Sen. Deb Patterson

Establishes the Animal Welfare Trust to provide grants to entities that provide veterinary support services related to animals in low-income households or underserved communities. Establishes the Animal Welfare Fund for the purpose of carrying out the activities of the trust. Instructs the trust to report to committees or interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to animals on the activities of the trust on or before March 31 of each even-numbered year.

] Creates an exception to abuse of a child in care provisions when the suspected abuse was committed by the parent of the child in care. [ Requires that the Department of Human Services provide parents and guardians with a notice of rights before interviews in child abuse investigations. ] Requires the Department of Human Services to notify a child's parents or guardians that the department representative is not an attorney and cannot give the parent or guardian legal advice. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Oregon Business Development Department for the purposes of the Oregon Arts Commission. Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Oregon Business Development Department for the purposes of distribution to the Oregon Arts Commission for grants to certain organizations. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

] Appropriates moneys from the General Fund to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services for distribution to a nonprofit [ groups ] group for purposes related to interpretation of indigenous languages. Declares an emergency, effective July 1, 2025.

] Requires the Department of Human Services to study [ long term care ] the information that a long term care facility must disclose about its owners and operators and the feasibility of implementing an online portal to collect and share information about long term care facilities with the public . Directs the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to health not later than [ September 15, 2026 ] December 31, 2025 . Sunsets the study requirements on January 2, 2027. Requires a long term care facility, before the facility may change its owner or operator, to apply to the department for approval and provide notice to residents. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Requires a hospital or the hospital's health system to report annually to the Oregon Health Authority certain information regarding facility fees that are charged or billed for patient visits at the hospital's or health system's hospital-based facilities. Requires a hospital or the hospital's health system that charges a facility fee for a patient visit to provide a person notice of the facility fee. Requires a billing statement that includes a facility fee to include certain information. Permits a hospital or the hospital's health system to charge, bill or collect a facility fee only for services provided on campus or at a facility that includes an emergency department. Prohibits a hospital or the hospital's health system from charging, billing or collecting a facility fee for certain services. Punishes an action to collect or an attempt to collect a facility fee that is not permitted under the Act as an unlawful collection practice. Permits the Oregon Health Authority to impose a civil penalty for certain violations of the Act.

] [ Requires the Oregon Health Authority to study health care. 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 certain health insurers to reimburse the cost of primary care providers in an independent practice at the same rate as primary care providers within a hospital-based or hospital-affiliated system for the same services. Requires the Department of Consumer and Business Services to adopt rules and implement a benchmark Primary Care Fairness Rate. Exempts health insurance policies or certificates issued by the Public Employees' Benefit Board or the Oregon Educators Benefit Board. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

Requires the Department of Human Services to study how it delivers services to children and families. Directs the department to submit findings to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to human services not later than September 15, 2026.

Directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to administer a grant program to fund basic needs programming. Appropriates moneys to the commission to establish the program and award grants for basic needs programming. Sunsets the grant program on January 2, 2027. Establishes the Task Force on Student Housing to review and make recommendations on policy changes regarding barriers that students in higher education face in accessing affordable housing. Sunsets the task force on January 2, 2027. Directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to award grants to nonprofit organizations that provide affordable housing support to low-income students in higher education in this state. Appropriates moneys to the commission for purposes of awarding the grants. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.

] Directs the Oregon Health Authority to [ develop and implement a grant program to distribute moneys ] award grants to local workforce development boards to partner with certain entities to [ provide ] establish and implement behavioral health education and training programs for high school students. Requires the local workforce development boards to consult with the authority to establish partnerships with specific entities to administer the programs. Requires the authority to consider recommendations from a statewide organization that represents all local workforce development boards when determining the amount of a grant to award. Sunsets on January 2, 2029. Declares an emergency, effective on passage.