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Subcommittee advances HB 5,003, Oregon Commission for the Blind budget, sending bill to full committee
Summary
A Joint Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee approved Legislative Fiscal Office recommendations for House Bill 5,003, the Oregon Commission for the Blind budget, moving the bill to the full committee with a do-pass recommendation and adopting a Dash 1 amendment.
The Joint Ways and Means Human Services Subcommittee on May 22 approved moving House Bill 5,003, the budget bill for the Oregon Commission for the Blind, to the full Ways and Means committee with a do-pass recommendation and adopted a dash 1 amendment. The Legislative Fiscal Office presented the recommended budget and several personnel reclassification packages.
The Legislative Fiscal Office recommended a total budget of $32,781,756 for the Oregon Commission for the Blind for the 2025–27 biennium, including $9,497,634 in general fund, $1,148,422 in other funds, $21,905,414 in federal funds, and funding for 67 positions (67.00 FTE). LFO told the subcommittee the recommended budget is a 13.6% increase from the 2023–25 legislatively approved budget and a 2.6% increase from the current service level; LFO attributed the increase to personal-services growth, standard inflation for services and supplies, position reclassifications and a technical adjustment.
LFO’s presentation detailed division-level budgets and two policy option packages labeled Package 90 and Package 801. The Administrative Services Division was shown with $2,913,777 general fund, $18,646 other funds and $4,543,383 federal funds for a corrected total of $7,475,806 and 20 positions (20.00 FTE). LFO explained Package 90 includes multiple upward reclassifications identified by the Department of Administrative Services’ Chief Human Resources Office, including upgrading a Business Operations Manager 1 to Business Operations Manager 3, an Agency Head 7 to Agency Head 6 (noting the position-classification path can produce nonmonotonic numeric changes), a Business Operations Supervisor 2 to Business Operations Manager 1, and nine Human Service Analyst 2 positions to Administrative Specialist 1. LFO said Package 90 would add $63,362 general fund and increase federal fund expenditure limitation by $165,798 overall for the commission.
LFO described Package 801 as a corrective action for an administrative error from the 2024 session. During that session the legislature had approved reclassifying three positions and shifting their funding from partially federally matched to fully general fund; because the change was not incorporated into the commission’s 2023–25 budget, LFO said $524,866 general fund was omitted from the 2025–27 current service level and the dash 1 amendment corrects that oversight.
Division-level totals in the LFO presentation included: Rehabilitative Services at $3,478,984 general fund, $608,591 other funds and $11,837,572 federal funds (total $15,925,147) with 23 positions (23.25 FTE); Business Enterprises at $542,675 general fund, $518,800 other funds and $1,103,282 federal funds (total $2,164,757) with 5 positions; the Orientation Center for the Blind at $1,069,469 general fund, $2,385 other funds and $3,009,649 federal funds (total $4,081,503) with 10 positions; and Independent Living Services at $1,492,729 general fund and $1,641,814 federal funds (total $3,134,543) with 9 positions (8.75 FTE). LFO recommended approval of the packages and the overall budget as presented.
On procedural items, a subcommittee member moved to adopt the LFO recommendation for HB 5,003; there were no objections and the motion passed. The subcommittee likewise approved the proposed key performance measures and targets as presented by LFO, adopted the dash 1 amendment described by LFO, and then voted without objection to forward HB 5,003 as amended to the full Ways and Means committee with a do-pass recommendation. Representatives and senators volunteered to carry the bill on their respective floors: Representative Pham on the House side and Senator Gilster-Blue on the Senate side, according to the recorded assignment.
Meeting participants heard the LFO presentation and asked no recorded follow-up questions on the record. The subcommittee chair closed the work session and reminded members that the committee would not meet Monday next week and listed other scheduled hearings on psychiatric security and the long-term care ombudsman before adjourning.
The subcommittee’s actions set the LFO-recommended funding levels and approved technical corrections and reclassification packages for the commission; final budget authority will depend on subsequent votes by the full Ways and Means committee and the Legislature.
