Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) delivered a somber state of the state speech to the Democratic-controlled Legislature Jan. 12, warning of a prolonged “winter of economic discontent” and pushing new spending as a way forward.
Kulongoski called education his top priority for the coming two-year budget cycle, asking lawmakers to “build a protective wall around funding for education” despite mounting budget woes. The governor pushed expanding health insurance coverage to every Oregonian from birth to 19 years old, though he did not specify how the plan would be funded.
Kulongoski tied economic recovery to new spending on infrastructure needs. “If our transportation arteries are blocked by congestion, inefficiency, decay and neglect,” he cautioned, “our economy is going to end up on life support.”
Calling Oregon a leader in the nation’s burgeoning “green revolution,” Kulongoski also pushed for an expansion in research and development of energy efficiency.
To read the full text, click
here.
Powered by