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Senate committee hears testimony supporting $5 million request for Liberty House expansion
Summary
Lawmakers and service providers urged one-time $5 million in general fund support in Senate Bill 1013 to stabilize and expand Liberty House services, including a new Woodburn clinic; witnesses warned current funding streams are fragile and cited federal VOCA cuts and Medicaid uncertainty.
Senate leaders opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 1013 on March 11, which would appropriate $5,000,000 from the general fund to the Department of Justice for the 2025–27 biennium to support Liberty House, a Marion and Polk County child advocacy center.
The bill, described by Katie Hart, LPRO analyst, directs the money to services that include child abuse medical assessments, forensic interviewing, mental health services and child abuse prevention education.
Senator Bruce Starr, one of the bill’s supporters, told the committee the funding “will allow them to expand their reach into more of the rural areas surrounding Marion and Polk County.” Representative Tom Anderson, a chief sponsor, said the grant would “stabilize funding, support their team of specially trained pediatric medical providers, and help support the increase of their … ramping up of their Woodburn clinic.” Representative Leslie Munoz testified that the Children’s Advocacy Center serves “approximately 1,000 children, newborn to age 18 annually” who are referred to Liberty House.
Allison Kelly, chief executive officer of Liberty House, described the local service model as “child focused, trauma informed” and called the overall funding system fragile. Kelly told lawmakers that combined public funding from CAMI (Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Intervention funds) and VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) accounts for roughly 13.7% of Liberty House’s operating costs, and that pending VOCA reductions of about 42% would further strain the center’s budget. She said the requested appropriation is “one-time funding” to help launch and stabilize the Woodburn satellite clinic and to build regional partnerships.
Jim Green, treasurer of Liberty House’s board, emphasized that Liberty House both provides medical and counseling services and “gather[s] evidence that is essential to prosecuting crimes of abuse and neglect.” Marion County Chief Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy and Salem Police Chief Trevor Womack testified that Liberty House is a central hub for the county’s multidisciplinary team and said the center improves both child-centered care and investigative outcomes. A parent who used Liberty House services, Gabrielle Walton, described the center’s therapy and family support as “life changing.”
Witnesses described the funding request as a bridge to stabilize a recently opened Woodburn location (opened in 2024) so Liberty House can better serve rural communities in north Marion County and nearby jurisdictions. Testimony repeatedly framed the request as one-time seed funding, not a recurring appropriation, and speakers said they are also pursuing routine funding changes through other budget requests and policy option packages.
No committee action or vote on Senate Bill 1013 occurred during the hearing; the session consisted of invited testimony and questions.
Ending: Committee members closed the public hearing on Senate Bill 1013 after the panel’s testimony and moved on to other bills on the agenda.
