Oregon committee backs $1 million one‑time scholarship from Board of Accountancy reserves; budget bill moves forward

PORTLAND, Ore. — The Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government on May 5 voted to advance Senate Bill 796 and House Bill 5,001, clearing the way for the Oregon Board of Accountancy to create a need‑based scholarship program funded by a one‑time $1,000,000 transfer from the board’s operating reserves and endorsing the board’s $4,387,935 recommended budget for the 2025‑27 biennium.

The Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) told the subcommittee the statutory change in SB 796 would permit the board to use monies in the Oregon Board of Accountancy Fund to award scholarships but does not itself appropriate scholarship dollars. "SB 796 authorizes the Board of Accountancy to establish a grant program to provide scholarships for students seeking accounting degrees in college or individuals who wish to become certified public accountants in Oregon," an LFO analyst said, and recommended the bill be moved to the full Ways and Means committee.

LFO staff described a linked, one‑time policy package in the board’s 2025‑27 budget (the LFO recommended package 100) that would transfer $1,000,000 from the board’s operating reserves to an existing scholarship program. LFO said the transfer is nonrecurring and would reduce the…