Bill would fund pilot to expand prevention and behavioral-health services for youth in 20 Oregon counties

Representative Shelley Bossart Davis introduced House Bill 3,631, the Thriving Youth Prevention and Intervention Initiative, during a public hearing May 14 before the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response. The bill would require the Oregon Health Authority to partner with a statewide community‑based organization to establish a pilot serving youth in 20 counties, appropriate $8,000,000 for the pilot, require progress reports in 2026 and 2027, and declare an emergency so the measure would take effect on passage.

The bill’s sponsors and a coalition of after‑school providers told the committee they want to use the pilot to expand evidence‑based prevention curriculum and add community‑based behavioral health services inside trusted, out‑of‑school settings. “This pilot could serve 15,000 youth,” Representative Shelley Bossart Davis said, and would “boost the work of Boys and Girls Clubs and…