On this edition of Prison Pipeline: Perched on a Fiscal Cliff.
Thanks to the federal government, Oregon, like many other states, is perched on a fiscal cliff. Part of the problem is the federal budget bill, with its cuts to Medicaid and to food assistance. Beyond that, changes to the federal tax code are having enormous impacts on Oregon because the state’s tax rules are tied to the federal tax code. The budget passed by the Legislature earlier this year projected a surplus of nearly $475 million. Thanks to the feds, that surplus is now a deficit of nearly $375 million.* That’s why the most recent legislative days at the Oregon Legislature, which ran from November 17 through 19, were dominated by discussions of budget cuts across all agencies.
Subcommittees of the Joint Interim Committee on Ways and Means held hearings at which agency officials presented options for making these cuts. The Joint Interim Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Public Safety held its hearing to look at reduction options on November 17. We hear testimony from that hearing from some of the witnesses including State Court Administrator Nancy Cozine, Assistant Deputy State Court Administrator for Operations Jessica Roeser, Interim Executive Director of the Oregon Public Defense Commission Ken Sanchagrin, and Oregon Youth Authority Executive Director Mike Tessean.
*Update December 7 2025: According to the December 2025 Oregon Economic and Revenue Forecast by the Office of Economic Analysis at the state's Department of Administrative Services:
"The General Fund revenue forecast for 2025-27 has increased $309.5 million for the December forecast. Of this, $266.9 million owes to Corporate Income Tax. Personal Income Tax has been revised upward $48.0 million, while all other revenues have declined $5.8 million. The projected ending balance as of June 30, 2027 is a negative $63.1 million."
- KBOO