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HB 2203 Oregon House · 2025 Regular Session

Relating to the safety of behavioral health workers; declaring an emergency.

Summary
] [ Requires the Oregon Health Authority to study the safety of behavioral health workers. Directs the authority to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to health not later than September 15, 2026. ] [ Sunsets on January 2, 2027. ] Requires a behavioral health employer to develop and implement a written safety plan and to provide safety trainings to workers. Directs the Oregon Health Authority to award grants to behavioral health employers to conduct a risk assessment and to enhance the structural safety of work settings. Entitles an employee of a behavioral health employer to be reinstated with back pay if the employer unlawfully retaliates against the employee. Directs the authority, the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Department of Consumer and Business Services and the Department of Human Services to conduct studies and submit reports to the Legislative Assembly. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
Issues: ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentMandates safety plans, trainings, and grants for behavioral health workers' safety, directly improving workplace safety standards for a specific workforce.90% confidence
Sub-Topics: Workplace Safety
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2025 Last action Jun 28, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → A-Engrossed · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended from a simple study requirement into a comprehensive safety program that mandates written safety plans, risk assessments, and safety trainings for behavioral health employers. The changes expand the bill's scope beyond just studying worker safety to actively requiring employers to implement specific safety measures and providing funding to help them comply.
Scope change
The bill's scope expanded from a study-only mandate to include active safety requirements for behavioral health employers, including written safety plans, risk assessments, and training programs.
REQUIREMENT

Added mandatory requirement for behavioral health employers to develop and implement written safety plans tailored to their specific context.

Added requirement for employers to conduct risk assessments of their work environments and provide safety trainings to workers.

FISCAL

Added authority for Oregon Health Authority to award grants to behavioral health employers to cover costs of risk assessments and structural safety enhancements.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'behavioral health employer' covering various facility types and 'lone worker' to clarify who is protected.

ENFORCEMENT

Added enforcement mechanisms requiring the Occupational Safety and Health Division to establish processes for enforcing safety plan violations.

TIMELINE

Changed the summary digest to reflect expanded scope while keeping the original digest as a bracketed reference to the introduced version.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
7
Key actions
2
Committee
4
Jun 28, 2025
Lower · Passed
In committee upon adjournment.
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Committee
Referred to Ways and Means by order of Speaker.
lower
Apr 16, 2025
Lower · Passed
Recommendation: Do pass with amendments, be printed A-Engrossed, and be referred to Ways and Means.
lower
Jan 17, 2025
Committee
Referred to Behavioral Health and Health Care.
lower
Jan 13, 2025
Introduced
First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.
lower
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.