Oregon committee backs $1 million one‑time scholarship from Board of Accountancy reserves; budget bill moves forward
May 05, 2025 | General Government, Ways and Means, Joint, Committees, Legislative, Oregon
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PORTLAND, Ore. — The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government on May 5 voted to advance Senate Bill 796 and House Bill 5,001, clearing the way for the Oregon Board of Accountancy to create a need‑based scholarship program funded by a one‑time $1,000,000 transfer from the board’s operating reserves and endorsing the board’s $4,387,935 recommended budget for the 2025‑27 biennium.
The Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) told the subcommittee the statutory change in SB 796 would permit the board to use monies in the Oregon Board of Accountancy Fund to award scholarships but does not itself appropriate scholarship dollars. "SB 796 authorizes the Board of Accountancy to establish a grant program to provide scholarships for students seeking accounting degrees in college or individuals who wish to become certified public accountants in Oregon," an LFO analyst said, and recommended the bill be moved to the full Ways and Means committee.
LFO staff described a linked, one‑time policy package in the board’s 2025‑27 budget (the LFO recommended package 100) that would transfer $1,000,000 from the board’s operating reserves to an existing scholarship program. LFO said the transfer is nonrecurring and would reduce the board’s operating reserves from roughly 27 months to about 9 months of reserves. The recommended budget totals $4,387,935 other funds and 7 full‑time positions (7.00 FTE), representing a $1,000,000 (about 29.5%) increase over the current service level to accommodate the scholarship transfer.
Martin Petioni, executive director for the Oregon Board of Accountancy, told the committee the bill’s statutory language requires the scholarships to be for Oregon schools and that the board expects recipients to be Oregon residents. "It actually specifically requires that these are Oregon schools," Petioni said. He added the board plans to use an existing scholarship administrator as a grantee — the OSCPA Educational Foundation — and to develop rules and a grant agreement before dispersing funds. Petioni said grant‑agreement negotiations and rules development are expected to conclude in the fall, and the board intends to have rules in place by Oct. 1 and grantee agreements by about Sept. 25.
Committee members questioned eligibility details and program design. Several legislators asked whether awards would be available to Oregonians who attend out‑of‑state accounting programs; Petioni and LFO staff said the bill’s language limits awards to Oregon institutions and that recipients also would be required to be Oregon residents. The committee also discussed whether scholarships would cover an entire academic program or individual courses; Petioni said the board and prospective grantee are leaning toward supporting recipients through completion of an accounting degree or credential, subject to program conditions such as minimum GPA requirements.
Committee members also flagged the scale of the transfer relative to the board’s overall budget. Representative Brechtin noted the transfer would lower the board’s ending fund balance from about 27.2 months to 9.4 months of reserves. Senator Manning and others asked why the program was targeted at accounting rather than other workforce priorities; LFO and Petioni said the board is a fee‑funded regulator of CPAs and the accounting community supported using reserves to grow the future licensing base.
On the budget bill, LFO described several budget packages: package 90 (personnel and services reductions totaling about $133,964 to realign staffing and services), package 100 (the one‑time $1,000,000 scholarship transfer), and package 101 (a staffing model adjustment that creates a Business and Operations Supervisor 2 position while eliminating an Office Specialist 1). LFO also recommended maintaining the board’s existing key performance measures, with a modification to Key Performance Measure No. 4 (timely investigations) lowering the target from 180 days to 150 days based on recent performance.
The subcommittee adopted LFO’s recommendations for SB 796 and for HB 5,001 (the board’s 2025‑27 budget), including the dash‑1 amendment that reflects the recommended budget figures. Members approved a budget note requiring the Board of Accountancy to report to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government during the 2027 legislative session on the results of the $1,000,000 investment, including investment goals, outcomes to date, and plans for future scholarship investments. LFO staff described the transfer as nonrecurring: the authorization would reset to $0 in the 2027‑29 biennium and the board would need legislative authorization for any future scholarship funding.
