WEA Newsletter
As we get ready to head into Memorial Day weekend, all eyes remain on Salem as the Senate walk out continues. With critical policy bills in the balance, and a budget that needs approving, it is hard to know how this legislative session will end.
In a meeting with Senator Elizabeth Steiner, who is the co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means (aka the budget committee), she shared key budget items to be funded including record investments in K-12 education, maintaining core services for Oregonians already receiving state healthcare (such as Oregon’s Bridge Health Plan and the Oregon Health Plan), and strategic investments in drought-stricken rural Oregon. Bond financing will also be used to support Oregon’s investment in the replacement of the Interstate 5 Bridge over multiple biennia. More details can be found in the Co-Chairs Budget Framework release at the beginning of the 2023 session.