Representatives of the Oregon Department of Justice appeared before the House Committee on Early Childhood and Human Services to present House Bill 3,348, a package of technical updates to Oregon’s child‑support statutes.

Kate Cooper Richardson, director of the DOJ Division of Child Support and the Oregon Child Support Program, told the committee the measure makes ‘‘technical improvements to the child support program’’ and modernizes multiple provisions in ORS chapter 25. "We need to modernize some outdated language, make small adjustments to expand access to justice and close a few gaps in services," she said.

The bill would replace outdated terminology (for example, replacing the term "notice and finding a financial responsibility" with "notice and proposed order"), update the notice of controlling judgment process to address situations where a child‑support judgment shifts obligations between parents, and authorize electronic delivery of certain notices when the recipient authorizes that method instead of requiring first‑class mail. DOJ witnesses said those changes would reduce administrative burdens for courts and the child support program and improve access and clarity for families.

Mike Ritchie, assistant attorney general and general counsel for the child support program, said the agency added a dash‑1 amendment that removes two sections from the original bill and makes a conforming change to another section; the agency requested adoption of the amendment and expressed no known opposition to the bill.

The presenters said the changes are largely language modernizations and statutory cleanups following the program’s administrative transfer to the Department of Justice in 2001. DOJ asked the committee to adopt the dash‑1 amendment and approve HB 3,348; committee members did not raise objections during the public hearing.

The public hearing record shows DOJ provided written testimony and an information sheet to the committee. No vote on the bill occurred during the March 18 public hearing; the committee closed the hearing and moved to the next agenda item.