Today, we are coming together by staying apart. We're connecting, rebuilding, and moving forward together.
COVID-19 has deeply affected the lives of all Oregonians and the Oregon economy. The work to quickly rebuild Oregon’s economy has already started and will be ongoing. Oregon will need new revenue from the
federal government or other sources in order to avoid
large budget shortfalls.
To better understand how budget shortfalls could impact the lives of Oregonians, the Governor has asked each state agency to develop a list describing how a 17% cut to each of their budgets would affect people across the state.
This is not proposal to move forward with these cuts.
By law, the Governor can only direct “across the board” cuts.
The legislature has more tools than the Governor does to handle budget shortfalls in a Special Legislative Session
. Hard decisions are ahead for our legislators as they consider the need for cuts to our state's budget. There will be a Special Legislative Session and we will be there to advocate. No date has been set for a Special Legislative Session yet.
So, what happens now?
Revenue forecast
: On May 20 at 9 a.m., State economists will present how much revenue Oregon has lost. This will allow the Legislature to understand how deep cuts will need to be to balance Oregon’s budget this biennium. You can watch the presentation on the
legislative website page
for the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee.
Special Legislative Session
:
Date to be determined, likely summer or early fall.
After the revenue forecast, the legislature will convene for a special legislative session. During the special session, legislators will balance two buckets:
1.
Revenue and other dollars available to Oregon
(money coming in): how much money Oregon can access from the federal government and other sources, plus Oregon’s existing financial reserves. This will give the Legislature information it needs to determine how deep cuts may need to be.
2.
Agencies and program needs
(money going out): The legislature will consider which programs absolutely must be preserved and the impacts of cuts in different areas. Then they will decide where and how deep the cuts will be made.
The Special Legislative Session will be hard work, full of hard conversations, and the outcome will be the final budget package for the rest of the biennium (which ends July 2021)
. No date has been set yet for a special session.
We know that Oregon Legislators care about the well-being of all Oregonians, including those with developmental disabilities. We also know that our State Legislature understands the vital work being done to support people experiencing disabilities throughout Oregon, and we continue to work closely with state leaders so we are fully informed when it is time to "GO" forward with our advocacy efforts.
So, what do we know and not know today?
