Benton County outlines plan to use HB 4002 funds to create behavioral-health deflection program

Rick Krieger, assistant county administrator, briefed the Board of Commissioners on implementation planning for Oregon House Bill 4002, which creates a Behavioral Health Deflection Program designed to connect people with substance use or behavioral-health needs to services rather than the criminal-justice system.

Krieger told the board the county's biennial allocation is roughly $231,548 and that the funding can be used for planning or operational costs; funds provided for this biennium must be expended by June 30, 2025. He said counties must form a planning committee that includes law enforcement, the district attorney, community behavioral-health providers and other service organizations and must meet reporting and data requirements to receive state dollars.

"We do not have a deflection program in place yet," Krieger said. He described immediate priorities: establish a project team and hire a coordinator to design workflows, identify who will be eligible for deflection (initially focusing on lower-level offenses), and develop a navigation model that links cited individuals to assessment and services. Krieger advised starting small and scaling: "Think small. And when you think small, think smaller," he said, describing the Marion County model as a local example.

Commissioners discussed sustainability: Krieger said the funding timeline makes continuation a legislative question for the 2025 session and flagged opportunities to braid opioid-settlement and other local funds to support navigation and coordinator roles. Chief Deputy District Attorney Ryan Jocelyn and the sheriff's office have been engaged in planning, Krieger added; Jocelyn said he supported a measured rollout and welcomed the emphasis on pre-charging diversion.

Board direction: staff will proceed with pre-application work ahead of the July 1 deadline, assemble the required interagency committee, and return with more detailed budgets and an implementation plan for board review and potential application for operational funding.