Alexis Amorelli, the state’s foster care ombudsman, was at the state Capitol this January to explain her job to members of the Senate Human Services Committee.

Her role: to be an independent voice for one of Oregon’s more vulnerable populations.

Next to Amorelli on the panel sat a high-ranking official from the Oregon Department of Human Services. The chair of the legislative committee — who invited Amorelli to speak and set the agenda for the hearing — was surprised to see him.

A DHS spokesman said they sent the higher-up solely to help Amorelli.

But his presence next to Amorelli seemed to raise a question: How much of an independent watchdog can she be when she works within the agency she is responsible for investigating?

This legislative session, Oregon lawmakers have promised to exert more oversight over state agencies and ensure state taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. It’s often an episodic effort in the state Legislature, but this year’s effort comes at a time when state agencies serving some of the most at-risk residents have had myriad high-profile struggles; from the Oregon Youth Authority, to the Department of Corrections, to the Department of Human Services. The state’s child welfare system has been particularly beleaguered, having recently settled a multi-million dollar civil suit with promises of lowering rates of maltreatment.

Some lawmakers believe moving Amorelli’s position out from underneath the Department of Human Services to a more independent office could be one move to strengthen accountability. The concept is embodied in Senate Bill 1159.

The current long-term care ombudsman, Fred Steele, made waves after he investigated a state-certified assisted living facility where a woman died after living in the facility’s care for 24 hours. His investigation prompted several legislative hearings and a deeper dive into what is needed systemically to improve care for Oregon seniors.

“If the expectation is the foster care ombudsman can identify systemic concerns, well, the system is DHS, so how do you highlight those concerns like our office did with the regulatory concerns at Mt. Hood Senior Living?” Steele said in an interview with OPB. “We needed to be able to be independent to highlight those concerns and bring it to the public.”

Steele’s investigation and his recommendations were released to the media and prompted several news stories.

Amorelli’s investigations and recommendations are sent to the head of the Oregon Department of Human Services. The recommendations she makes are sent to the agency’s head and not made public. Whether the agency follows through with her suggestions is also not made public.

Twenty-four states have independent ombudsman offices that specifically handle child welfare issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Oregon is not one of them. The group classified Oregon’s program as a “non-independent children’s ombudsman office,” noting it’s established within the child welfare agency.

Until he was fired in November of 2024, Adrian Wulff worked as the ombudsman for the Oregon Department of Corrections, reporting to the governor. Wulff noted that part of the reason why he was fired was not for opening the mail in a timely fashion. He told OPB he had been asking for more support staff and raised many concerns and often received pushback from the Department of Corrections or no response at all from anyone in the executive branch. He noted he was the only ombudsman overseeing the corrections system and had no staff. Oregon’s prison population is around 12,000 people.

“They didn’t want the office to be independent,” Wulff said. “They kneecapped it.”

Wulff said most of his concerns were ignored. He said that he often got no response when writing an email to the governor’s office. One of Wulff’s efforts centered around making it easier for people in custody to connect with their family members. Wulff pushed the state to provide prisoners with free phone calls, similar to other states. Wulff said he spent a year investing in a report, which was never made public because the Department of Corrections didn’t agree with his findings.

Wulff said he consistently shared concerns with Gov. Tina Kotek’s staff. “There was absolute silence on every issue I raised,” Wulff said.

Wulff shared a five-page memo he sent to the governor’s office in March of 2024, with a litany of concerns over what was happening in the state’s prisons.

“I do not know what the best supervisor structure is for this role, but I believe that having the OCO (Oregon Correction Ombudsman) report directly to the governor has contributed to many of the issues discussed in this memo,” he wrote.

He said the governor’s office never responded.

Kotek’s spokeswoman said their office doesn’t agree with Wulff’s characterizations. They noted he had two years worth of mail unopened, about 700 parcels. The current person in the role, Kristina Rice, has streamlined the process by establishing a database and a tracking system, they noted.

“In addition, Ms. Rice has also set up a voicemail as an additional access point for Adults in Custody,” Roxy Mayer, the governor’s spokeswoman. “This work has been conducted with the same amount of resources.”

Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, D-Corvallis, who is a chief sponsor of Senate Bill 1159, said the bill is currently focused on making the ombudsman for kids independent, but she could see the effort expanding to other state agencies in the future. Gelser Blouin has been critical of the state’s Department of Human Services agency and, in particular, child welfare for years.

“We’re not getting the whole story (from child welfare),” Gelser Blouin said in a legislative hearing last month.

In January, OPB reached out to Amorelli to see if she would be willing to connect on the phone or in person.

“I am so excited to hear from you,” Amorelli responded. “As my position is under the umbrella of the Oregon Department of Human Services, I have contacted communications about this to ensure that I am able to proceed. If I get the green light, I would be happy to chat over the phone or in-person for coffee.”

The next day, Amorelli responded.

“I can offer myself through email to answer questions you may have, at this time,” she said.

A spokesman for the Oregon Department of Human Services said they don’t control or limit the foster care ombudsman from communicating with the public or the media.

“The ombuds may choose to seek support and advice from the ODHS communications team, but the final choice on how to engage with media is up to the ombuds,” Jake Sunderland wrote in an email.