Senate Republican Office
Oregon State Capitol
900 Court Street NE, S-323
Salem, Oregon 97301
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Michael Gay
May 12,
2009 503.986.1955
503.781.8559
Republicans propose budget that protects
core services without increasing taxes
Back to Basics Budget lets
service areas replay 2007-09 funding levels
Salem, OR – House and Senate Republicans
announced a Back
to Basics Budget plan
on Tuesday. The plan funds a full school year, protects prioritized
service areas like public safety and human services by giving them the same
funding levels they received in the last two year budget and creates a
$1.374 billion surplus for targeted legislative add-backs and contingency
reserves.
“This budget protects our most
important priorities: quality education for our kids, safe neighborhoods
and services for the most needy and vulnerable,” said Senator Chris
Telfer (R-Bend). “Republicans applied the same philosophy that Oregon families and
small businesses are applying to their budgets, funding what is most important
with what we have, tightening our belt and being fiscally responsible.
If we do those things, we don’t have to talk about raising taxes on Oregon families and
small businesses in these tough times.”
Highlights of the Back to Basics Budget include:
·
The plan starts with the assumption that Oregon government
does not need to increase taxes in order to provide the services that
Oregonians need and value.
·
The plan funds K-12 education with $6.245 billion,
holding schools harmless with a zero cuts budget that ensures kids can
receive a quality education through a full school year.
·
The plan protects public safety, human services and
other core functions by giving them at a minimum the exact budget they had
last cycle.
·
The plan leaves a $1.374 billion surplus for
legislative add backs, enhancements, contingencies and reserves.
·
The plan leaves $457 million of our state reserves
intact.
Republicans built the Back to Basics Budget using a philosophy
that funds the most important, core services first. This budget
creates a starting point that holds services like K-12 education, higher
education, public safety agencies and human services providers harmless
from any cuts from their 2007-09 funding levels.
To protect these priorities, the
budget uses $911 million in Federal Stimulus money and $457 million from
the Rainy Day and Education Stability Funds, leaving $457 million left in
reserves. The budget also uses $429 million in savings and efficiency
enhancements. After funding each core service at their 2007-09 level,
the budget leaves $1.374 billion for the legislature to make targeted
add-backs to the most important priorities.
“The way Oregon budgets must be fixed,”
said Senator Frank Morse
(R-Morse). “Past practices are simply not sustainable. Government
must find ways to improve performance and demonstrate the ability to reduce
costs. Ultimately, core services and functions of government can be
preserved without raising taxes. ”
In the past, the legislature has started the
budget discussion with an automatic, no-questions-asked increase to state
agencies, called the “Essential Budget Level.” The
legislature doesn’t require agencies to come before the budget
writing committee and justify why they need increases in their base levels
of spending like a business would. The Legislature has handed out
increases without asking tough questions about what drives the cost of
state government and how we can better prioritize. The result is
out-of-control spending and insurmountable deficits. In fact, over
the last ten years our state budget has increased by more than 75%.
“This is a fundamental change to the way the
legislature budgets,” said Representative Bruce Hanna (R-Roseburg).
“Oregonians are hurting and having to make tough choices in their
budgets at home and in their businesses right now. We think Oregon government
should be making the same tough decisions and start managing taxpayer
dollars with responsibility.”
<<PLAN DETAILS ARE ATTACHED>>
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