Bipartisan Support of 07-09 Budget Rebalance Bills

February 27, 2009

OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER
SPEAKER DAVE HUNT

PRESS RELEASE:Feb. 27, 2009
CONTACT: Geoff Sugerman 503-986-1210

Speaker Welcomes Bipartisan Support of 07-09 Budget Rebalance Bills

With bipartisan support, members of the House and Senate Ways and Means Committee passed two bills today to rebalance the 2007-2009 budget. The budget included over $300 million in budget cuts, plus the use of the state'is savings account and federal stimulus dollars to fill an $855 million hole caused by the national economic recession.

Three of five Republican members of the committee joined with all Democrats to pass the bill 10-2. The bill now moves to the Senate floor for a vote on Monday before a House vote scheduled for late next week.

`iI am very pleased that Democrats and Republicans on the committee were able to join together to pass this legislation which prevents huge across the board cuts to education, health care and public safety, said House Speaker Dave Hunt. `iBy this bipartisan vote we are showing Oregonians that we can make the tough choices and work together to help get Oregon through this crisis.^i

Hunt also said statements about cuts to state troopers were reckless and untrue. After approving 139 new trooper positions in the past two years, Hunt said as of two weeks ago, Oregon State Police leaders said they had been able to add a total of net 82 new troopers to their ranks. OSP officials said it would not be possible to train and deploy enough additional troopers to get to 139 this biennium. Those trooper positions will be part of the 2009-2011 base budget and OSP will retain the authority to hire those troopers as soon as they can be trained.

`iAs we work our way through rebalancing the 07-09 budget, and begin the work of crafting the 2009-2011 budget, I want Oregonians to know that our commitments to education, public safety and critical services has not wavered,^i said Hunt. `iThose troopers will be deployed when they are trained and ready to go next biennium. We have protected the school year for the vast majority of districts in Oregon and we will continue to protect the most vulnerable Oregonians,^i said Hunt. `iThis has been a difficult process with many tough decisions along the way. I applaud chairs Peter Buckley and Margaret Carter for their leadership, and the members of the Ways and Means Committee for their dedication to Oregon.^i
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