Senate committee adopts amendment shortening wait time and allowing facilities to post Death With Dignity policy

The Senate Committee on Rules on June 4 adopted an A5 amendment to Senate Bill 1,003 A, a measure that modifies provisions of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act and sent the bill to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation and referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.

Committee staff summarized the bill as revising terminology in the Death With Dignity Act, authorizing electronic transmission of prescriptions and reports, shortening minimum waiting periods from 15 days to seven days, modifying witness and consulting‑practitioner criteria, and requiring disclosure of hospice and health‑care facility policies related to the act. As staff put it, the amendment “permits a healthcare facility other than a hospice program to either post the facility’s policy regarding an admitted patient’s ability to participate in the act on the facility’s website or provide written notice to the individual before or at the time of the individual’s admission to the facility.”

Senator Prozescu, who explained the A5 amendment at the committee’s request, said the amendment was added after conversations with facilities that wanted the option to post policy on a website instead of using the prior posting requirement. He described the A5 change as “allow[ing] for those facilities to either post it on their website or have in written form policy to give to an individual that may be looking at utilizing the facility as their care facility and residents.”

Committee debate reflected sharply held but civil views. Some senators questioned whether the bill reduces safeguards for vulnerable people. Senator Gullin said the bill “does materially reduce safeguards especially for vulnerable people” and voiced particular concern that language addressing evaluation of an individual’s capacity and coercion had been removed. Other committee members said the measures addressed earlier concerns and that the bill, as amended, does not substantially reduce protections for patients. One senator described personal experience with end‑of‑life care and said the changes did not, in his view, materially reduce safeguards.

The committee took two formal actions recorded in the hearing. On the A5 amendment the roll call recorded these votes: Yes — Senator Golden, Senator Manning, Chair John (Fords); No — Senator Thacker, Vice Chair Bauchner. The motion to adopt the A5 amendment passed. On the motion to refer Senate Bill 1,003 A as amended to the floor with a due‑pass recommendation and referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, a separate roll call recorded a similar division and the motion passed.

Staff noted the amendment had a fiscal impact statement with no revenue impact and directed members to the full staff measure summary posted on OLIS for the detailed amendment language.

The committee closed its work session on Senate Bill 1,003 A and moved on to public hearings on other bills.

Background: The bill would update parts of the Oregon Death With Dignity Act, including terminology (from “attending physician” to “attending practitioner”), electronic prescriptions, witness and consulting‑practitioner provisions, and a reduction in minimum waiting periods. The A5 amendment specifically creates an option for non‑hospice healthcare facilities to post or provide written notice of their policies at admission.

No further action on the bill was recorded in the Rules committee hearing beyond the committee’s recommendation to the floor and referral to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means.