End of Session Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The 2013 Legislative Session officially concluded this past Monday, July 8^th, following the resolution of key budget and policy issues. The positive state revenue forecast produced by the Office of Economic Analysis in May allowed my fellow Ways and Means Co-Chair Representative Buckley and me to fulfill many of the priority funding areas that we outlined last March in our Co-Chairs’ Budget. I am also proud of the Legislature’s success in addressing challenging policy issues this session, yet still recognize the importance of continuing conversations on those topics that remain unresolved. I look forward to participating in these discussions as we move into the interim and consider priorities for the short session beginning in February 2014.

The State School Fund

In early July, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 5519 allocating $6.55 billion to the State School Fund in the 2013-2015 biennium. The State School Fund finances K-12 schools expenditures and is the largest budget authorized by the Legislature, accounting for approximately 40% of state spending. Combined with $200 million in savings resulting from reduced PERS costs, SB 5519 provides Oregon schools $1 billion more than they received in the 2011–2013 biennium. The Legislature’s State School Fund allocation reflects significant reinvestment in education, and matches my and Representative Peter Buckley’s recommendation in the Co-Chairs’ Budget.

Legislation of Note

I would like to take this opportunity to highlight five important bills that passed this session that I strongly supported.

House Bill 2225: Helping Business Expand in Oregon

HB 2225 continues funding for a highly successful business expansion program created by Senate Bill 219, legislation of which I was the chief sponsor in 2011. SB 219 established the Oregon Business Expansion and Retention Program (OBERP) in response to one local company’s desire to expand in Tualatin despite enticements to relocate out-of-state. OBERP incentivizes business expansion in Oregon, enabling the state to compete with other localities for job growth. Utilizing an initial allotment of up to $4 million from the Strategic Reserve Fund, the program resulted in hundreds of new high-wage jobs in Oregon. Salesforce, now located in Hillsboro, brought over 200 jobs to the state with an average annual wage of $70,000. Oracle brought over 75 jobs back to the state with an average wage of $80,000 per year. I am proud to be a part of Oregon’s economic recovery, and look forward to additional job growth as a result of this legislation.

House Bill 2912: Training Students for Today’s Workplace

HB 2912 renews funding for Oregon’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Revitalization Grant Program, which the Legislature established in 2011. School districts, education service districts, and public charter schools may apply for CTE grants. CTE grant-funded programs prepare students for in-demand, high-wage jobs in technical fields. CTE programs also emphasize public-private partnerships and hands-on workplace experience. You can learn more about past CTE grant recipients at the Oregon Dept. of Education’s website.

House Bill 3264: Connecting Disabled Students to Post-Secondary Opportunities

HB 3264 establishes a pilot program providing disabled high school students and their teachers with tools to successfully navigate post-secondary opportunities. The need to expose more disabled Oregonians to educational and workforce opportunities is clear: Only 12 percent of people with disabilities obtain a bachelor’s degree, while 68 percent of people with disabilities lacking a high school diploma are unemployed. Through assisting disabled youth in their pursuit of professional and educational opportunities, the program established in HB 3264 could help improve these statistics. Furthermore, by enabling disabled students to become more independent adults, the program could reduce their future reliance on public services, leading to savings in health care and human services. 

Senate Bills 551 and 552: Capital and Budget Planning for the Future

SB 551 and 552 create two task forces charged with examining the state’s budgeting and bonding processes to identify opportunities to improve upon our current financial and capital planning systems. As many of you may know, I first joined the Joint Ways and Means Committee in 2003 as a subcommittee member, later chaired the education and natural resources subcommittees, and currently serve as the Senate chair of the full Ways and Means Committee, which presides over all subcommittees. Serving in these roles has enabled me to develop a comprehensive understanding of our state’s budgeting and bonding processes, including ways in which they could be updated and streamlined. I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with a bipartisan group of dedicated legislators and executive staff on these complex issues.

Town Hall Recap

On June 18^th, I co-hosted a Town Hall with Representative Chris Garrett (D-Lake Oswego) at the Oswego Heritage House. We were pleased to see a strong turnout, but apologize to those who could not find an open seat in the room. I appreciated the wide range of issues brought up by attendees including public safety reform, school funding, health care coverage for autism, and senior services through Oregon Project Independence.

Thank you to everyone who attended and to Representative Chris Garrett for joining me. As always, please feel free to contact my office if you could not attend or did not have a chance to voice your questions and concerns. Stay tuned for the announcement of another Town Hall later this summer.

Senator Richard Devlin

Senate District 19