth and adults.
Natural Resources
- Protect and strengthen county authority, funding, and flexibility in managing local natural resource policies.
Public Safety
- Fully fund a revised community corrections formula that accurately reflects the costs incurred by counties.
Transportation
- Ensure a comprehensive transportation funding package prioritizes investments in operations, maintenance, and safety; incorporates diverse and modern funding mechanisms to ensure the growth and stabilization of the State Highway Fund (SHF); maintains the 30% county share of SHF revenues; and reduces barriers to local revenue sources.
Over 30 hours of steering committee meetings, held between April and June, informed these priorities. State agency directors, Governor Kotek’s policy staff, state agency commission chairs, and stakeholder partners joined our members for deep dives into the issues facing Oregon’s 36 counties. Throughout these meetings, AOC steering committees identified the most pressing items with a direct impact on county governance, budgets, and services. The AOC Legislative Affairs Department will engage on hundreds of bills with potential impacts to counties during the 2025 session and will continue to bring issues forward to our membership through the AOC policy process. The next AOC day will be Monday, Sept. 9, with steering committees also meeting on Friday, Sept. 6. Stay updated on all AOC meetings and events with the calendar on AOC’s website.
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
Jun 3, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, News
Recent state policy shifts intended to serve more Oregonians in the community instead of at the Oregon State Hospital have exposed county governments and their contracted providers to new third-party liability when individuals court-ordered to aid and assist community restoration commit additional crimes.
A new report highlights how this third-party liability has rendered Oregon’s local behavioral health safety net uninsurable and vulnerable to bankruptcy.
The report, funded by SB 5506 in the 2023 legislative session, was presented to the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee at its Thursday meeting during May legislative days (minute 2:21:32).
Staff from the Department of Administrative Services and select members of the study’s work group, City/County Insurance Services General Counsel Kirk Mylander, Lane County Assistant County Counsel Marcus Vejar, Association of Oregon Community Mental Health Programs Executive Director Cherryl Ramirez, and Options for Southern Oregon Executive Director Karla McCafferty, presented the report findings and recommendations.
Assistant County Counsel Marcus Vejar, testifying on behalf of the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC), recommended that public and nonprofit entities providing aid and assist community restoration services be included in liability protections equivalent to those for other court-ordered community-based services to individuals experiencing behavioral health challenges and that the $2.9 million reserve fund created by SB 5506 to cover defense costs of any future civil suits be carried over to next biennium until those liability protections are in place.
Contributed by: Jessica Pratt | Legislative Affairs Manager
May 28, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News
The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC) policy steering committees and the Legislative Committee will meet June 17-18, in Salem, to consider and adopt the policy priority platform for Oregon’s 2025 legislative session. AOC’s priority policy items represent pressing issues with a strong nexus to county budgets, services, and functions that unite all Oregon counties.
Since the legislature adjourned sine die in March, AOC steering committees have met for nearly 40 hours of collective deep-dive information gathering and dialogue in preparation for the priority setting meetings. AOC steering committee co-chairs invited stakeholders, AOC affiliate and associate organizations, governor’s office representatives, and state agency directors and staff for presentations and in-depth Q&A sessions.
The AOC Legislative Committee adopts official positions on policy proposals, principles, and biennial priorities as recommended by AOC steering committees and thereby directs the legislative activities of the executive director and AOC legislative affairs team. Membership of the AOC Legislative Committee includes the AOC Board of Directors, one additional member from each of the eight AOC districts, the chair and vice chair of each AOC steering committee, one district attorney designated by the Oregon District Attorneys Association, and any additional members that the board of directors choose to appoint, such as a county not otherwise represented. Action is taken with 67% approval of voters present.
AOC steering committees analyze policy proposals, formulate policy solutions, discuss best practices, and advise the AOC legislative committee on policy positions, policy principles, and biennial priorities. Steering committees are co-chaired by county commissioners appointed every year by the AOC President and meetings are open to all AOC members. Every AOC member present at an AOC steering committee meeting can vote on action items and help shape AOC’s policy platform.
