Human Services subcommittee holds public hearing on HB 5003, Commission for the Blind budget

The House Human Services Subcommittee on Feb. 26 held a public hearing on HB 5003, the governor's budget for the Oregon Commission for the Blind, hearing presentations from the Department of Administrative Services'chief financial office and agency Executive Director Dasia Johnson and testimony from agency clients and advocates.

Mary Michelle Sants of the Legislative Fiscal Office opened the hearing and introduced presenters. For the record, Hari Velopandian, representing the Department of Administrative Services Chief Financial Office, summarized the governor's recommended 2025'27 budget for the Commission for the Blind and said the proposal addresses two main issues: support for the agency's independent-living program serving an aging population and reclassification of positions following a complexity-level change from the Oregon Management Project. "My name is Hari Velopandian, and I'm here representing the DAS chief financial office," he said.

The governor's recommendation includes adding a permanent rehabilitation specialist (described as a 0.75 full-time-equivalent position that begins six months into the biennium) for the independent-living program and multiple leadership reclassifications tied to the agency's new service level. Velopandian said the recommended budget…