Four bills that sought to provide Oregonians with access to out-of-state psychologists and counselors under interstate licensing compacts appeared to be sailing toward approval in Salem with bipartisan support. But all four have died quietly, apparently following concerns raised privately by opponents, including Oregon’s Mental Health Regulatory Agency.
“At the last minute, the Speaker pulled them all,” said Rep. Ed Diehl, a Republican who sponsored the four bills. It was, he said, “extreme disappointment.”
The bills — HB 2554, HB 2596, HB 3339, and HB 3351 — would have allowed psychologists, counselors and social workers licensed in other states participating in interstate professional compacts to have provided care to patients in Oregon. The bills also would have allowed Oregon behavioral health providers to provide care to out-of-state patients, if those patients lived in states that participate in the compact.
The bills were an effort to address what behavioral health professionals and regulators acknowledge is a severe shortage of behavioral health providers in Oregon and elsewhere. A 2022 report from the Oregon Health Authority’s Behavioral Health Workforce declared “Oregon’s behavioral health system is in a workforce crisis,” with too few providers available to meet the needs of Oregonians. The report noted that “Oregonians report one of the highest rates of unmet need for mental health treatment in the nation.”
In an email, Todd Younkin, executive director of the Oregon Mental Health Regulatory Agency, said it took no position on two of Diehl’s bills, the ones covering social workers and school psychologists. On the other two, he referred to the summaries posted on the OMHRA website. In the summaries, the board noted “concerns” about the technical language in the bills, the ceding of licensing authority to out-of-state bodies, and the “uncertain” impact on Oregonians of allowing Oregon practitioners to treat out-of-state patients.
They don't want their cheese moved.
Multiple states participate in interstate health care licensure compacts for various professions. For example, 42 states have joined in an interstate compact for psychologists. Oregon participates in a compact for physical therapists.
All four of Diehl’s bills had public hearings in February, and submitted testimony for each was unanimously in support. One, the bill concerning school psychologists, passed the House on a 44-to-8 vote, with broad support from Republicans and Democrats, including House Speaker Julie Fahey. In testimony, Portland Public Schools officials wrote in support of the bill that the ratio of school psychologists is little more than half the level recommended by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Then the bills stopped moving.
At the licensing boards, Diehl said, “they don’t want their cheese moved.”
Diehl said the bills would have helped address Oregon’s critical shortage of behavioral health care providers. He said they would have been especially important to youth and to people living in rural areas, where youth have higher rates of depression, anxiety and suicide than youth in urban areas, but lower access to providers, according to an April 2025 report from the American Psychological Association.
“It really is a win-win,” said Diehl. In the next session, he vowed, “we’ll come back.”
