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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Bill 97
Printed pursuant to Senate Interim Rule 213.28 by order of the President of the Senate in conformance with pre-
session filing rules, indicating neither advocacy nor opposition on the part of the President (at the request
of Chief Justice Meagan A. Flynn for Judicial Department)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act makes changes to some laws about funding for family law services. (Flesch
Readability Score: 69.9).
Directs county treasurers and presiding judges of judicial districts to prepare and submit certain
financial reports regarding conciliation and mediation accounts. Authorizes a county governing body
to increase fees for issuances of marriage licenses and registrations of Declarations of Domestic
Partnership.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to funding for services in domestic relations cases; creating new provisions; amending ORS
107.530 and 107.615; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. ORS 107.530 is amended to read:
107.530. (1) A circuit court or the circuit courts of a judicial district exercising conciliation ju-
risdiction may obtain conciliation services, with the prior approval of the governing body of each
county involved, by:
(a) Employing or contracting for counselors and other personnel; or
(b) Contracting or entering into agreements with public or private agencies to provide concil-
iation services to the court or courts.
(2) Subject to the provisions of the Local Budget Law, the compensation and expenses of per-
sonnel performing conciliation services for the circuit court or courts and other expenses of pro-
viding conciliation services may be paid by the county or as may be agreed upon between the
counties involved. Personnel performing conciliation services are not state employees, and their
compensation and expenses shall not be paid by the state.
(3) At least quarterly, each county treasurer shall provide to the presiding judge of the
judicial district in which the county is located a financial report showing the balance and all
expenditures from the county’s conciliation and mediation account. The county treasurer
may charge against the conciliation and mediation account the actual costs associated with
providing financial reports under this subsection.
(4) Each fiscal year the presiding judge of each judicial district shall provide the State
Court Administrator a financial report showing the fund balance and all expenditures from
the conciliation and mediation account for the fiscal year.
(5) The State Court Administrator may prescribe the format and due dates of the reports
required under subsections (3) and (4) of this section.
SECTION 2. ORS 107.615 is amended to read:
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 461 SB97
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107.615. (1) The governing body of any county may impose a fee up to [ $10] $50 above that
prescribed in ORS 205.320 (1)(e) for issuing a marriage license or registering a Declaration of Do-
mestic Partnership.
(2) The governing body may periodically increase the fee in subsection (1) of this section
to account for changes in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, West Region
(All Items), as published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department
of Labor, since the last time the fee was increased. If the governing body increases the fee
under this subsection, the adjusted maximum fee shall be rounded to the nearest quarter
dollar, but the unrounded amount shall be used to calculate subsequent adjustments. The
increased fee becomes effective on July 1 following the election to increase the fee and ap-
plies to marriage licenses issued and Declarations of Domestic Partnership registered on or
after the effective date of the increased fee.
[(2)] (3) In addition to any other funds used therefor, the governing body shall use the proceeds
from the fee increase authorized by this section to pay the expenses of conciliation services under
ORS 107.510 to 107.610 and mediation services under ORS 107.755 to 107.795. If there are none in
the county, the governing body may provide conciliation and mediation services through other
county agencies or may contract with a public or private agency or person to provide conciliation
and mediation services.
[(3)] (4) The governing body may establish rules of eligibility for conciliation services funded
under this section so long as its rules do not conflict with rules of the court adopted under ORS
107.580.
[(4)] (5) Fees collected under this section shall be collected and deposited in the same manner
as other county funds are collected and deposited but shall be maintained in a separate account to
be used as provided in this section.
SECTION 3. (1) The quarterly reports described in ORS 107.530 (3) are first due on or
before October 31, 2025.
(2) The annual reports described in ORS 107.530 (4) are first due on or before July 31,
2026.
SECTION 4.This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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