The measures and budget recommendation were moved to the full Ways and Means Committee with "due pass" recommendations and floor carriers identified for both chambers. No roll‑call vote totals were recorded in the subcommittee transcript; committee members indicated no opposition during voice votes.
The Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) told the subcommittee the statutory change in SB 796 would permit the board to use monies in the Oregon Board of Accountancy Fund to award scholarships but does not itself appropriate scholarship dollars. "SB 796 authorizes the Board of Accountancy to establish a grant program to provide scholarships for students seeking accounting degrees in college or individuals who wish to become certified public accountants in Oregon," an LFO analyst said, and recommended the bill be moved to the full Ways and Means committee.
LFO staff described a linked, one‑time policy package in the board’s 2025‑27 budget (the LFO recommended package 100) that would transfer $1,000,000 from the board’s operating reserves to an existing scholarship program. LFO said the transfer is nonrecurring and would reduce the board’s operating reserves from roughly 27 months to about 9 months of reserves. The recommended budget totals $4,387,935 other funds and 7 full‑time positions (7.00 FTE), representing a $1,000,000 (about 29.5%) increase over the current service level to accommodate the scholarship transfer.
Martin Petioni, executive director for the Oregon Board of Accountancy, told the committee the bill’s statutory language requires the scholarships to be for Oregon schools and that the board expects recipients to be Oregon residents. "It actually specifically requires that these are Oregon schools," Petioni said. He added the board plans to use an existing scholarship administrator as a grantee — the OSCPA Educational Foundation — and to develop rules and a grant agreement before dispersing funds. Petioni said grant‑agreement negotiations and rules development are expected to conclude in the fall, and the board intends to have rules in place by Oct. 1 and grantee agreements by about Sept. 25.
Committee members questioned eligibility details and program design. Several legislators asked whether awards would be available to Oregonians who attend out‑of‑state accounting programs; Petioni and LFO staff said the bill’s language limits awards to Oregon institutions and that recipients also would be required to be Oregon residents. The committee also discussed whether scholarships would cover an entire academic program or individual courses; Petioni said the board and prospective grantee are leaning toward supporting recipients through completion of an accounting degree or credential, subject to program conditions such as minimum GPA requirements.
Committee members also flagged the scale of the transfer relative to the board’s overall budget. Representative Brechtin noted the transfer would lower the board’s ending fund balance from about 27.2 months to 9.4 months of reserves. Senator Manning and others asked why the program was targeted at accounting rather than other workforce priorities; LFO and Petioni said the board is a fee‑funded regulator of CPAs and the accounting community supported using reserves to grow the future licensing base.
On the budget bill, LFO described several budget packages: package 90 (personnel and services reductions totaling about $133,964 to realign staffing and services), package 100 (the one‑time $1,000,000 scholarship transfer), and package 101 (a staffing model adjustment that creates a Business and Operations Supervisor 2 position while eliminating an Office Specialist 1). LFO also recommended maintaining the board’s existing key performance measures, with a modification to Key Performance Measure No. 4 (timely investigations) lowering the target from 180 days to 150 days based on recent performance.
The subcommittee adopted LFO’s recommendations for SB 796 and for HB 5,001 (the board’s 2025‑27 budget), including the dash‑1 amendment that reflects the recommended budget figures. Members approved a budget note requiring the Board of Accountancy to report to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government during the 2027 legislative session on the results of the $1,000,000 investment, including investment goals, outcomes to date, and plans for future scholarship investments. LFO staff described the transfer as nonrecurring: the authorization would reset to $0 in the 2027‑29 biennium and the board would need legislative authorization for any future scholarship funding.
The measures and budget recommendation were moved to the full Ways and Means Committee with "due pass" recommendations and floor carriers identified for both chambers. No roll‑call vote totals were recorded in the subcommittee transcript; committee members indicated no opposition during voice votes.
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