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Senate Bill 24: Advocates and correctional health staff urge legislation to study and set DOC medical staffing and wages
Summary
Supporters, correctional clinicians and union representatives told the Senate Health Care Committee that Senate Bill 24 would address chronic understaffing and wage disparities in Department of Corrections medical services, directing a study and setting minimum staffing requirements and a biennial market wage review if adopted as amended.
Senate Bill 24 would direct the Oregon Department of Corrections to study healthcare staffing across its facilities and submit a report to the Legislative Assembly by Sept. 15, 2026, supporters told the Senate Committee on Health Care on March 13.
Representative Courtney Neron, who represents the district that includes Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, urged the committee to back the bill, saying chronic understaffing and noncompetitive wages have delayed routine medical care and strained providers. "Many adults in custody enter prison with complex medical conditions, mental health challenges and substance use disorders," Representative Courtney Neron said. "Due to understaffing and outdated processes, routine medical care can take months."
Why it matters: Witnesses described long waits for specialty care, frequent use of short-term contract staff, mandated overtime, and burnout among permanent employees. Committee materials and testimony said the bill’s dash-1 amendment would require DOC to conduct a biennial market study of wages and…
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