Which Budget Is Best For Oregon?
Right now, Oregon Legislators are deciding how to fund our schools, senior care, and other critical services for the next two years. You can help them out by choosing which budget direction you think they should take. Pick your budget option, and then click “Select” to email your choice and a personalized message to your legislators.
Budget 1
- Who Pays:
- Retired seniors
- K-12 students
- Low-income families
- Medically fragile seniors
- Middle-class families
- K-12 Schools: $6.15 billion budget
- Additional, significant teacher and staff layoffs
- Even higher class sizes
- Fewer school days
- Elimination of additional valuable programs
- Health Care:
- Maintain current funding level for senior services, no increase for higher caseload
- Human Services:
- Reduces eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, support for struggling families, from five years to three years
- Caps Employment Related Day Care (day care for low-income working parents) at 9,000 families
- Pensions for seniors and public employees:
- $800 million from capping cost of living adjustments for seniors and PERS recipients at $480/year until 2055 and beyond.. Only 1/3 of this goes to the state’s General Fund; the rest goes to local governments.
- NOTE:
- A similar anti-retiree proposal has already been ruled unconstitutional. If pension changes are found to be illegal, the state would have steep legal fees and would have to repay the retirees with compound interest, leading to deeper cuts to schools and other vital services.
- Higher Education:
- Tuition increases at community colleges and universities
- Closing Tax Loopholes:
- $0
- Agency Efficiencies:
- $0
- Tapping Reserve Funds:
- $0
Budget 2
- Who Pays:
- Retired Seniors
- Middle-class families
- K-12 Schools: $6.55 billion budget
- Fewer teacher layoffs
- 3rd largest class sizes
- No additional schools days cut
- Health Care:
- Maintain current funding level for senior services, no increase for higher caseload
- Human Services:
- Maintains five-year eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, support for struggling families
- Caps Employment Related Day Care (day care for low-income working parents) at 9,000 families
- Pensions for Seniors and Public Employees:
- $450 million from capping cost of living adjustments for seniors and PERS recipients. Only 1/3 of this goes to the state’s General Fund; the rest goes to local governments.
- NOTE:
- A similar anti-retiree proposal has already been ruled unconstitutional. If pension changes are found to be illegal, the state would have steep legal fees and would have to repay the retirees with compound interest, leading to deeper cuts to schools and other vital services.
- Higher Education:
- Limited tuition increases at community colleges and universities
- Closing Tax Loopholes:
- $270 million from capping and ending tax breaks for wealthy households and large corporations
- Agency Efficiencies:
- $50 million from tough standards on private contractors
- $50 million from improving collections from tax cheats
- $30 million from reducing middle management
Budget 3
- Who Pays:
- Wealthy Households
- K-12 Schools: $6.9 billion budget
- Begin hiring back teachers
- Lower class sizes
- A full school year
- Begin to add back art and music programs
- Health Care:
- No cuts to homecare for seniors and people with disabilities
- Pensions for Seniors and Public Employees: $311 million by extending the payment schedule on the fund’s liability, prosecuting Wall Street investors who defrauded the fund, and no longer paying exorbitant fees to Wall Street managers.
- Human Services:
- Provide Employment Related Day Care for all low-income working families who need it
- Improve protection of abused and neglected kids
- Maintains five-year eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, support for struggling families
- Improve protection of abused and neglected kids
- Higher Education:
- Roll back tuition hikes, invest more heavily in Oregon Opportunity Grants for low-income students
- Closing Tax Loopholes:
- $500 million from capping and ending tax breaks for wealthy households and large corporations
- Capping deductions for households above $250k
- Capping Mortgage Interest Deductions for mortgages above $400,000
- Closing loopholes that let big corporations shelter profits overseas
- Agency Efficiencies:
- $111 million from tougher standards on private contractors
- $101 million from improving collections from tax cheats
- $66 million from reducing middle management
- Reserve Funds:
- $217 million from tapping half of the funds available in the Rainy Day Fund and Education Stability Fund