[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-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],{"_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",6258209,"mediaKeyId","3148697-ca38f3b3d1ca5bf698482eed0b17dbd2","parentId",3148697,"title","Bill would codify \"employment first\" policies, require employment data and ban sheltered work settings for people with IDD","audioSeconds",1125,"startMs",2268300,"endMs",3393920,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3148697-ca38f3b3d1ca5bf698482eed0b17dbd2&start=2268&end=3393","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3148697-ca38f3b3d1ca5bf698482eed0b17dbd2/thumbnail_2268300.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6258209/Oregon/Bill-would-codify-employment-first-policies-require-employment-data-and-ban-sheltered-work-settings-for-people-with-IDD","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6258209-90428a1ca8ef2fc7135cce347d968121/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447639&Signature=E32gUIkWaBuv2tIpozSsfjoOO7AsnBzgp4mZX2X3vb124JWXW857P5HwHB0Zd0syjX7KgJEfXafnzulbsTc9JYar9~3GlvkR6lTxwksvoKkVGZ4sbb7mruLen6R1DPsulquxsicXOg6F1WPaXXWCizoRhvVMAPGnjHcq~3tZ2EsqNYwQZopfQsB4TEBqnBD4Any3D9v~30pkWZ9e5cXxn1Ua5STUydHp1Z1KO6eZ4kuVe0Iw9Hj2rk7AnbXtGsndQty3Ioqsu~ZZOxgNjnHl0guhJeFsal2Ex2hblL63JR1Sq7bgr9rPgH9MBFp~qFctcqBHekSEa2JzcTHM7wXX5A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oregon Legislature","date","2025-04-29T00:00:00Z","article","The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a public hearing April 29 on Senate Bill 810, a measure that would codify Oregon's \"employment first\" approach by directing the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Department of Education (ODE) to appoint statewide and regional advisory committees, collect annual employment outcome data, and ensure employment services aim for competitive integrated employment rather than sheltered work settings.

Dana Hittle, interim director of the Office of Developmental Disability Services at DHS, told the committee the bill \"will ensure that Oregon continues to prioritize competitive integrated employment for Oregonians with intellectual and developmental disabilities, building on a decade of work.\" Hittle reviewed the history behind the proposal, noting that a 2012 lawsuit, Lane v. Brown, and its settlement prompted a shift away from sheltered workshops toward services that support work in integrated community settings at competitive wages.

Why it matters: Supporters said codifying the policy prevents a rollback to sheltered, segregated work settings and keeps state agencies accountable for employment outcomes. Hittle said the measure describes work that is already funded in DHS's continuing service level budget and that the bill is intended to \"ensure the investment and progress that we have made are codified into law and will help us continue to build on the progress made over the last decade.\" The bill also directs DHS to collaborate with other agencies to establish a \"state as model employer\" program and to annually report employment outcome data to the state advisory committee.

Committee members asked how codification differs from existing practice and whether enshrining services in statute creates new legal or fiscal obligations. Representative McIntyre and others asked why a statute was necessary if the work is already budgeted; Hittle replied the statutory language is intended to prevent backsliding amid uncertainty in federal and state funding streams. When asked whether codification could expose the state to legal risk if Medicaid funding were lost, Hittle said she would consult the Department of Justice and could not provide a legal opinion during the hearing.

The committee also discussed the meaning of \"sheltered\" versus person‑centered placements. Hittle described sheltered workshops as settings that historically isolated workers with disabilities from the broader community and paid sub‑minimum wages; she said the bill does not prohibit person‑centered placements that an individual requests and where the person has access to non‑disabled peers and choice.

No formal committee vote was recorded after the hearing; the public hearing was closed and the committee moved on to other business.

