House Behavioral Health committee advances bill to create bachelor's-level behavioral health license

The House Committee on Behavioral Health advanced SB 1547A on Feb. 19, 2026, voting unanimously to send the bill to the House floor with a do-pass recommendation. Proponents told the committee the measure would create a licensed "behavioral health and wellness practitioner" to expand access to early identification and prevention services, especially for children, while maintaining limits on scope and requiring supervision.

Dr. Katie McLaughlin, executive director of the Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health at the University of Oregon, told the committee Oregon is "in the midst of a youth mental health crisis" and said the bill responds to shortages in the workforce. McLaughlin cited what she described as high need — including nearly "1 in 4 kids" struggling with severe depression and about "1 in 10" with a recent substance use disorder — and said more than half of families report meaningful difficulty finding a provider.

The bill would establish a state-issued license for a bachelor's-level behavioral…