(2) The director shall distribute moneys appropriated to the director for the purposes described in ORS 406.450 on a quarterly basis as follows:

(a) Each fiscal year, the director shall notify each county governing body of the amount of moneys to be distributed to the county governing body for the fiscal year.

(b) The county governing body shall provide the director a copy of the county’s budget for the services to be provided by the county veterans’ service officer for the fiscal year.

(c) At the end of each calendar quarter, the county governing body shall provide the di- rector a report on the moneys the county expended during the calendar quarter for the services provided by the county veterans’ service officer.

(d) Upon receipt of the county governing body’s quarterly report, the director shall dis- tribute to the county governing body a portion of moneys allocated to the county governing body in an amount that is based on the proportion of all moneys budgeted for all services provided by county veterans’ service officers that were expended during the calendar quar- ter.

(e) At the end of each calendar quarter, the county governing body may also provide the director documentation for moneys the county expended during a previous calendar quarter in the fiscal year for the services provided by the county veterans’ service officer that the county had not previously reported to the director and for which the county governing body has not received a distribution of moneys from the director.

Upon receipt of the documen- tation, the director shall distribute to the county governing body a portion of moneys allo- cated to the county governing body in an amount that is based on the proportion of all Enrolled House Bill 4132 (HB 4132-B) Page 2 moneys budgeted for all services provided by county veterans’ service officers that were ex- pended during the calendar quarter within which the county expended the moneys for which the county governing body provided the director documentation.

(3) At the end of each fiscal year, the director shall calculate the remaining moneys not distributed during the fiscal year and distribute the remaining moneys using a formula es- tablished under ORS 406.454 to each county governing body that expended 90 percent or more of the moneys that the county budgeted for services provided by the county veterans’ service officer for the fiscal year as specified under subsection (2)(b) of this section.

The director shall distribute the remaining moneys within 90 days from the last date of the fiscal year.

[(2)] (4) Notwithstanding subsection (1) of this section, the director may reduce the amount of moneys distributed to county governing bodies for county veterans’ service officers if there is a decrease in the amount of General Fund or State Lottery Fund revenues appropriated to the di- rector for the purposes described in ORS 406.450 for the same period of time.

SECTION 7.

Not later than January 2, 2030, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall prepare and submit a report to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to veterans and the Association of Oregon Counties on the distribution of moneys under the process provided by the amendments to ORS 406.462 by section 6 of this 2026 Act.

COUNTY RECORDS:

VETERAN DISCHARGE PAPERS SECTION 8.

ORS 408.425 is amended to read:

408.425.

(1) Each county clerk who receives a request to inspect veteran discharge papers that are recorded under ORS 408.420 shall produce the recorded discharge papers for inspection if:

(a) The request for inspection is made in writing;

(b) The request sets forth the name, address and telephone number of the requester;

(c) The request sets forth the name and the date of birth or the last four digits of the Social Security number of the veteran;

and (d) The request is made by:

(A) The veteran or [the spouse, legal guardian] a person holding a power of attorney for the veteran or personal representative of the veteran;

(B) A county veterans’ service officer appointed under ORS 408.410;

(C) A representative of the Department of Veterans’ Affairs;

or (D) A licensed funeral establishment seeking to ascertain if a decedent was a veteran for the purpose of obtaining veteran’s burial benefits.

(2) This section does not create a cause of action and may not be asserted as the basis of a per se negligence claim.

(3) Each county clerk may adopt additional policies in order to protect recorded discharge pa- pers from malicious or unlawful use and policies regarding copying of recorded discharge papers.

(4) Each county clerk shall maintain in the records of the county clerk a copy of each request for inspection of recorded discharge information for a period of at least 10 years after the date the request is received by the county clerk.

SECTION 9.

ORS 192.390 is amended to read:

192.390.

(1) Notwithstanding ORS 192.338, 192.345 and 192.355 and except as otherwise provided in ORS 192.398, public records that are more than 25 years old shall be available for inspection.

(2) This section does not apply to records that are exempt from disclosure pursuant to ORS 192.355 (37) or 408.425.

VETERAN EDUCATIONAL BRIDGE GRANT PROGRAM SECTION 10.

ORS 408.115 is amended to read:

Enrolled House Bill 4132 (HB 4132-B) Page 3 408.115.

(1) The Veteran Educational Bridge Grant Program is established within the Depart- ment of Veterans’ Affairs.

