August 30, 2005
Governor signs community mediation bill
On August 29, Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed Senate Bill 247. The bill removes the sunset provision on state funding for community and public policy dispute resolution, provides an increase in funding for community programs for the coming biennium, and restores significant funding for public policy programs.
“A lot of work by a lot of people has kept state funding for community dispute resolution alive, “ said Oregon Center for Community Dispute Resolution administrator Jenny Carmichael.”The news couldn’t be more exciting.”
The OCCDR administers state funds to 20 community programs in 28 Oregon counties. One million dollars goes to the community programs each biennium to support the 1,000 volunteer mediators who respond to over 5,000 conflicts each year. It is 
located at the law school and is part of the Appropriate Dispute Resolution Center.
For the past year, the law school’s ADR Center has been working with Portland State University’s Oregon Consensus Program and state mediation advocates to support passage of Senate Bill 247 by the 2005 Legislature.
The Oregon Consensus Program at PSU provides mediation and other dispute resolution services to public bodies, particularly in the area of land use planning, natural resources, human services, healthcare and transportation.
