House Bill 2004 (1993) – Creates Commission on Children & Families System in Oregon

The Oregon Legislature, through House Bill 2004, created the Commission on Children and Families in 1993. Each of the 36 counties in Oregon havelocal commissions comprised of 11-21 committed volunteers appointed by their County Board of Commissioners.  This bill charged the commission with designing and implementing a more integrated, preventative and accessible system of supports for children and families.

The 1999 Oregon Legislative session passed Senate Bill 555 which changed the focus of the original HB 2004.  This new bill is a comprehensive policy for Oregon's youth and Families having five primary policy elements, as outlined below.

1. A defined role for the state and local commissions on children and families in coordinating and facilitating the development of a comprehensive plan for children ages 0-18 years and their families;
2. An initiative to reduce juvenile crime through coordinated state-local strategies targeted at high-risk youth as one part of the coordinated comprehensive plan;
3. The development of an early childhood system of supports as another part of the coordinated comprehensive plan;
4. Improvements in the efficacy and appropriateness of alcohol and other drug prevention and treatment services for youth and families as a third part of the coordinated comprehensive plan; and

A consistent evaluation framework based on the Oregon Benchmarks.