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Senate committee hears bill to remove named National CASA reference from Oregon law
Summary
A public hearing was held on House Bill 25-82, a technical change that would remove statutory references to the National CASA Association and require Oregon CASA programs to follow nationally recognized CASA standards; proponents said the change prevents future funding delays and preserves state oversight.
The Senate Committee on Human Services held a public hearing April 15 on House Bill 25-82, which would remove statutory references to the National CASA Association and instead require the Oregon CASA Network and local programs to follow nationally recognized CASA standards.
Representative Courtney Nieron, R-House District 26, told the committee the measure is a “technical fix” intended to preserve services for children in foster care by tying state funding and program requirements to standards rather than a single named organization. “With a small language fix, we can keep the intention of past legislation while proactively ensuring funding will not be delayed by naming an organization rather than a standard,” Nieron said.
Nieron said the change responds to recent federal funding problems facing the National CASA Association and is precautionary: “Without this bill, if for some reason the National CASA Association ceases to function or exist, a strict reading of our funding laws could cause confusion or delays in the future and thereby impacting the services, supports and volunteer training that help us to serve some of Oregon's most vulnerable kids.”
The representative summarized prior statutory work after House Bill 2738 (2021) moved statewide financial and program oversight to the Oregon CASA Network and increased state funding for CASA programs. Nieron said that funding in 2021 rose from $2,700,000 to $5,900,000 and that the statutory goal is for every child in foster care to have access to a court-appointed special advocate.
Matt, a committee presenter, said the measure “removes all references in statute to the National CASA Association” and “requires that statewide and local entities that coordinate and provide court appointed advocate or CASA services follow nationally recognized CASA standards rather than requiring the entities to be affiliated with the National CASA Association.” He also told the committee the bill passed the House with 56 aye votes and no no votes and has no revenue or fiscal impact.
Wayland Buickin, representing the Oregon CASA Network, answered a committee question about current coverage: “I believe we are at about 65%,” he said of children in care who currently have a CASA, adding that the goal is 100% and that demand outstrips the network’s capacity to recruit and train volunteers.
Committee members asked additional, non-bill-specific questions about related pilot programs and whether those programs include CASA or dependency-attorney support. Wayland and Matt said they would follow up with the committee in writing on those operational questions.
The public hearing on House Bill 25-82 was closed with no final action taken; the bill was presented for consideration and proponents answered committee questions.
