Unanimous Support for Oregon’s Family Sentencing Alternative Program from the House Judiciary Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 1, 2025

Salem, OR – On Monday, March 31, the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously (8-0) to advance HB 2555, ensuring that the Family Sentencing Alternative Program (FSAP) becomes a permanent alternative to incarceration for eligible parents and legal guardians. HB 2555 is chief sponsored by Representative Nelson and Senator Manning Jr., and sponsored by Representatives Andersen, Chaichi, Chotzen, Pham H, and Ruiz; and Senators Frederick, Gelser Blouin, Gorsek, Pham, Prozanski, and Reynolds.

“I strongly believe that HB 2555 will advance community safety, keep families together, and get parents the support they may need to successfully care for their children while also helping break the cycle of crime,” said Rep. Nelson, “I hope that we can join together and pass this bill with the same bipartisan support it enjoyed when it was first created in 2015.”

Dozens of Oregonians submitted written testimony in support of HB 2555. Partnership for Safety and Justice, alongside our partners and community members, has been at the forefront of organizing efforts for local solutions that achieve accountability, community safety, and healing.

For over a decade, FSAP has served hundreds of families, allowing parents to remain accountable while participating in programs close to home. These programs include mental health and addiction treatment, life skills training, parenting classes, and employment support — all while raising their children. Research overwhelmingly demonstrates that parental incarceration harms children, increasing instability, trauma, and long-term negative outcomes.

By advancing HB 2555, Oregon lawmakers have reaffirmed Oregon’s leadership in keeping families together and providing culturally specific support services, rather than relying resorting to unnecessary incarceration.

HB 2555 now moves to the Joint Ways and Means Committee, where funding and implementation details will be determined. We urge lawmakers to maintain their support to ensure that Oregon continues to lead the way in reducing incarceration, strengthening families, and investing in community-based solutions.

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