As you may have noticed, the Governor sent an email on May 12th about the upcoming state budget, where she asked all General Fund agencies to submit plans to reach an 8.5% budget cut for the current 2019-21 biennium. Because the cuts are targeted for the second half of the biennium, this 8.5% over the total biennium reduction is more like a 17% reduction.
These proposed cuts are an exercise and by no means anything close to final. The legislature will have a special session in June to debate these budget cuts before any cuts occur.
In the meantime, we are gathering information on the proposed cuts, and the May 20th revenue forecast and will present our findings and engage Oregon AFSCME members around options and next steps.
Furthermore, we are working closely with partner unions and allies to ensure the State utilizes federal stimulus funds and rainy day reserve funds prior to implementing any cuts.
If you’d like to sign up for text message alerts on the state budget and other issues, you can do so by clicking here.
Should you have immediate questions or concerns, please contact the SMART Center at [email protected] or 1-844-75-UNION (1-844-758-6466)