Under the program, the department shall conduct outreach and provide grants to veterans who:

(a) Are pursuing and enrolled in a course of study that is in or part of:

(A) Any program for which United States Department of Veterans Affairs education benefits may be used;

(B) A career school licensed under ORS 345.010 to 345.340;

(C) An apprenticeship program that is registered with the State Apprenticeship and Training Council;

or (D) An on-the-job training program offered by a public employer;

[(b)(A) Are eligible to receive federal, state or other financial assistance based on prior service in the Armed Forces of the United States;

or] [(B) Demonstrate a need for student financial aid from any federal or state assistance program, including Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965;] [(c)(A)] (b)(A) Are unable to complete a degree, apprenticeship or training program within the expected completion period because one or more required courses or apprenticeship or training hours are not available until a later date;

[or] (B) Have debt on a student account due to an overpayment of federal or state tuition benefits or prior course withdrawal that prevents enrollment in a future term;

[and] or (C) Are experiencing an instance of financial hardship that is interfering with or could endanger the ability to remain enrolled in a degree, apprenticeship or training program;

and [(d)] (c) Are making satisfactory academic or training progress [or progress] in a program de- scribed in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(2) Grants under the program:

(a) May not exceed [$5,000] $10,000 per veteran;

and (b) May be made only when there are sufficient moneys in the Veteran Educational Bridge Grant Program Fund established under ORS 408.125 to make the grants.

(3) The Department of Veterans’ Affairs shall adopt rules for the implementation and operation of the program, including eligibility requirements for grant applicants.

(4) As used in this section, “veteran” has the meaning given that term in ORS 408.225 and in- cludes disabled veterans, as defined in ORS 408.225.

VETERANS’ TREATMENT COURT SECTION 11.

(1) As used in this section:

(a) “Service member” means a person who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the reserve components of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard.

(b) “Veteran” means a person who:

(A) Served as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, the reserve compo- nents of the Armed Forces of the United States or the National Guard;

and (B) Received an honorable discharge, a general discharge under honorable conditions or a discharge under other than honorable conditions.

(c) “Veterans’ treatment court” means a treatment drug court program, as defined in ORS 3.450, that serves service members and veterans.

(2) The Judicial Department, in consultation with the Oregon Criminal Justice Commis- sion, shall study methods for providing access to veterans’ treatment courts to the residents of each county or judicial district.

The study must include the identification and recommen- dation of innovative, cost-efficient and data-driven means to extend the availability of veterans’ treatment courts that are consistent with applicable standards developed under ORS 137.680.

The commission shall assist the department in conducting the study.

Enrolled House Bill 4132 (HB 4132-B) Page 4 (3) In conducting the study and developing recommendations, the department and the commission may consult with stakeholders and entities that engage with veterans’ treatment courts.

(4) The department shall submit a report on its findings in the manner provided by ORS 192.245, and may include recommendations for legislation, to the interim committees of the Legislative Assembly related to the military and veterans no later than November 1, 2026.

SECTION 12.

Section 11 of this 2026 Act is repealed on January 2, 2027.

EXPENDITURE LIMITATIONS SECTION 13.

Notwithstanding any other law limiting expenditures, the limitation on ex- penditures established by section 2 (3), chapter 526, Oregon Laws 2025, for the biennium ending June 30, 2027, as the maximum limit for payment of expenses from lottery moneys allocated from the Veterans’ Services Fund established under ORS 406.140 to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, for strategic partnership, is increased by $353,115, for the purposes of a grant program for veteran suicide prevention and workforce training and preparation un- der section 4 of this 2026 Act.

CAPTIONS SECTION 14.

The unit captions used in this 2026 Act are provided only for the conven- ience of the reader and do not become part of the statutory law of this state or express any legislative intent in the enactment of this 2026 Act.

EFFECTIVE DATE SECTION 15.

This 2026 Act takes effect on July 1, 2026.

Passed by House March 3, 2026 Received by Governor:

........................M.,........................................................., 2026 ...............................................Approved:..........................

Timothy G.

Sekerak, Chief Clerk of House ........................M.,........................................................., 2026 ..................................................................................

Julie Fahey, Speaker of House ..................................................................................

Tina Kotek, Governor Passed by Senate March 6, 2026 Filed in Office of Secretary of State:

..................................................................................................................................., 2026 Rob Wagner, President of Senate ..................................................................................

Tobias Read, Secretary of State Enrolled House Bill 4132 (HB 4132-B) Page 5