Oregon Legislative Assembly Office of the Senate President Office of the House Speaker

News Release

Contact:  Robin Maxey                        Geoff Sugerman               July 22, 2010

            (503) 986-1605                           (503) 986-1210

robin.maxey@state.or.us geoff.sugerman@state.or.us

Legislature Prevents Cuts To In-Home

Care for Seniors, Services for Disabled

(SALEM) – The Legislative Emergency Board unanimously restored $17.1 million in services to seniors and people with disabilities Thursday morning, buying back a portion of the $158 million in across-the-board cuts to the Department of Human Services budget

E-board Co-Chairs Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Dave Hunt

said the action protects vital programs that serve over 16,000 Oregonians and their families and allows the state to retain over $14 million in federal funds.

Thursday’s Emergency Board meeting focused only on the Department of Human Services budget, restoring funding to programs which were set to be reduced or eliminated in the next 45 days. The proposed cuts were part of 9 percent across the board cuts made under the Governor’s allotment authority to balance the budget in the face of a $577 million revenue shortfall projected in May.

“As we make deep cuts to our state’s budget, we’re taking great care to protect our seniors and most vulnerable citizens. The cuts we restored today will keep seniors in their homes and help those struggling with disabilities and mental health problems in these tough times,” said Hunt (D-Clackamas County). “The programs we are restoring are critical to the future health of Oregon.”

“We are acting cautiously, prudently and with compassion. We are acting without regard to politics or party. We know it is absolutely the right the right thing to do to keep serving those who need help the most – especially our senior citizens and children with disabilities,” Courtney said. “Our priorities will continue to be protecting Oregon’s most vulnerable and avoiding higher costs down the road.”

Some of the restorations protect services through the remainder of the biennium, ending June 30, 2011. Others are protected until March 1, 2011. For the latter, restoring these services into next year will allow the Legislature to get at least three more revenue forecasts, determine the level of federal aid that may be available, and immediately ensure the safety of thousands of Oregonians receiving assistance.

Included in the restored cuts list are:

· Oregon Project Independence, a state-based program offering in-home assistance to seniors and those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (2,000 people served last year)

· Medicaid In-Home Care programs for seniors, people with disabilities and mental health issues (over 11,000 clients in three different programs)

· Community Mental Health programs for people without Medicaid assistance (1,462 clients)

· Developmental Disabilities Family Support Program offering assistance with extraordinary costs associated with raising a child with developmental disabilities (1,140 families)

The 20-member bipartisan Legislative Emergency Board has the authority to make changes within agency budgets during the interim. The E-Board also has access to a small emergency fund appropriated by the full Legislature. The board was first used 99 years ago to deal with deficit spending by a state agency. Oregon voters placed the Legislative Emergency Board in the state constitution in 1952.

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