The Legislature: New Energy, New Fears

It's been a while since I checked in here, but it's not for lack of things to report.  For example, the state legislature decided to try something new once again.  Traditionally, the legislature meets every two years.  During its time off, (the "interim"), various committees may meet at their own scheduling to accept reports and do business in preparation for the next regular session.  This year, the leadership has worked with committee chairs to have all interim committees meet on the same week every other month.   When you add this to the "Supplemental Session" which will occur in February, (the second regularly scheduled mid-biennial session of its kind), things seem downright organized in Salem.

And so it was that on September 30, the Capitol was abuzz.  Senate committees meeting included Finance and Revenue, Judiciary, Environment and Natural Resources, Health Care, and Business and Transportation.  House committees weighed in with Education, Health Care and Transportation.  While I was busy dealing with a discussion of bills affecting people with mental illness in the criminal justice system, the House Education Committee was hearing about the progress of closure of the School for the Blind and how its former students were faring in their new public school placements.  Progress with state-level health care reform received careful attention from both Senate and House committees.  PowerPoint presentations abounded.

But much like the 2009 session, a quiet sense of foreboding permeated the atmosphere.  During the regular session, this was caused by a huge budget hole that threatened to decimate state services.  By June, $2 billion in cuts had been made but the impact was softened by passage of three major new revenue packages.  One taxed hospitals and health insurers to fund the Healthy Kids Program and expansion of the Oregon Health Plan for adults.  The second temporarily increased the income tax rate on wealthy taxpayers (a 1.8% increase on households earning over $250,000).  A third permanently increased the corporate minimum tax (now $10) and the corporate tax rate on net income greater than $10 million.

But now, everyone in the Capitol knew that anti-tax advocates had gathered enough signatures to bring the two income tax increases to a vote of the people in January.  If the tax repeal ballot measures are passed, an additional projected $733 million will need to be cut from state services.  That would transform the February Supplemental into a Sophie's Choice session.  Like Sophie, legislators would have to choose between its vulnerable children: education, public safety and human services.