[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6326742,"mediaKeyId","2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a","parentId",2323736,"title","Occupational Therapy Licensing Board projects steady revenues while preparing for new OT doctorate programs","audioSeconds",888,"startMs",4382000,"endMs",5270000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a&start=4382&end=5270","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a/thumbnail_4382000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6326742/Oregon/Occupational-Therapy-Licensing-Board-projects-steady-revenues-while-preparing-for-new-OT-doctorate-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326742-e140cea8bdf51ad380ccf13d54bc0249/orig.mp4?Expires=1770698174&Signature=JAa8b1MKyp5q1NmuRuYmC1eJyH2ySj41e5jpwMTiWJ5JiMjgoHmQ48OYryhtidxXCIKPhmUMJ8kwbpEXccyx2GES8jD5e7syTF0i-nV-d5jOpEL00MsMz6Anq4NoAIvUdmtf9CE-06msS11D6vURpMz-dqXMAg-lurOIx9SaECaC3r8EIRE6lq85xo5mob25hzTBbtQy05Ze7B123XVxRcXda5BYTfwPET1GCuhVnty6oEQTgFz7liV3B2FP~CF7HA62Qr4pCGmU7QIeI0BCwruFaZMoTzFv3M2FD2KvszqZv3rrvzj9sS6DIdi1s7eQUkDuWMiXX9nyOnpJigwumw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-02-17T00:00:00Z","article","Good afternoon. The Oregon Occupational Therapy Licensing Board presented its governor‑recommended budget and licensing data on Feb. 17 during the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education hearing on Senate Bill 5524.

Nancy Schuberg, executive director of the Occupational Therapy Licensing Board, said the board regulates about 2,752 active licensees — including roughly 470 occupational therapy assistants — and manages licensing, background checks and investigations with 1.5 FTE. \"We license applications 98% of the time within 1 to 3 days of receiving all the required documentation,\" Schuberg said, describing a licensing system the board launched in 2020 that performs primary source verification and allows applicants to track outstanding items online.

Schuberg told the committee renewals occur in even‑numbered years and account for about 75% of revenue; the governor’s recommended budget of approximately $793,000 reflects a roughly 5% increase to absorb inflationary costs and maintains current service levels without policy‑package requests. The board conducts FBI fingerprint background checks on new applicants and state-level criminal background checks at renewal. Investigations have averaged about 20 cases per year in recent years; the board uses an interagency investigator contract to manage complaint workloads without a full-time investigator on staff.

Several new educational programs recently started or plan to start in Oregon, including Western Oregon University and George Fox University cohorts that began in fall 2024 and a planned program at the University of Western States with a 2026 cohort target. Schuberg said the board expects additional license growth in the next two to six years as graduates enter practice and said the board’s staffing and systems are prepared to handle that growth without immediate fee changes.

Schuberg provided required reduction options and noted past fee increases occurred after a long period with no increases; the board is not requesting fee changes for the 2025–27 biennium at this time. The subcommittee did not vote on the budget during the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Education 02/17/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Occupational Therapy Licensing Board told the Ways and Means subcommittee it expects modest growth in licensees as new doctorate programs come online, is funded by licensure fees, and operates at 1.5 FTE with a roughly $793,000 governor‑recommended budget for the next biennium.","taxTitle","Education, Ways and Means, Joint, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",18450,"location","Oregon","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6326744,"Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine seeks steady funding; tight budget relies on licensing fees",1538,2900000,4438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a&start=2900&end=4438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a/thumbnail_2900000.jpg","/articles/6326744/Oregon/Oregon-Board-of-Naturopathic-Medicine-seeks-steady-funding-tight-budget-relies-on-licensing-fees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326744-7ec17ae531ccc59f3c66d8fe321f270a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770698174&Signature=AnKXXWEgMZSf6dLVuaVWE4dQsXH4EKwTyiB2V4LiiFCLCAzZQTnygvx0AXGyOoY34DGxZXalDEvBJKLM2p4GHM9UzCKYOLtaCsW03sSTffiQROUMGA7I76JGQjpjN63XLjNT7l6Sa~8sPcQGoocYUpBk3kcZRVyxGIBW7aM6Soh~K4d0k5UVClQdUmtfMu6sPYa4VyJuPgXNpytY5Da8P8fV1B32NwL38Vcx9JP12W8F26xfReBegVcDHBR~eZ6o~qWlbjLzE~zF~HffwlFlacjdxZseqyVSwW1nEe3DvseHFV1FV~0F6HheI5PdswDsqtqeTyL3Uy1o6YgGSQTN2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Good afternoon. The Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine presented its governor‑recommended budget and program priorities during the Feb. 17 public hearing on Senate Bill 5524 before the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education.

Marybeth Baptista, executive director of the Board of Naturopathic Medicine, told the committee the board regulates approximately 1,200 licensed naturopathic doctors in Oregon and maintains one of the nation’s most expansive prescribing formularies. \"In Oregon, the legislature has defined us as primary care physicians by statute,\" Baptista said, describing the profession’s authority to provide prevention, diagnosis and management of acute and chronic conditions as well as selected minor surgery and injection therapies.

The board is an other‑funded agency that relies on license application and renewal fees, exam administration and a small amount of sales and civil‑penalty revenue. DAS budget analyst Hari Velopondian told the committee the board needs about five to six months of ending balance because renewals occur at the end of the calendar year; the governor’s recommended budget makes a small services‑and‑supplies reduction to reflect a projected revenue shortfall and holds staffing steady at three FTEs.

