Education, human services and public safety advocates joined forces today to call on the Oregon Legislature to fill the 2007-09 budget shortfall using a mix of federal stimulus and state reserve funds.  Their proposal would prevent further cuts to human services and education this year while preserving substantial state and federal reserves for the 2009-11 beinnium.

The advocates’ proposal was in sharp contrast to a 2007-09 Rebalancing Plan offered today by Ways and Means Committee Co-Chairs Sen. Margaret Carter and Rep. Larry Buckley.  That plan calls for 2007-09 cuts of $167 million for education, $18.9 million for human services and $58.2 million for public safety.

The advocates’ proposal deals with a projected 2007-09 revenue shortfall of $860 million by tapping:

• $142 million in cuts already allocated in December
• $274 million in federal stimulus funds for human services (leaving $556 million for use in 2009-11)
• $103 million in general purpose federal stimulus funds
• $39 million in federal stimulus funds for education (leaving $440 for use in 2009-11)
• $40 million from the Oregon Rainy Day Fund (leaving $240 million for use in 2009-11)
• $150 million from the Education Stability Fund (leaving $454 million for use in 2009-11)
• $43 million from the state’s emergency fund
• $75 million from state agency budget reserves

The proposal assumes that the March and May state revenue forecasts are not substantially revised.