| Sen. Richard Devlin Senate Co-Chair, Ways and Means Committee State Senator, District 19 |
Press Release
March 5, 2012
CONTACT:
Molly Woon (503) 986-1074
Statement from Senate Co-Chair of Ways and Means Richard Devlin
on Passage of Budget Rebalance Bills:
SALEM – Senate Co-Chair of Ways and Means Richard Devlin (D-Tualatin) released the following statement this evening following the passage of SB 5701 and SB 1579, two major budget bills of the 2012 short session:
“Just two years ago when voters were asked to approve annual sessions for the Legislature, one of the most significant justifications was to allow the full Legislature, representative of all of Oregon, to make budget adjustments in these modern times. This short February session, the first such annual session, served as an excellent example of this reasoning put to work. With a decline of over $300 million since the close of the 2011 Session, lawmakers needed this opportunity to make necessary adjustments to protect essential services. The series of bills passed this evening rebalances our 2011-2013 biennium budget in a thoughtful and prudent way and with the up or down vote of all members of this Legislature.”
“The Co-Chair’s rebalance agreement takes into account the greatest needs of Oregonians and our responsibility to keep our fiscal house in order. Most significantly, we protected the State School Fund, preventing our already tapped schools from further cuts. We prioritized our seniors and most vulnerable by protecting programs like Oregon Project Independence. Struggling families will not see their safety net disappear with the restorations made to Employment Related Day Care and Temporary Aid for Needy Families. We did all of this without closing a prison or releasing any inmates.”
“Looking ahead, we know in these uncertain times that we must keep a vigilant eye on our budget. While I am hopeful for growth in our economy, the economic volatility we’ve seen in the last several biennia is almost unmatched. This is why we have left sizable reserves for potential downfalls in the future. We must continue to manage through the aftermath of the Great Recession with an eye on protecting critical services for middle class families and our most vulnerable. Our current budget rebalance puts us in a good position to do so.”
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