House committee advances bill to expand behavioral-health training at public universities

The House Committee on Higher Education and Workforce Development on March 18 adopted an amendment and voted to refer House Bill 3,129 to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means with a do-pass recommendation, advancing a proposal to expand behavioral-health training capacity at Oregon public universities.

Supporters told the committee the bill would increase the number of credentialed behavioral-health providers available to publicly funded programs, help recruit and train students from high schools and community colleges, and fund scholarships, earn-to-learn internships and faculty hires to open more university seats.

Dr. Rob Winningham, a psychology professor at Western Oregon University, testified that Oregon faces “a behavioral health staffing crisis with the most severe shortages in rural and frontier areas” and said a 2025 assessment he helped oversee recommended increasing the talent pipeline and educational access. “HB 3,129 can help reduce the…