1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session A-Engrossed Senate Bill 97 Ordered by the Senate March 7 Including Senate Amendments dated March 7 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. 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 107.615; and declaring an emergency. Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon: SECTION 1. (1) 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 accounts for conciliation services under ORS 107.510 to 107.610 and mediation services under ORS 107.755 to 107.795. The county treasurer may charge against the conciliation and mediation accounts the actual costs associated with providing financial reports under this subsection. (2) Each fiscal year, the presiding judge of each judicial district shall provide to the State Court Administrator a financial report showing the fund balance and all expenditures from the conciliation and mediation accounts for the fiscal year. (3) The State Court Administrator may prescribe the format and due dates of the reports required under this section. SECTION 2. ORS 107.615 is amended to read: 107.615. (1) The governing body of any county may impose a fee up to [ $10] $35 above that prescribed in ORS 205.320 (1)(e) for issuing a marriage license or registering a Declaration of Do- mesticPartnership. (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 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 A-Eng. SB 97 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 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 section 1 of this 2025 Act are first due on or before October 31, 2025. (2) The annual reports described in section 1 of this 2025 Act 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. [2]