Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Committee Roundup topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ways and Means acknowledges agency reports, approves two federal grant applications
Summary
The committee approved submission of a $226,578 Bureau of Justice Statistics grant for recidivism analysis and retroactively approved a $4.3 million DOE technical assistance grant for data-center demand planning, while acknowledging a slate of agency reports on corrections, labor, higher education, pensions and other topics.
The Joint Committee on Ways and Means on Feb. 13 acknowledged a series of agency reports and approved two federal grant applications, including a Criminal Justice Commission request to apply for a $226,578 U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics grant and a retroactive application from the Oregon Department of Energy for a $4.3 million technical assistance award.
Senator Manning told the committee the Criminal Justice Commission seeks the Bureau of Justice Statistics grant to "enhance reporting on recidivism and analysis" and to examine prison admission trends over the past 10 years; the application deadline is 03/03/2026 and, if awarded, the grant period would begin 04/01/2026 for 12 months. The committee, after the public safety subcommittee recommendation, heard no objections and the chair declared the motion carried.
Representative Preseiferson summarized the Department of Energy proposal as a retroactive request to participate in a DOE technical assistance program aimed at cross-sector partnerships addressing accelerating electricity demand related to data-center development. He said proposed collaborators include Portland General Electric, Compass Data Centers and regional partners and that the "proposed project budget for technical assistance is 4,300,000.0." Legislative Fiscal Office staff member Travis Miller said the primary consultant had reached out to PGE and encouraged the department to apply.
In addition to the two grant items, the committee unanimously acknowledged receipt of reports from several agencies, including the Bureau of Labor and Industries (case management replacement and investments implementation), the Department of Corrections (Oregon State Penitentiary replacement and geriatric housing planning), the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Umpqua Basin hatchery options), the Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (e-permitting), the Department of Revenue (cost allocation modernization), the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (apprenticeship utilization and spending/efficiency reviews), the Oregon Youth Authority (professional standards caseload), the Public Defense Commission (key performance measures), and the Public Employees Retirement System (2025 preliminary earnings crediting and SB 1566 financing reforms).
Votes at a glance: - Criminal Justice Commission: motion to submit application to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics for $226,578 — outcome: approved (no objection recorded). (Provenance: SEG 028–SEG 112) - Oregon Department of Energy: motion for retroactive approval to apply to U.S. Department of Energy technical assistance program for data-center demand planning — outcome: approved (no objection recorded). (Provenance: SEG 114–SEG 186) - Acknowledgments of reports from BOLI, DOC, ODFW, DGMI, DOR, HECC, OYA, PDC and PERS — outcome: acknowledged (no objection recorded). (See provenance sections below.)
The chair closed the session with a reminder about the next 8 a.m. meeting.
Provenance (selected): topicintro: "On February 5, the public safety subcommittee heard a request from the Criminal Justice Commission for approval to submit a federal grant application." (SEG 068–SEG 076). topicfinish: "I am going that motion carries." (SEG 112).
