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Rural influence in focus
A spotlight on updates and opportunities to bring
rural realities, data and perspectives into decisions that shape communities.
During September Oregon state legislative days, when committees meet between sessions to prepare for the next one, The Ford Family Foundation tracked 30 state legislative committees. Major conversations heading into the January 2027 session included economic prosperity, budget reductions, transportation funding, federal changes to health and food benefits and K-12 funding and outcomes. All of these issues affect rural communities, yet legislative discussions were not grounded in rural data and realities at large. To craft policy solutions that work for the whole state, it's critical to understand how challenges are experienced across Oregon and whether proposed solutions may affect communities differently based on geography.
Where rural data was missing, the Foundation will follow up with state agencies and partners. We want to learn whether rural data wasn't available or just wasn’t part of the discussion. Asking that question can raise awareness of rural realities and prompt leaders to consider rural impacts as they develop solutions.
Where we saw rural reflected in the conversation:
Bright spots
Early learning and care: Oregon State University’s presentation to the new House Early Childhood Committee highlighted their research to assess childcare deserts statewide and at the county level. This data shows how many counties are childcare deserts, and how that number has changed over time to give a statewide perspective.
Resilience: Rural Development Initiatives joined the Governor’s Office during a presentation to the House Emergency Management and Veterans on the Plan for a Resilient Oregon. The presentation was on a statewide effort to improve disaster planning and focused on developing data infrastructure to assess risk and interdependencies across the state.
Transportation: After a failed attempt to fund the state’s transportation infrastructure last session, a task force is developing a set of recommendations to fund maintenance. Commissioner Dan Dorran from Umatilla County highlighted examples of rural transportation needs in the presentation, including how important transportation infrastructure is to fighting wildfire.
Opportunities
Food assistance: The state is tracking where people have lost food assistance (SNAP) benefits with the implementation of federal policy changes. The data was presented at a statewide level and there are opportunities to learn about which communities have been the most impacted.
Transportation: Although the task force presentation highlighted specific rural examples, they indicated they’re developing a proposal focused on maintaining the current system. Studies show a public funding gap in rural communities across the country. Given that gap, maintaining existing systems could perpetuate existing inequities in rural places. Understanding how the proposal would fairly maintain urban and rural transportation infrastructure is an opportunity. Read the study.
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