Public Safety subcommittee advances Oregon Youth Authority budget to full committee

The Public Safety Subcommittee advanced House Bill 5,041 — the biennial budget for the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) — to the full Ways and Means Committee on May 27, 2025, endorsing the Legislative Fiscal Office(LFO) recommendation and a dash-1 amendment by voice vote with no recorded objections.

The LFO recommended a budget of $464,733,871 in general fund, $8,360,503 in other funds, $45,717,833 in federal funds and 1,006 positions (977.01 full-time equivalent), according to the Legislative Fiscal Office analyst who introduced the work session. The analyst said the package represents a 0.3% increase over current service levels and includes two reductions, one investment and one net-zero package.

The budget changes LFO outlined include: a net-zero conversion that creates five positions (5.00 FTE) by shifting supplies-and-services funding into position authority for vocational educational services and a position to support Project Pooch, a nonprofit…