[{"_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",6313219,"mediaKeyId","2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c","parentId",2388610,"title","Senate committee reviews bill to redesign foster-home payment rates, including 90% of USDA benchmark and respite funds","audioSeconds",2004,"startMs",1595360,"endMs",3600000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c&start=1595&end=3600","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c/thumbnail_1595360.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6313219/Oregon/Senate-committee-reviews-bill-to-redesign-foster-home-payment-rates-including-90-of-USDA-benchmark-and-respite-funds","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313219-4dfa1d284a355f85a48a7d164ba49608/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901269&Signature=bFAzOPCLnfCwdTSdy8QG9sVtzYM2~DY3D82cao2I7OnEkgHYX1Kdd4L2u~3ePdiTJGpirmgNv~0tl~Mt364oBihHF9aotqaJTD6Km3PiPuCMOzvJUCZNL62Rfv4zAtOatMJTOIfIl7yeo~x~ddnjGFVG-zvVhDqSk9cyvF1mXRs1d58~0E6UvgabMz4omckDdwHRRv-wdZncoAwJjsNVuBpib-HANNjlcTLzVzOWxWedgn28LlQWXaEP8ta1JuM2aN3LQuhVdFec6fja6FrTuC8W510SSru7tvZzW-hscMm9Q3UMZsrbZsRpibmLBeCBhgP7hE-LR2DSMcXYGzadog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon State Legislature","date","2025-02-25T00:00:00Z","article","The Senate Committee on Human Services opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 741, which would require the Department of Human Services to adopt a compensation rate structure for foster‑home resource parents that ensures appropriate reimbursement for the needs of children in care and prescribes required components of that rate model.

Sponsors said the bill implements recommendations from the federal court’s special master in the Wyatt temporary lodging litigation and from an expert study led by Dr. Marti Beyer. The proposal asks the department to construct a rate model with a base rate tied to an age‑banded benchmark (birth‑5, 6‑12, 13+) and to set a goal in the bill of a base rate equal to 90% of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s estimate of the cost to raise a child. The bill would also require reimbursement of actual transportation costs for DHS‑required activities, childcare reimbursement capped at the Child Support Division’s cap, and up to 16 hours per month of respite‑care reimbursement to support caregiver breaks.

Committee members pressed for detail about the fiscal impact and enforcement. Senators asked whether putting a 90% benchmark in statute could prompt litigation if the Legislature or department did not reach that target. A staff presenter noted the USDA cost estimate quoted in committee documents is dated to 2015 dollars; the presenter also said the governor’s current budget includes a separate $70‑per‑month increase for foster families.

Witnesses and committee members described the policy rationale: proponents said better compensation and predictable add‑ons could expand and stabilize the pool of resource parents, reduce placement instability and decrease reliance on more costly institutional or out‑of‑state placements. Committee members noted the department did not send a representative to the hearing and requested that agency analysis and cost estimates be provided before further action.

The hearing closed with no committee vote; sponsors said they plan to return with refined language and cost figures and to work with the department and ways‑and‑means staff on funding mechanics.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Committee On Human Services 02/25/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 741 would require the Department of Human Services to adopt a compensation rate structure for foster homes that sets a base rate tied to a percentage of the USDA cost‑to‑raise benchmark and prescribes add‑on reimbursements and respite support; committee members raised cost, enforcement and litigation concerns.","taxTitle","Human Services, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17924,"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},6313223,"Committee hears changes to foster children’s Bill of Rights and sibling-contact rules in SB 875",1079,503680,1582700,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c&start=503&end=1582","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c/thumbnail_503680.jpg","/articles/6313223/Oregon/Committee-hears-changes-to-foster-childrens-Bill-of-Rights-and-sibling-contact-rules-in-SB-875","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313223-e83166ac4e4f562d5793fd45dcd96dc9/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901269&Signature=R2Po38sUJWkvuLy1axe3KLybPpoc2LfoFDLEP1sBfsCn51cCzF5DDVPHRsK67uVDwuwv6RtlmuhxXm84Wi-3Tn777bfogM2miFhxVpfeULgIyGVbUn3hqU8~I5HX~66sX345qQDX5z2OTv2jrwea94plAtM7XD4Ao9524Bm9386eSwCs5wv56icVriOCU-ns~xrREVAXtgjPl-A~knweRSUbx4CzNSW9P9puKXSJyie~e~U0ZwkupKKyTGCz5BYZtPUuM7OqPgl1arvOODc8kRcySpBl3EfFLFJnxcJbXBKSI7gI8Y~d9Nks7mJWgnI2KK2yFzY3NWrgu6HcTZwgDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Human Services held a public hearing on Senate Bill 875, which would update the Oregon Foster Children's Bill of Rights and the Oregon Foster Siblings Bill of Rights and allow a court to limit or prohibit sibling contact only by written court finding to ensure safety.

Sponsors said the measure makes explicit several protections youth and advocates requested: preserving the right of foster children to be present at their own court hearings, clarifying that a child may have an attorney or advocate present for any interview with law enforcement or abuse investigators, and making certain protections — such as transporting personal effects in an appropriate luggage carrier — permanent in the statute.

