Document text
Legislators gird for tough budget work By Sean Wolfe Ashland Daily Tidings For state lawmakers viewing the new political landscape left by the wake of Measure 28's resounding defeat, "What now?" is the question on the top of their minds, and the tips of their tongues. And the mood is grim, according to Rep. Alan Bates, D-Ashland. "The mood up here is primarily disappointment," Bates said this morning. "But there's also an understanding that the people have spoken and spoken clearly. The message I and others have got from this is that people don't want a Band-Aid. They want a permanent fix, and we're way too dependent on income and property taxes to make that fix." According to Bates, voters used the measure to express their misgivings about how the state government spends money, and that lawmakers must work harder to prove they are doing a "reasonable job." Lawmakers must now confront again the $310 million in budget cuts to be made by June 30, and agree to follow through with the cuts as specified, or try to work in last-minute tweaks. Under spending cuts legislators had already agreed to if Measure 28 failed, medical benefits would be eliminated for 8,000 elderly and disabled people with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid or the Oregon Health Plan. In addition, benefits would also be cut for an estimated 4,100 disabled people getting care at their homes or in assisted-living facilities. School budgets would be slashed by $95 million, and finally, 129 state troopers and support staff face layoffs. Bates said the cuts would likely go through as specified, because the fight to change cuts would be too difficult in a Republican-dominated House of Representatives. "The big question is do we open up those cuts we've been talking about, and try to soften them - and the bigger question is there any way to soften them?" Bates said. "Part of this is the ongoing conversation with the electorate. We said these cuts would happen, and now if we tweak them, the money has to come from someone else. On the other hand, there might be a few tweaks we can put in to help some disadvantaged groups out. Still, I think the likelihood of opening up those cuts is pretty remote," Bates said. Republican legislators were more bullish on softening the cuts. "Oregonians have spoken, but I don't think they voted tonight to put seniors out on the streets," said House Majority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. Oregon Republican Party Chairman Kevin Mannix said the cuts were shaped by agencies to ensure Measure 28's success. "The state agencies came up with the ugliest, most draconian cuts they could because they thought it would make a stronger case for Measure 28," Mannix said. "Now, we have to make sure those cuts don't happen." The Legislature placed Measure 28 on the ballot last September during its fifth special session as lawmakers struggled to find ways to deal with the state's worsening revenue problems. While some of the cuts are slated to go into effect as early as this Saturday, Bates said many of the cuts would take months to roll out. "Between now and early May we're going to be looking at and cutting budgets across a number of agencies. In mid-May we'll receive our final revenue forecast, and that's when we'll cut the final budgets � At best, programs are going to go back to where they were in 1999. And this is in a state with a population that's going up two percent a year. The bottom line is that we're not going to see any improvement in these programs." LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -