Committee hears hours of testimony on civil‑commitment reform bills HB 2467 and HB 2488; supporters call for clearer standards and more treatment capacity, some

The House Committee on Judiciary opened a public hearing April 3 on House Bill 2467 (with a dash‑3 amendment) — a widely discussed package of changes to Oregon’s civil‑commitment statutes — and later heard related technical amendments in House Bill 2488 (dash‑1). Supporters described HB 2467 as a targeted set of clarifications that would let clinicians and judges consider whether someone is likely to cause "serious physical harm" to themselves or physical harm to others in the "near future," rather than requiring immediate, imminent harm; the bill also enumerates factors courts may consider and separates the legal standards for "danger to self" and "danger to others." OJD and other participants later described HB 2488 dash‑1 as technical, with provisions on diversion, a 14‑day voluntary treatment option, and earlier appointment of counsel.

Why it matters: Testimony framed the bills as attempts to reduce criminalization of severe mental illness (the so‑called "aid‑and‑assist" pathway), to give clinicians and courts clearer guidance, and to make civil commitment a more usable last‑resort medical intervention for people with severe psychiatric illness and anosognosia (lack of awareness of illness). Opponents cautioned the proposals risk increasing coercive treatment and highlighted traumatic experiences under current involuntary‑treatment practices.

Major proponents and their arguments Chris Bonneth, executive director of NAMI Oregon, said the bill came from a broad, months‑long stakeholder process and aims to create "separate definitions for danger to self and danger to others" and factors for courts to consider. Casey Liddell, senior behavioral‑health policy adviser to Gov. Tina Kotek, told the committee HB 2467 came from a NAMI work group and was intended to strike a balance so judges and clinicians could look beyond an immediate, minute‑to‑minute imminence standard while avoiding speculative, long‑term forecasts. Amy Kotek Wilson (First Lady of Oregon and former mental‑health practitioner) and practitioners described clinical situations — including anosognosia and progressive worsening of psychosis — where waiting for imminence could mean missed opportunities for treatment.

Local government, providers and law‑enforcement positions Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethel, Central City Concern CEO Dr. Andy Mendenhall, and other service providers urged change but emphasized the need to pair statutory changes with more treatment capacity and concrete transportation and timeline protocols. Sheriff Lane Magill, speaking for the Oregon State Sheriffs Association and the Association of Chiefs of Police, said law enforcement supports the bill because it could allow treatment before people are funneled into the criminal‑justice system. Many providers and system leaders stressed that statutory change must be accompanied by funding for residential treatment, secure placements and community services.

Victims, family members and people with lived experience Several family members and victims described tragedies that they attributed to current thresholds for commitment. Hunter Graham described losing his wife during his son’s untreated psychotic episode and said the son only received sustained treatment after the offense; other family members and survivors gave detailed accounts of delayed hospitalization and repeated contact with police and jails prior to receiving sustained inpatient care.

Opposition and civil‑liberties concerns Disability Rights Oregon’s supervising attorney Jude Casar warned that Oregon’s system already cycles people through hospital beds and emergency departments without sufficient follow‑up and that adding commitments without expanded supports could produce worse outcomes. Several witnesses with prior civil commitments described traumatic involuntary treatment, long institutional stays and long‑term harms; one speaker said coercion is not compassion and urged opposition to lowering standards. Public defenders supported early appointment of counsel but raised workload and implementation concerns; the Oregon District Attorneys Association and Multnomah County prosecutors urged careful review of counsel‑appointment consequences because one provision could require appointment of counsel on many thousands of cases that do not go to hearing.

Technical amendments and next steps Judicial staff (Shannon Newell, Oregon Judicial Department) told the committee HB 2488 dash‑1 contains diversion and 14‑day voluntary treatment provisions and that OJD planned to propose technical amendments and a private‑attorney contracting option to avoid creating unsustainable public‑defender workloads. Allison Knight of the Public Defender's Office proposed an amendment to make declarations of mental health treatment (DMHTs) enforceable in lieu of commitment where appropriate, to protect patient autonomy. Melissa Marrero, a Multnomah County deputy district attorney, noted OJD data showing 572 commitment hearings and 7,268 dismissals in a 2024 snapshot, and urged the committee to consider the administrative consequences of earlier or broader appointment of counsel.

Funding and related legislation Multiple witnesses tied statutory changes to funding needs. Speakers referenced related budget proposals (for example, a bill described in testimony as House Bill 2059 with a -2 amendment that would invest about $90,000,000 in behavioral‑health residential placements) and urged the legislature to pair statutory changes with investments in residential care, peer services and transportation capacity so the system can serve people it might newly authorize for commitment.

Ending and procedural notes Chair Cropp closed the public hearing on HB 2467 and opened a hearing on HB 2488 later the same day; the committee carried over measures remaining on the agenda to be considered at future work sessions. Witnesses on both sides were encouraged to submit written testimony within 48 hours of the hearing.