Beaver State News

Salem, OR—On May 17, 2023, Governor Tina Kotek issued a statement in response to the quarterly revenue forecast:

“Oregonians have clear expectations for legislators to address our housing crisis, ensure that our behavioral health system is accessible in every part of the state, and set up our youngest students for success,” Governor Kotek said. “The revenue forecast lays the path for bold leadership. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity, and I look forward to a continued partnership with legislative leaders to deliver results for all regions of the state.”

The Office of Economic Analysis presented the latest revenue forecast this morning, projecting an additional $1.96 billion in state revenue. The Governor restated her call for focusing on the state’s top priorities:

• $316 million to continue and expand on the state’s response to homelessness prevention and unsheltered homelessness, and $1 billion in bonding to build and preserve more affordable housing.
• $280 million dollar investment to address the behavioral health crisis playing out across Oregon communities and support a more accessible, better staffed system of care no matter where people live.
• $120 million to improve early literacy by delivering the science of reading across all 197 school districts in Oregon to help our students learn to read and write.

In addition, the forecast provides the opportunity to address a range of other urgent issues that are impacting Oregonian’s daily lives. The figures below are in addition to those originally proposed in the Governor’s Recommended Budget:

• $64 million to address urgent water quality and infrastructure issues in communities, particularly those that are small and rural, across the state;
• $207 million to continue advancements in the state’s wildfire protection system;
• $6.3 million to open more training slots so more officers can move through the academy at the Department of Public Safety Standard and Training ; and
• $6.7 million to address the backlog at the Oregon Board of Parole for updating the state’s sex offender registry. 

Original source can be found here.