House Committee Co‑chairs Helm and Owens and members adopted the dash‑5 amendment to House Bill 3,106 and voted to send the amended measure to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means with a due‑pass recommendation.

The dash‑5 amendment replaces the original appropriation to the Department of Environmental Quality and instead establishes an integrated water resources data team under the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), an integrated water data portal and an integrated water data council.

Co‑chair Owens described DOGAMI as “kind of like the USGS of Oregon” and said DOGAMI would serve as a central validator and steward for the state’s water data so that multiple agencies can use a single, consistent data source. Committee members pressed staff and co‑chairs on fiscal and staffing implications.

Representative McLean asked whether the amendment would add staff to DOGAMI; co‑chairs and witnesses said yes — DOGAMI’s fiscal estimate cited in committee was roughly $4,000,000 over the next biennium to stand up the program and add staff. Committee members said the bill is likely a multi‑biennium effort and would require additional coordination among the 17 state agencies that hold water data.

Representative Marsh and others raised concerns about the lack of a full fiscal analysis from the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) and the absence of a governor’s budget request for the portal itself. Co‑chairs said LFO had issued only a fiscal light and that more detailed fiscal work would be difficult to secure in the week before the committee scheduled to act.

The committee approved the dash‑5 amendment on a roll call and then advanced House Bill 3,106 as amended to Ways and Means with a due‑pass recommendation. Co‑chair Owens and Co‑chair Helm said they would seek further information on agency costs and public interface options as the bill advances to budget committees.