Increases the biennial lottery allocation made for the outdoor school program.
Summary
House Bill 4112 increases the amount of lottery revenue allocated to Oregon’s Outdoor School Education Fund for the 2025-27 biennium. The bill amends a 2025 law to raise the transfer from the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund from $48,060,583 to $54,060,583, adding $6 million to support the outdoor school program. It also declares an emergency, meaning the act would take effect immediately upon passage.
The measure is narrowly focused on funding and does not change the structure of the outdoor school program itself. Instead, it adjusts the biennial allocation that was previously set under the state’s lottery funding framework, which traces back to Ballot Measure 99 and later amendments. By increasing the appropriation, the bill would provide additional resources for outdoor school services during the current biennium.
Impact
HB4112 would amend section 11, chapter 632, Oregon Laws 2025, increasing the statutory lottery allocation to the Outdoor School Education Fund by $6 million for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025. This changes the amount of money transferred from the Administrative Services Economic Development Fund and effectively increases state funding available for outdoor school programming. The bill does not create a new program or alter eligibility rules, but it does directly affect the distribution of lottery-derived funds and the state budget allocation tied to outdoor education.
Sentiment
The available legislative history suggests broad support for the bill. In committee, the measure received a 7-0 do-pass recommendation and was referred to Ways and Means by prior reference, indicating no recorded opposition at that stage. There are no committee transcript excerpts provided, so the public discussion record here is limited, but the vote suggests the bill was viewed favorably as a funding increase for a well-supported education program.
Contention
No specific points of contention are reflected in the provided materials. Because the bill simply increases an existing lottery allocation, any disagreement would likely center on budget priorities, the use of lottery funds, or whether the Outdoor School Education Fund should receive additional money relative to other state needs. However, the committee vote was unanimous, and no opposing arguments or amendments are included in the record provided.