On Monday, Governor Tina Kotek unveiled her $39.3 billion two-year spending plan, providing lawmakers with a framework to examine and revise as they work out the specifics of the state budget for 2025–2027.
Kotek described the idea as a budget for stability. However, federal epidemic relief funds that financed many of Oregon’s innovative initiatives in recent years are now leaving the state, even though the state expects moderate revenue growth. According to her, Kotek’s fiscal strategy was to keep paying the things the state is doing well. During a press conference on Monday, Kotek stated, “Normally, you see governors like, here’s my list of new stuff.” People, this is nothing new. We are discussing sticking with the things that are effective.
Housing, homelessness, mental health, and education were among her top spending objectives. However, a few high-priced and low-priced things outside of those crucial categories also caught our attention. These are five intriguing suggestions from the state budget plan for Kotek.
1. A significant rise in the Labor Bureau’s budget
Kotek deviated from her predecessors by asking the majority of state agencies to submit to her modest requests—rather than well-intentioned, hypothetical wish lists—for increases of no more than 1% from their current service levels.
Because the governor cannot control the activities of a state agency led by an independently elected labor commissioner, as she can control the majority of state agencies, her request did not apply to the Bureau of Labor & Industries.
In order to address the massive backlog of complaints from employees who claim they have been wrongfully denied compensation or that their civil rights have been violated, the Labor Bureau requested Kotekto increase its budget by $22 million, a sharp 36% increase from its present budget. Hundreds or thousands of claims, including possible violations of the child labor law or accusations that businesses are not paying the minimum wage, may have to be rejected, according to agency chiefs, if they do not have the funds.
Kotek’s budget exceeds its proposal by recommending an increase of almost $24 million for that department. If the Legislature agrees to finance the increase, only time will tell.
2. Funding to target distributors of fentanyl
A $700,000 grant to Oregon State Police to look into overdose deaths and target fentanyl dealers is one initiative Kotek emphasized on Monday.
Beginning in 2025, the new pilot program will establish a team of detectives tasked with looking into overdose deaths in order to bring individuals who supply lethal substances, like fentanyl, accountable for their crimes.
3. A new lawyer will look into cases involving murdered and missing Indigenous people.
The governor’s budget allocates $225,000 annually to support the hiring of a new special prosecutor in the Department of Justice who will work to bring justice to Indigenous people who have been murdered or gone missing.
According to the governor’s office, the lawyer would collaborate closely with tribes to carry out the pressing task of looking into incidents involving slain and missing community members.
InvestigateWest reports that although Oregon declared a crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women an emergency in 2019, tribal advocates and the family of missing Indigenous individuals in Oregon have been dissatisfied with the state’s lack of significant progress thereafter.
4. Funding to uphold Oregon’s principles
Kotek suggested investing more than $40 million in defending Oregon values as Republicans prepared to seize control of both chambers of Congress and the federal presidency.
This includes awards for increasing access to reproductive health care, $2.5 million in a reproductive health reserve fund in case federal funding declines under President Donald Trump, and $2 million for lawyers to defend progressive health, environmental, and civil rights policies in Oregon. She wants to allocate $2 million for a bias response hotline and $7 million for legal assistance for immigrants.
Since the election, I’ve heard from many people who are concerned about their safety and who may react. Kotek stated on Monday that they felt uncomfortable in their neighborhoods. Making sure the Department of Justice had more resources to respond made sense.
$5–7 million to assist women who are jailed
Kotek suggested allocating $7 million to improve case management, advocacy, and career opportunities for women in Oregon’s prison system. According to the budget, the funds would also be used to facilitate reentry for women who are leaving jail and purchase five body scanners for Oregon’s women’s prison, which would ensure resident and staff safety while doing away with the necessity for naked body searches.
The investment comes after a 2023 study revealed that most of the women who were imprisoned at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility were not given assistance with reintegration preparation or complete case management.
Carlos Fuentes, a reporter, helped write this article.
Sami Edge writes for The Oregonian on politics and higher education. She may be contacted at (503) 260-3430 or [email protected].
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