Bill > HB2024

This bill aims to address Oregon's behavioral health workforce challenges by establishing a comprehensive grant and incentive program through the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). The bill defines behavioral health care as services for individuals with mental health or substance use disorders and creates a grant program for eligible entities such as urban Indian health programs, tribal mental health grant recipients, medication-assisted treatment providers, and other certified behavioral health care organizations. Grant recipients can use funds for various recruitment and retention strategies, including scholarships, loan forgiveness, housing assistance, sign-on and retention bonuses, wage increases, professional development, child care subsidies, and student stipends. The bill also directs OHA to develop an incentive payment system to help eligible entities increase employee wages to be more competitive with other healthcare providers. Additionally, the bill modifies an existing Medicaid payment program to focus on workforce development, and appropriates $45 million from the General Fund to support these initiatives. The bill includes provisions for entities to report on how grant funds are used and their impact on recruiting and retaining behavioral health care providers, with an emergency clause making the act effective July 1, 2025.

Budget and Finance, Education, Health and Social Services

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2025R1/Measures/Overview/HB2024