Oregonians’ tax dollars must be spent wisely
As the new state senator for District 4, I want to address an issue that recently has surfaced in the Oregon Department of Human Services. I was extremely frustrated to learn last week that an additional $120 million was “found” by DHS. I understand why voters lose their confidence in government when a fact such as this comes out AFTER the Legislative budget process, which was agonizingly long as we worked to balance the state budget in the face of shrinking income.
The Oregon State Legislature relies on data provided by state agencies to build a budget, and in this case the data originally showed that the Legislature needed to increase revenue this session or else state services would have to be cut drastically. As both a senator and a voter I am extremely upset that the projections from DHS proved to be so far off the mark.
Since Oregon has a citizen Legislature that only meets in session about 180 days every two years, we must rely on agencies to provide sound financial information. As a member of the interim Joint Legislative Audit Committee in the Senate, I will be asking the DHS Director to explain how such a mistake could have been made and not realized until now.
It is possible that this additional money may be the direct result of fewer people receiving services. The Legislature changed the rules as to who qualifies for such services, requiring a higher co-pay from recipients. But it is unacceptable that the agency did not alert the Legislature to this major change in its financial situation before the Measure 30 election.
With the defeat of Measure 30 causing a shortfall in state revenues, state agencies must be held to even higher standards of accountability than ever before. The Legislature must increase its oversight of agencies’ budgets and how the agencies manage their resources. The Legislature must ensure that every tax dollar is properly spent on delivering essential services to Oregonians.
If you have an issue involving a state agency, please do not hesitate to call me for assistance. I look forward to serving you.