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Saturday, February 26, 2005
Oregon's Budget Situation a Little Less Sticky
In almost every Oregon budget in the last 15 years the state legislature has been forced to make cuts which eventually prove deadly to state social services. This year the decisions might not be quite as tough as previously expected, however. The Oregonian's James Mayer has the story from Salem.
Oregon lawmakers basked in waves of welcome news Friday.There are still tough decisions to be made, and the state will still be close to a billion dollars short of maintaining current spending levels, but with this added revenue the cuts might not hurt quite as much.
First, a new revenue estimate promised $202 million more for the state budget. And they dodged a $113 million bullet when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the Legislature's decision four years ago to keep a portion of the income-tax kicker rebate was legal.
"All of a sudden, we have more money on the table than we ever dreamed of," said Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. "I can at last hope again."
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