AOC steering committee recordings, agendas, and supplemental materials can be found on the AOC website within each policy portfolio:
Contributed by: Mallorie Roberts | Legislative Affairs Director
Mar 29, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News, Health & Human Services
This year’s short legislative session was remarkably successful, as the Association of Oregon Counties (AOC)’s health and human services priorities largely aligned with those of legislators on both sides of the aisle. The following policy and funding bills, effective upon the governor’s signature, will better equip counties to address the state’s dual homelessness and substance abuse crises.
HB 4092 addresses AOC’s top health and human services policy priority, and requires a mandatory cost study to be conducted every five years for services that our community mental health programs are statutorily mandated to provide. The study is aimed to capture the true cost of the service delivery array, correcting for inflation-based increases as well as unfunded mandates. The first study is due in December 2024 and because of the short timeframe, will be limited to court-mandated services. A full study will be conducted in 2025.
HB 4092 also mandates and funds a workgroup to recommend measures to reduce the administrative burden on community mental health programs and their local contracted providers. The report is due at the end of the year. A survey of local providers estimates that 40% to 60% of every clinician’s day is spent on administrative work rather than direct care. Any reduction in this burden will immediately increase Oregon’s public behavioral health services capacity.
HB 4002 (Measure 110 reform policy bill) establishes local jail-based and mobile medication for opioid use disorder programs through grants from the Criminal Justice Commission. The bill requires at least 10% of total grant awards to be awarded to facilities in rural areas.
HB 5204 (omnibus funding bill for Measure 110 reform and related programs) provides:
- Gap funding for specialty courts, aid and assist community restoration services, and jail diversion
- Start-up funding for county deflection (pre-arrest diversion) programs
- Start-up funding for the medication for opioid use disorder program
- Behavioral health workforce development funding at Oregon universities to attract and support students acquiring degrees and certifications
HB 4001 establishes an interim task force that will recommend specialty court system improvements and sustainability measures for consideration in the 2025 session. There are two seats on the task force for county government.
Contributed by: Legislative Affairs Manager Jessica Pratt
Mar 29, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, AOC News
On Wednesday, March 27, Governor Kotek signed SB 1576, which contained a “recreational immunity” fix eliminating the excessive liability that was causing local governments across Oregon to close off public access to trails on their land. With the governor’s signature, the law has now become effective, meaning that “NO ACCESS” signs can be taken down immediately. The Association of Oregon Counties (AOC), together with the Oregon Recreation and Parks Association, the League of Cities, the Special Districts Association of Oregon, the Oregon School Boards Association, and many other public landowners, worked hard to persuade the legislature to enact this legislation.
The new protections only last through the end of 2025, so another bill will have to be passed during the 2025 legislative session to preserve the protections. AOC expects to continue participating in the Coalition to Restore Recreational Immunity as efforts to get a permanent fix continue.
Citycounty Insurance Services (CIS) had issued guidance encouraging trails be closed because of the liability risk arising out of the Fields v. City of Newport case, where court rulings severely curtailed the landowner protections recreational immunity law provides. CIS is updating its Recreational Immunity FAQ page to reflect the fact that the excessive liability around public access to trails is gone.
In a message to its clients, CIS wrote: “Because SB 1576 went into effect immediately, all trails that were previously closed due to the Fields v. City of Newport court decision can now be reopened without undue risk to local government budgets and programs. CIS is very happy to encourage local governments throughout Oregon to let their constituents know that all trails and recreational opportunities are open for business once again, and will remain open throughout the summer season.”
CIS General Counsel Kirk Mylander will be joining AOC’s Governance, Revenue, and Economic Development Steering Committee meeting on April 12, to review the new law and answer questions from county representatives. A recording of the meeting will be made available here.
Contributed by: Legislative Affairs Manager Michael Burdick
Mar 28, 2024 | AOC Advocacy, Governance, Revenue, & Economic Development
Counties are among the organizations now eligible to apply for grant awards under the $157 Million Broadband Deployment Program (BDP). Applications must be submitted by Thursday, April 25, at 5 p.m. (PST) to be considered for grant funding. Projects eligible include the construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure in locations that are unserved or underserved. Read the full press release from Business Oregon announcing the application process here. You may also contact your region’s Broadband Project Coordinator for support in the application process by emailing broadband.oregon@biz.oregon.gov.
For more information, visit the Oregon Broadband Office webpage.
Contributed by: Legislative Affairs Manager Jen Lewis-Goff