Ending: Supporters framed SB 810 as a statutory guardrail to preserve a decade of policy change toward integrated employment; committee members pressed the administration on reporting, the proposed \"state as model employer\" program and potential fiscal and legal implications, and Hittle offered to provide additional written details.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Committee On Early Childhood and Human Services 04/29/2025 8:00 AM","oneSentenceSummary","The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a public hearing April 29 on Senate Bill 810, which would require state agencies to adopt \"employment first\" policies for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and to collect and report employment outcome data.","taxTitle","Early Childhood and Human Services, House of Representatives, Committees, Legislative, Oregon","taxId",17511,"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},6258213,"Bill would bar public bodies from denying mental‑health care to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities",2246,28110,2274320,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3148697-ca38f3b3d1ca5bf698482eed0b17dbd2&start=28&end=2274","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3148697-ca38f3b3d1ca5bf698482eed0b17dbd2/thumbnail_28110.jpg","/articles/6258213/Oregon/Bill-would-bar-public-bodies-from-denying-mentalhealth-care-to-people-with-intellectual-or-developmental-disabilities","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6258213-22cd31fe981c9334227031ebf7b1a0df/orig.mp4?Expires=1770447639&Signature=nk0IMkHA9BG4jMVTE1WqL88rPFpd7I6F8zRPPkhhzC~lX99XAQSTNlo0cxOVCry~m4vDZnHNT11nMAryQnbJh-tZX-fDwwpzKPOXiMyfkCTNbSXauI5xH0MzWvISGKIdrxqvT9~ujLZPeV8y8GqH45tcyV5xSyio0lWwKdjKvvmTO6r3uiVFTnJ5dF4r0hNSQIKTZ8BBvP1YOY5peK8VuedduRM1rIHWlDntXSlDOriwWik0M~GFEr0ZdqWzmGYie8aw~sKGVQlUjzk48fN5J6WdDkFPb8wBAbJ6z0KaPrgq1gs9WjKXfE0FIsbGSdXVdpkOEPhmMkNU8V7Y2~7KEg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services opened a public hearing April 29 on Senate Bill 729, a measure that would expand an existing prohibition on denying mental‑health services to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities to all public bodies and to all ages.

Supporters say SB 729 would close a gap that leaves many adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) unable to get mental‑health care. \"Intellectual disability is a natural part of the human experience,\" said state senator Sarah Gelster Bluhin, the sponsor, recounting years of constituent reports and a personal family crisis to illustrate how people with IDD can be denied care. \"You can't just say we won't treat you because you have an intellectual or developmental disability.\" The bill would extend the current prohibition — which applies to the Oregon Health Authority, education providers, licensed medical providers, community mental health programs and coordinated care organizations — to all public bodies and remove the current age cap that limits the rule to individuals up to age 21, according to the committee summary presented to the panel.

Why it matters: Testimony from disability advocates and provider groups said denial of care can produce worse medical outcomes and unnecessary crises. Elise Brown of Oregon Community Brokerages, reading testimony from executive director Katie Rose, told the committee the bill \"opens the door for learning and discovery for both patients and practitioners.\" Matthew Sears of the Oregon Developmental Disabilities Coalition cited a study that found \"stigma and discrimination against individuals with IDD and mental health conditions can create barriers to accessing quality crisis management services.\"

Committee members probed practical concerns. Vice Chair Scharf and Representative Elmer asked whether the bill's wording — which committee members discussed using \"may not deny\" in some sections — would create a workable expectation for providers that lack training or capacity. Gelster Bluhin and panelists said the purpose is to set a clear expectation and to push institutions to build capacity, not to require a provider to perform procedures outside its licensed scope. As Gelster Bluhin put it, the law would not force, for example, a pediatrician to perform open‑heart surgery; it would bar a provider from refusing to assess or treat a condition within their professional scope solely because the patient has an IDD diagnosis.

Panelists and legislators discussed existing resources and gaps: several witnesses noted there are specialists and psychiatric nurse practitioners who do treat people with IDD but that those clinicians are not available uniformly across the state. The committee also heard that federal civil‑rights law — specifically Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — already prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability; supporters said SB 729 restates that principle in state law and extends enforcement expectations to a broader set of public bodies.

No formal vote occurred during the hearing. The committee closed the public hearing on SB 729 after receiving testimony and questions and will consider next steps in future committee work.

Ending: Supporters framed SB 729 as an initial, targeted change intended to remove a categorical refusal to treat people with IDD and to prompt further work on training and capacity; committee members sought clarifications about implementation, enforcement and how the state would support smaller or rural providers in meeting the expectation.","The House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services held a public hearing April 29 on Senate Bill 729, which would prohibit public bodies from denying access to mental‑health services solely because an individual has an intellectual or developmental disability and would extend protections to all ages.","actionData","errors"]

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Bill would codify "employment first" policies, require employment data and ban sheltered work settings for people with IDD

Bill would bar public bodies from denying mental‑health care to people with intellectual or developmental disabilities