Every school district in Oregon is up against a firm deadline to have its budget finalized and passed by the end of June. That process is already beginning at the local level. School districts, however, receive most of their funding from the state. They need to know right away how much to expect so they [...]
Oregon’s May revenue forecast was released Thursday and showed an increase of $271 million over previous estimates. Along with $1.5 billion in increased tax collections we already knew about, plus $260 million set aside in the current budget, Oregon will have over $2 billion more for this budget. As a member of the budget-writing Ways [...]
Oregonians want good jobs, safe communities, great schools, and effective state services. On Wednesday, the Oregon House moved us toward that end by unanimously supporting a Republican plan to eliminate offshore tax havens and dedicate the savings to mental health programs. It was offered by Republicans as an alternative to the Democrats’ plan to raise [...]
When you rush to meet a deadline, often it ends up being less than your best work. The Oregon Legislature is no exception. This week marked the deadline for bills to move out of most committees in the chamber of their origin, lest they die. There was a big scramble to get things passed, and [...]
Imagine you have a bucket full of water. You have one problem with your bucket, however. It has a hole in the bottom of it, so the water leaks out. Which would you do first: Fix the hole in the bucket? Or pour more water into it to replace what is leaking out? In Oregon, [...]
Oregonians continue to struggle to find work. New numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics this week said that 173,000 Oregonians were unemployed in 2012. In addition, another 167,800 Oregonians were underemployed or unemployed but not counted. That’s more than 340,000 Oregonians who want a full-time, good-paying job. Further, for those Oregonian who are [...]
One of my top priorities entering this session was the reform of Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) in a balanced way. Rapidly increasing costs for the retirement program is costing our local schools and governments millions every year. Presently, there is a $14 billion unfunded liability in the system even with the stock market [...]
Last November, Oregon voters handed the keys to the State Legislature solely to Democrats. They are in charge now, which means the bipartisanship and cooperation of 2011-2012 is gone. Democrats are hearing and passing primarily their bills. Through last Tuesday, the Oregon House has passed 119 bills. Of those, 37 had only Democrats as chief [...]
Imagine your child is struggling in school. In a neighboring district is a program perfectly suited to help him or her be a better student. Under Oregon’s landmark open enrollment law, passed in 2011 with bipartisan support and signed by Gov. Kitzhaber, you have the choice to enroll your child in that neighboring school. After [...]
Imagine you will have 10 percent more income for the next two years. Your raise comes on the heels of another 10 percent increase you just enjoyed. I think we would all be pretty excited. That is where Oregon finds itself for the next budget, with an additional $1.7 billion to spend, the equivalent of [...]
