Senate Human Services committee hears wide-ranging testimony on proposed oversight for adult foster homes, assisted living and memory care

The Senate Committee on Human Services on April 1 took testimony on proposed changes to oversight of adult foster homes, assisted living and memory care, including provisions in Senate Bill 8 11 and Senate Bill 7 39 that the chair said would be consolidated into a single measure.

The committee opened work and public hearing sessions in which Corissa Neufeldt, Deputy Director for Safety and Regulatory Oversight at the Office of Aging and People with Disabilities (a program of the Oregon Department of Human Services), described amendments and clarified prior testimony. Neufeldt said the bill would give the department “the authority, clear direction, and a policy standard for 120 day on-site inspection to support the success of providers and ultimately the safety of residents and quality care through proactive identification of compliance concerns, technical assistance, training and coaching of the providers.”

Why it matters: supporters and families told the committee they want faster, clearer responses when residents are harmed or when facilities repeatedly fail to meet standards; providers said unclear definitions and uneven licensor training would create inconsistent enforcement and could harm small, family-run homes.

Key points and structure of the proposal

- Initial inspections and revisit timing: Neufeldt and others discussed requiring a department on-site inspection within roughly 120 days of initial licensure (described by witnesses as between three and six months in some testimony) and annual on-site inspections for adult foster homes even if a license is extended to two years.

- Definition of substantial compliance: the dash-1 amendment adds a definition modeled after the residential care standard: substantial compliance would mean a…