2026 Legislative Wrap-up
In a 35-day high-stake sprint, PSJ fought to defend funding for culturally specific services, safeguard the rights of immigrant communities, and reduce the harm of mass incarceration.
As Oregon’s leading voice for public safety and criminal justice reform, we were at the Oregon State Capitol every single day – in meetings with lawmakers, tracking bills, and attending committee hearings.
Oregon had just 35 days to close nearly a $1 billion deficient created by President Trump’s Big Ugly Bill on healthcare, education, and food assistance, so we knew that this was going to be a battle to protect programs serving those harmed by the federal and state cuts.
With your support, PSJ sent over hundreds of emails to lawmakers, organized virtual and in-person letter-writing events, brought direct service providers to meet with legislators, and successfully elevated our community partners’ shared priorities.
We secured meaningful wins this session and are continuing to build on that momentum. The work of building safety and healing for all Oregonians continues, and our mission is more urgent than ever.
Here’s what happened:
No Budget Cuts to the Family Sentencing Alternative Program (FSAP)
Despite widespread agency budget cuts, we successfully protected funding for FSAP, which allows eligible parents and caregivers to serve their sentences in the community while staying with and caring for their children — strengthening families and reducing the harms of incarceration.
By partnering with key subcommittee members to champion our shared goals of keeping families together, fostering meaningful accountability, and reducing recidivism, we are investing in solutions that prioritize restoration over punishment.
PSJ was proud to help secure permanent status for FSAP and to protect funding for this vital community healing resource. Our work now focuses on ensuring the program succeeds in the counties where it currently operates and advocating for its expansion so more families across Oregon can benefit.
Ensuring Accountability in Oregon’s Prison Planning
In 2025, the legislature approved funding for the Oregon Department of Corrections to study future prison capacity and infrastructure needs, rather than moving forward with immediate plans to replace the Oregon State Penitentiary. PSJ urged lawmakers to ensure that any long-term planning process includes robust stakeholder engagement before decisions about building new prison space move forward.
Through our advocacy, we are helping by forcing a closer examination of the true cost and long-term consequences of the proposed prison replacement — shifting the conversation toward accountability, fiscal responsibility, and the importance of investing in evidence-based solutions that prevent harm and reduce reliance on incarceration. The proposal to rebuild a state prison could cost billions over time and would risk locking Oregon into decades of prison infrastructure at a moment when the state should be investing in prevention, treatment, and community-based safety solutions.
PSJ will continue working with partners to ensure that Oregon carefully examines safer, more effective alternatives before moving toward costly prison expansion.
Standing Up for Culturally Specific Community Safety Programs
Fighting to Protect Funding for the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program (JREP)
PSJ fought to protect funding for the Justice Reinvestment Equity Program (JREP), which invests in culturally and linguistically specific organizations working both upstream and downstream of the criminal legal system — from violence prevention and youth diversion to survivor services and reentry support. Rooted in lived experience and community leadership, these programs give communities the power to define what healing and safety look like.
Through JREP, 18 organizations across Oregon have advanced three critical goals: reducing incarceration and racial disparities, promoting healing for crime survivors, and strengthening community safety. Over the past two years alone, JREP-supported programs served more than 20,000 Oregonians — many in communities that have historically been overlooked by traditional state investments. In some counties, JREP-funded organizations were the only culturally specific safety net available.
Despite strong community support and being a top priority for the BIPOC caucus, JREP was not funded this session.
Lawmakers faced extremely difficult budget decisions this session, with more cuts likely ahead. There were no easy choices. But as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us, budgets are moral documents — they reflect our priorities and values. Too often, culturally specific, community-rooted programs like these are the last funded and the first cut.
PSJ will continue working with partners to ensure culturally specific victim and survivor services, violence prevention, and reentry programs receive the investment they need to strengthen safety and healing for communities across Oregon.
Our Partners’ Legislative Priorities that We Strongly Support
This session, we were proud to amplify our community partners, their lobby days, and shared legislative priorities. In addition to PSJ’s legislative priorities, we were proud to support the following legislative priorities:
Protecting M110-Funded Behavioral Health Services
We pushed back against efforts to transfer revenue from the Drug Treatment & Recovery Fund, protecting funding for Behavioral Health Resource Networks (BHRNs), which provide low-barrier access to health and recovery services. BHRNs exist in all 36 Oregon counties.
We also proudly supported the recommendations of the Oregon Alcohol and Drug Policy Commission (ADPC). ADPC’s strategic plan provides a statewide, evidence-based roadmap for expanding access to substance use prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery. It’s a vision that prioritizes outcomes, equity, and long-term public safety over costly and ineffective incarceration.
Advancing Immigrant Rights and Justice
As a member of Oregon for All and Protect Oregon, PSJ proudly supported the 2026 Immigrant Justice Package, a coordinated set of policies designed to ensure that everyone in Oregon, regardless of immigration status, can live with dignity, stability, and freedom from fear.
This session, lawmakers passed several key protections that strengthen accountability for law enforcement, protect workers and students from discrimination, safeguard sensitive personal data, and ensure hospitals and other public institutions remain safe spaces for immigrant and refugee families.
Together, these policies help keep families together, strengthen trust between communities and public institutions, and affirm Oregon’s commitment to safety, dignity, and fairness for all.
While not every proposal advanced this session, the progress made reflects the power of a broad coalition of community organizations working together to defend immigrant communities. PSJ will continue partnering with advocates to make sure that Oregon is a place we can all proudly call home.
The Work Ahead:
Even in a difficult budget year, we protected key programs, advanced important protections, and elevated community voices in decisions that shape Oregon’s future. At the same time, we saw how quickly critical services can be at risk, specifically those led by and serving communities most impacted by the criminal legal system.
We know the road ahead will be challenging. Federal cuts to healthcare, food assistance, and social services are already felt in Oregon, and more reductions are expected as H.R. 1 takes effect. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, budgets are moral documents — they reflect what we value and who we prioritize. In the months ahead, those choices will matter more than ever.
PSJ will continue to champion policies that make our communities safer, strengthen families, and help people heal after harm. If you believe in building a safer Oregon, we invite you to stay involved: share this recap, follow our work, and support the movement for safety and justice.