Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I began this week feeling an additional sense of commitment to our work here in Salem after returning from last weekend’s travel with the Ways and Means Committee public hearings in Bend and Hermiston. The committee has been visiting different parts of the state on a listening tour of sorts, hearing Oregonians’ priorities for the budget. Like folks in North Portland, the residents of Central and Eastern Oregon value safe, healthy communities with good schools and good jobs. But they also have specific priorities, like OSU Extension and managing the water supply for agricultural needs. I came away refreshed by the great conversations.
These meetings gave me extra motivation to do what is right for Oregonians. It came just in time.
Education or tax breaks? It should be an easy choice
Oregonians across the state have turned out en masse to make their priorities clear. By the end of the legislative session, we will deliver a win for Oregonians on schools and other priorities.
On Wednesday, we experienced a setback to achieving our goal of stabilizing school funding. Partisan politics got in the way of a fair plan needed to balance the state budget, but we succeeded in advancing this conversation. We overcame the roadblocks to take the next step toward the services Oregonians count on. We moved a bill to the senate that will allow us to forge on toward a bipartisan plan that will get us the funds we need for schools. In the days ahead, we all need to work together to keep the pressure on in order to ensure that corporations and the wealthiest Oregonians are paying their fair share for schools and the services we all rely on.
In order to fund our schools, we had proposed cutting tax breaks for top 3% of corporations and the 2.4% of the wealthiest Oregonians. Because it takes a three fifths super-majority vote in order to pass a plan that brings in any revenue to support key services. I’m hopeful that if we all work together, we will find enough members of the legislators to join our effort to make schools, not tax breaks, a priority.
Yes, it will take a bit longer to pass a bill to fund schools and vital services, but that’s ok. There is still nearly half of the legislative session left, and we’ve already established a track record of working together to take on the major challenges our state faces. I’m confident this issue will be no different. After traveling around the state listening to Oregonians, I know how important this cause is to those we represent.
Because of the work we did this week, we are on a path to more stable funding for our schools.
District News
This week my office met with constituents connected with Neighborhood Partnerships, the Cultural Advocacy Coalition, Red Cross, and Gun Owners for Sensible Gun Control. Thanks for visiting!
As always, it is a pleasure to represent you.
State Representative Tina Kotek
Speaker of the House
900 Court St. NE, H-269, Salem Oregon 97301