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Governor, higher‑ed and providers back Senate Bill 142 to grow and retain behavioral‑health workforce
Summary
Senate Bill 142 (dash‑1) would fund grants, scholarships and loan‑repayment to expand behavioral‑health training and retain clinicians in publicly funded settings; Governor Tina Kotek and provider groups testified that the bill targets training capacity, scholarships, loan repayment and employer retention grants.
Governor Tina Kotek told the Senate Committee on Early Childhood and Behavioral Health that Senate Bill 142 seeks to “bolster the provider pipeline and stabilize worker retention” for mental‑health and addiction care across Oregon. The dash‑1 amendment directs the Higher Education Coordinating Commission and the Oregon Health Authority to administer grant programs and appropriates general fund money for the 2025–27 biennium; the bill declares an emergency effective July 1, 2025.
Kotek outlined four targeted investments in the amendment: $20 million for workforce development through the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to expand instructor and clinical placement capacity (projected to prepare about 4,000 students); $5 million for student scholarships (anticipated to serve roughly 200 students); $8 million for loan‑repayment and forgiveness aimed at roughly 147 master‑level clinicians who commit to public…
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