Matthew, the staff presenter, told the committee the changes come from earlier work with the foster youth coalition and attorneys. Committee members asked how the Bill of Rights is enforced. The chair and witnesses said the document functions both as a statement of statutory expectation for the Department of Human Services and as a practical tool for youth: placards in age-appropriate language are to be posted in placements and given to children when they enter care; those placards also list phone numbers for the child’s caseworker and attorney. The Foster Care Ombudsman can investigate complaints related to the Bill of Rights.

On interviews with law enforcement or abuse investigators, the bill would require that the foster child have an attorney or advocate of the child’s choosing present “regardless of whether the foster child is interviewed as a witness, a victim, or a subject individual,” language committee members discussed. Committee members sought clarity on who would ensure the child is notified and how the right would be enforced; presenters said existing notification practices (the department and the child’s attorney being notified when a child is interviewed) support that requirement, and committee staff noted the change simply codifies that expectation into the Bill of Rights.

Committee members also discussed that the sibling-contact provision preserves a child’s ability to maintain relationships with siblings but does not compel contact from a sibling who does not wish to have it. The public hearing was opened and closed with no committee vote; the committee said it will return the bill for further amendment and testimony.","Senate Bill 875 would modify the Oregon Foster Children's Bill of Rights and the Foster Siblings Bill of Rights, including a presumption in favor of sibling contact and a requirement that a child’s attorney or advocate be present for law-enforcement or abuse-investigation interviews.",{"_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},6313227,"Senate panel hears bill to guarantee $350,000 a year for Oregon Foster Youth Connection",416,65890,482000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c&start=65&end=482","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2388610-334901544c7b325d483ab871bbcff64c/thumbnail_65890.jpg","/articles/6313227/Oregon/Senate-panel-hears-bill-to-guarantee-350000-a-year-for-Oregon-Foster-Youth-Connection","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6313227-0ad85c6e70d29041b3a2554cf2f217fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770901269&Signature=QJPxNm4jvcKMDAyHeVGC-W060bSVQCyjsXPV-TdeAAY-pUkwa9s-jsjY1yQAcDMx3d6jAKJ9R5R4VI5oe3JKA29ENF4963Uo0v5Kyre07RLjmCpZoys3aI4lUH8e0N60qDHjwnF~PspaKpqMoY8Wa0guqTOe4ieXUeGlE9~Cf0Yi0Zo0~gVpe77wGeFfkeAk8Nzb5-FfhMe6KqkopCdjOdKj2TVIoFbr7D4sjAcs2888GUj27-zg5dIDU1AmQytwEmv6uLMX6H-liqgcsU7ABih70x~11mipL4MeotzuVsiNdhMhvIuqzgkPQImDKuXqYr0OqZf8jRsin529d~iXQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Senate Committee on Human Services opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 937, which would require the Oregon Department of Human Services to distribute $350,000 annually to the Oregon Foster Youth Connection for foster-youth advocacy and support; the measure declares an emergency and would take effect on passage.

Supporters said the bill aims to preserve a youth-led advocacy structure after the group’s prior sponsorship ended and a new request-for-proposals process changed how the state would contract for the work. Committee members were told the funding had previously flowed through a sponsoring nonprofit and was used for leadership trainings, advocacy work and biennial policy institutes that brought youth to the Legislature.

“Thank you, madam chair and members of the committee. Senate Bill 9 37 requires the Department of Human Services to distribute $350,000 annually to the Oregon Foster Youth Connection for foster youth advocacy and support,” Matthew, a staff presenter, told the committee. Committee leadership described the bill as straightforward: “this bill is exactly what it says that it is.”

Witnesses and committee members discussed a recent change in sponsorship that, according to testimony, left youth organizers no longer in control of the program’s administration. Committee members said the department issued an RFP for the work; witnesses described a dispute over whether the RFP followed a change in contract requirements and whether the timing related to the Wyatt temporary lodging litigation affected the process. Department of Human Services staff were not present to testify during the hearing.

Committee members requested documents and asked staff to post the prior contract details to the legislative record to clarify who received funds previously and how the dollars were used. The chair said the committee would make the contract and related materials available in the legislative information system.

The public hearing was opened and closed; no committee vote was taken during this session.

Ending: The bill will return to the committee for further consideration and to allow youth and other stakeholders to testify at a later date on a time more convenient for them.","A Senate Human Services public hearing on Senate Bill 937 would require the Oregon Department of Human Services to provide $350,000 annually to the Oregon Foster Youth Connection to support foster-youth advocacy; sponsors said the bill aims to preserve a youth-directed advocacy structure after recent contract changes.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Senate committee reviews bill to redesign foster-home payment rates, including 90% of USDA benchmark and respite funds

Committee hears changes to foster children’s Bill of Rights and sibling-contact rules in SB 875

Senate panel hears bill to guarantee $350,000 a year for Oregon Foster Youth Connection