Baptista described recent rulemaking to remove barriers to licensure (for example, allowing a copy of a birth certificate instead of a certified copy for applicants born outside the U.S.) and a disciplinary‑action matrix the board adopted to promote consistent sanctions. The board also overhauled continuing‑education approval rules to prioritize education that benefits Oregon licensees and to reduce staff and board time spent approving out‑of‑state or for‑profit programs that produce little local benefit.

Committee members questioned investigation timelines and case complexity. Baptista said the board’s target is to complete investigations within six months but that a small number of complex cases, jurisdictional issues, pending civil litigation or criminal matters had extended timelines; she noted that of nine cases open at the end of 2024, four were subsequently closed. The board said it plans to improve plain‑language communication about rulemaking and the legislative process.

Baptista closed by thanking DAS staff and legislative aides for support during the session; the subcommittee took no vote at the hearing on Senate Bill 5524.","The Board of Naturopathic Medicine told the Ways and Means subcommittee its governor‑recommended budget will sustain current operations at three FTEs, noting the board’s broad formulary, investigation workload and changes to continuing‑education approval rules.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6326746,"Mortuary and Cemetery Board outlines budget, indigent-disposition program to Ways and Means subcommittee",2778,117000,2895000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a&start=117&end=2895","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2323736-443b0d48491efc8972064680f894b58a/thumbnail_117000.jpg","/articles/6326746/Oregon/Mortuary-and-Cemetery-Board-outlines-budget-indigent-disposition-program-to-Ways-and-Means-subcommittee","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6326746-34cb469563a331b3738147df471d2491/orig.mp4?Expires=1770698174&Signature=JVnZ4ZE5ucwGgg0r82Yi--UGgDX5KH3N2UEMzg57HiF~YikNue9Lj9LRmbntfmC1pGXfj6te9UyNst2e255L0iJjvtRq3krq1L8A8bcgloGH8VK~hTvHm6DhOAuOgnz7kqw00oMmLiVCru6h1SUkiIU5uHB1XX9R1PsULL6-NqqiNxjUZTtB2fVtIPY97o2JuFDrHnxmcvjsE7wO~yXnBeSHa1V3XflTq1miYd9mMQcWxgug08msxOTrmU6iLDqJ7pb7SqF~Q8Xal-nTUMKNzBN~WY~oeDsP2Fy2QNOQdObkqYLDezzEwdqdXkfXLNVuAg-c8CEbQqB06GZTX4Ft~g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Good afternoon. The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board presented its governor-recommended budget and an overview of its licensing, inspection and indigent-disposition programs on Feb. 17 during a public hearing of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education on Senate Bill 5524.

The presentation, made by Hari Velopondian of the Department of Administrative Services’ Chief Financial Office and Chad Russell Isles, executive director of the Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board, said the board is an other‑funded agency that is self‑sustained primarily by a $30 death filing fee and license revenues. \"The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board is an other funded agency,\" Velopondian said. \"This funding comes predominantly from the death filing fee.\" The governor’s budget maintains current services, keeps the agency at seven full‑time equivalent positions and reflects small increases driven by rent and inflation.

The indigent‑disposition program reimburses licensed funeral establishments and immediate disposition companies when a decedent’s disposition is unpaid. Isles told the committee $16 of the $30 death filing fee is allocated to the IDP fund and $14 to the board’s operating account. He said the IDP fund has existed in some form since 1993 and was transferred to the board in 2015; changes took effect Jan. 1, 2016. Isles described the program’s eligibility as cases where a deceased person lacks a death‑benefit or insurer, has no relative with the legal right and means to pay, or no one willing to pay.

Board officials presented inspection and enforcement work: the board maintains seven FTEs, two inspectors and an investigator and carries out statutorily required inspections of licensed death‑care facilities at least once every biennium under ORS 692.320(2)(a). Isles said inspectors primarily take a preventative approach that emphasizes education during inspections, and that most routine deficiencies are administrative and do not result in formal discipline. The board reported exceeding its key performance measure for facility inspections in recent years.

Committee members asked about recurring issues and longer‑term concerns. Representative McLean raised pioneer and church‑owned cemeteries that may lack maintenance or records; Isles said many smaller cemeteries are nonprofit with volunteer boards that are aging and that abandoned or unlicensed cemeteries fall outside the board’s authority. Senator Weber asked for an explanation of alkaline hydrolysis; Isles described it as a water‑ and heat‑based process that reduces human remains and yields processed remains similar in form to cremated remains, and said Oregon currently has several alkaline hydrolysis machines and one natural organic reduction facility.

Committee members also asked about pricing oversight and whether the board monitors funeral home rates; Isles said the board does not set or monitor prices and described cost‑comparison and preplanning as ways the public can manage cost risk. Isles closed by urging continued budget support and by reminding the panel of the board’s consumer‑protection mission: \"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel,\" he said, noting the board’s focus on public health and safety.

The subcommittee did not take a vote during the hearing. The hearing record includes the board’s budget request and program data presented to the committee as part of Senate Bill 5524.","The Oregon Mortuary and Cemetery Board presented its governor-recommended budget and data on the indigent-disposition program during a Feb. 17 public hearing on Senate Bill 5524, citing steady staffing, inspection requirements and a $30 death filing fee that funds the program.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Occupational Therapy Licensing Board projects steady revenues while preparing for new OT doctorate programs

Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine seeks steady funding; tight budget relies on licensing fees

Mortuary and Cemetery Board outlines budget, indigent-disposition program to Ways and Means subcommittee