Volunteers with Project Never Again, an Oregon nonprofit, prepare duffel bags for foster children in August 2022 at its annual event in Hillsboro. (Courtesy of Project Never Again)
More than a year after the Oregon Legislature passed a law to stop forcing foster children to pack their belongings in garbage bags, a nonprofit that pushed for the law is still fielding requests from state caseworkers who don’t know where to find luggage.
The 2023 law, Senate Bill 548 , came about after former foster children testified about the emotional harm and hurt they suffered when they were forced to put their things in plastic garbage bags instead of duffel bags. Project Never Again, an Oregon-based nonprofit, advocated strongly for the legislation, which requires the Oregon Department of Human Services to maintain a luggage supply and report how many times foster children use trash bags. The law took effect Jan. 1, and the agency is supposed to provide its first annual report to state lawmakers Sept. 15.