The Capital Construction Subcommittee of the Oregon Ways and Means Committee on May 16 opened an informational public hearing on Senate Bill 5,531 — the lottery bond authorization package — and heard testimony from dozens of local governments, non‑profits and service providers seeking capital construction funding for projects across the state.

The committee limited each presenter to two minutes and took testimony from project proponents representing counties, cities, hospitals, colleges, fire districts and nonprofit developers. Requests ranged from several hundred thousand dollars for local facility upgrades to multi‑million‑dollar infrastructure investments. Committee co‑chairs said the session was intended to accommodate more than 80 speakers who were not able to testify previously.

Speakers described projects addressing drinking water and sewer replacements, seismic and fuel resiliency for hospitals, workforce and affordable housing developments, senior housing, park and trail repairs, emergency operations and training facilities, and industrial site readiness. Examples from the hearing include:

- Morrow County Administrator Matthew Jensen asked for $2,860,000 for a community water distribution system in the West Glen area to address nitrate‑contaminated domestic wells in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area.
- Treasure Valley Community College President Dr. Dana Young requested $1,650,000 to complete a Nursing and Allied Health Professions Center; TVCC said the project’s cost rose from an earlier estimate and that state SHPO review delayed construction, increasing costs.
- Siletz Fire District Fire Chief David Laipoff sought $550,000 to expand a station to add space for modern apparatus, a generator‑backed emergency operations center and an evacuation center that meets Oregon fire code.
- Philomath Mayor Christopher McMorren requested $2,175,000 in lottery bonds (paired with $750,000 in city/SDC funds) for a new sewer main to unlock 55 acres for middle‑density housing; the mayor said those 55 acres at current zoning could yield about 1,400 units over five to eight years.
- Beaverton City Councilor Ashley Hartmeyer Prigg asked for $3,000,000 for Meadowlark Senior Affordable Housing: a 104‑unit development with 68 units at or below 30% AMI, 19 units supported by Section 8 vouchers and 30 units for permanent supportive housing.
- Harbor Industrial Services COO Tim McCarthy urged support for $20,000,000 in capital maintenance at Oregon Container Terminal (Terminal 6) and $15,000,000 for Columbia River dredging included in Business Oregon policy options.
- Tillamook Bay Commons proponents sought $6,300,000 to build a 72‑unit nonprofit workforce housing development, with preleasing commitments from local employers.

Other requests included funding for courthouse planning (Washington County, $1,250,000), park boardwalk reconstruction (Benton County, $1,500,000), youth workforce campus (Heart of Oregon Corps, $1,000,000), hospital resiliency and four‑week water/fuel supplies for coastal hospitals (approximately $1,000,000 each), multiple local water system upgrades (ranging from ~$600,000 to multi‑million dollar asks), the creation or expansion of behavioral health stabilization beds, and a long list of shovel‑ready workforce or housing infrastructure projects.

Several presenters noted matching contributions or other funding already secured: Treasure Valley Community College cited a previously approved $4,950,000 in state bonds plus a $3,000,000 HRSA grant and major gifts; Philomath cited $750,000 in local matching; Beaverton said $52,000,000 had already been identified for the Meadowlark project.

Committee co‑chairs emphasized the subcommittee’s role in gathering testimony; they did not take votes on SB 5,531 during the hearing. The session closed after nearly two and a half hours of testimony, and co‑chairs noted the committee had many more requests than available funding and would work to prioritize projects during the budget process.

The hearing record includes written testimony and project materials submitted to OLIS for committee review.