Senate Human Services panel backs removing National CASA name from statute

The Senate Committee on Human Services voted to give House Bill 2582 a “do pass” recommendation, removing statutory references to the National CASA Association while keeping Oregon’s court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs operating under nationally recognized CASA standards.

Committee members heard that the bill “removes all references to the national casa association in state statute” and replaces the explicit affiliation requirement with a requirement that statewide and local entities follow nationally recognized CASA standards, according to the bill presenter.

The measure’s sponsor and staff said the change responds to concerns about the National CASA Association’s stability. “The National CASA Association has been, under some sort of penalty by the federal government, and so there is speculation that it may cease to exist or in some capacity,” the presenter told the committee, adding that the proposal is intended to preserve Oregon’s CASA volunteer program even if the national organization’s status changes. Senator Pruzynski asked for clarification, saying he was hesitant about “cleansing out a name of an organization” without remembering prior discussion.

Senator Lythcomb moved the bill with a due-pass recommendation. A roll call recorded several “Aye” votes, and the chair stated the motion had “received the required votes” and passed. The bill previously passed the House with 56 aye votes and four excused, and committee staff said the change would have no fiscal or revenue impact.

The committee closed the work session after assigning a senator to carry the measure to the floor. No substantive amendments or follow-up directions were recorded during the work session.

The hearing record contains only committee discussion and the recorded motion; no public testimony was taken on HB 2582 during the session.