State lawmakers to hold accountability hearings on Oregon Youth Authority issues; Republicans want immediate action

(Update: Adding video, KTVZ News interview with Sen. Broadman)

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Deschutes County legislators are calling for accountability hearings looking into the Oregon Youth Authority following internal investigations into thousands of abuse allegations.

"We need to hold our state agencies to the highest standard. We need to make sure that taxpayers are receiving, great value for their investments into, state agencies," said Bend Senator Anthony Broadman, "And we need to make sure that people who are in the care of the state, whether that's the Oregon Youth Authority or any other agency, are safe."

The Bend Democrat announced Monday that the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety will hold accountability hearings into the OYA later this session in response to a Department of Administrative Services investigation and a series of troubling news reports about the agency.

"I am deeply disturbed by recent news reports and a DAS investigation detailing significant failures at the Oregon Youth Authority," Broadman said in a statement. "Governor Kotek has already made changes at the top of the agency as this information came to light. But as a co-equal branch of government, the Legislature also has a role in ensuring that kids in state care are safe and well cared for. These hearings will be a critical piece of that oversight."

The Oregon Youth Authority, which oversees 900 youth ages 12 to 24 who commit crimes before age 18, is at the center of a statewide investigation. According to the audit, thousands of investigations into allegations of abuse and sex abuse against children in custody were left unfinished or ignored by the former chief investigator, Raymond Byrd. Almost a third of all cases opened since 2018 remain incomplete.

"How is it possible that these investigations that needed to be undertaken at the agency in response to complaints, how there could be a backlog of this magnitude," Broadman said. "As co-chair of the public safety subcommittee for ways and means, we will be exercising budget, oversight and authority to make sure that this is a safe environment for reformation and that we're meeting the mission of the agency as a state. "

But Republicans say later in the session is not soon enough. 

The Oregon Youth Authority will be presenting its budget to the subcommittee this week, but in a statement to KTVZ News, GOP lawmakers are calling for accountability hearings to be held this week.

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News release Monday from Republicans on the Joint Ways and Means Committee:

REPUBLICAN PUBLIC SAFETY SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACCOUNTABILITY HEARINGS AT THE OYA

SALEM, Ore. – Today, Republicans in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety announced they are calling for urgent and immediate accountability hearings into the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) following a Department of Administrative Services (DAS) investigation showing extreme mismanagement in agency leadership that enabled a culture of abuse spanning decades.

The Oregon Youth Authority is scheduled to present its budget to the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety this week, but Republicans on the committee want to prioritize agency accountability before budget discussions.

“The safety of thousands of vulnerable youths in state custody takes precedent over the agency’s budget,” said Representative Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River). “What we truly cannot afford is for more minors to become victims from an agency that has failed to prioritize their well-being.”

“The DAS investigation clearly shows that DEI was prioritized over safety at the Oregon Youth Authority,” said Representative Rick Lewis (R-Silverton). “Choosing to exclude the perspective of the former chief investigator from a state report about what happened is also deeply troubling. The Legislature has a duty to demand oversight into this agency immediately.”

“This is a crisis that demands swift and decisive oversight, not delayed hearings,” said Senator David Brock Smith (R-Port Orford). “The situation at the Oregon Youth Authority is far too urgent to be pushed down the road. If we’re truly committed to addressing the significant failures and ensuring accountability, we must take immediate action.”