Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon's financial outlook is holding steady.  That's according to state economists, who released their latest revenue projections to lawmakers Thursday.  Chris Lehman reports.

With so much bad economic news over the past year, even a flat economic outlook looks good.  But you have to keep it in perspective, said state economist Tom Potiowsky. 

To make his point, he played lawmakers a clip from an old country music song.

Song clip:  "I've been down so long, it looks like up to me"

The song drew a laugh.  But Potiowsky warned lawmakers that even if the state is technically on its way out of recession, it doesn't mean tough times are over.

Tom Potiowsky:  "There's a big difference between a recession ending and when you start to see jobs coming back." 

And despite relatively flat revenue projections, lawmakers still face a huge unknown. 

A pair of budget-balancing tax measures are on the ballot in January.  If voters reject them, there would be a $733 million hole in the current budget.

Online:

Oregon Office of Economic Analysis