Oregon Public Broadcasting

Care providers, school board members and parents of special needs children. Those were some of the groups who pleaded with the Oregon legislature’s budget writing committee Tuesday evening to find ways to head off cuts. The panel kicked off a statewide series of road hearings in Portland.

One by one people came forward, more than 70 in all. They asked members of the Joint Ways and Means Committee to spare their program. To spare their pain.

Debra Olson: “I would lose my home and everything I’ve worked for all my life to build.”

Debra Olson receives state funding to care for her grandchild. She told lawmakers that cuts to daycare subsidies would leave her with no income. And she says it would force her daughter to quit her job too since she wouldn’t be able to afford childcare.

Debra Olson: “This is not a way to put Oregonians back to work but a way to put thousands out of work.”

Several developmentally disabled adults testified against possible cuts to day programs that they consider a lifeline. David Vandenhoff says he and others at his group home fear the worst.

David Vandenhoff: “We would be depressed, stayed at home, we wouldn’t be able to live, we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. We wouldn’t be able to visit families or anybody.”

After listening to nearly two-and-a-half hours of testimony, lawmakers made no promises to those who spoke out against cuts. The legislature is contending with a $3.5 billion gap between the amount of revenue the state expects to take in, and the amount of money that would be needed to continue services at their current levels.

Democrat Richard Devlin is the Oregon Senate’s chief budget writer.

Richard Devlin: “Unfortunately part of being in a situation we’re in is there’s more of a demand for services. And so the connection between declining revenues and demands for services means that we can’t obviously fund everything everyone would like us to fund.”

Even as lawmakers hold these hearings, the largest single chunk of the Oregon budget is already spoken for.

The House and Senate have already approved a K-12 education budget. School groups say that spending plan means bigger classes, teacher layoffs, and fewer school days.

Some people at last night’s hearing asked lawmakers to consider dipping into reserves to bolster the school budget. That idea’s generating support from House Democrats but so far budget writers have been cool to the proposal.

Schedule for Ways and Means Committee field hearings:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/comm/lfo/JWM_Regional_Info_Sessions.pdf