| Governor Kulongoski's Legislative Accomplishments |
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| Leadership for the Future of Oregon |
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GOVERNOR TED KULONGOSKI
Leadership for the Future of Oregon
This legislative session Governor Kulongoski continued the progress of his administration by making critical investments in economic development through non-highway transportation projects, beginning to reverse the disinvestments in the Oregon education enterprise – from pre-school through graduate school – creating parity for mental health and substance abuse treatment, fighting the meth epidemic, improving water quality, and making state government more efficient and accountable to all Oregonians.
The Governor’s 2005 legislative highlights include:
Raising the Bar for Education: The Governor raised the bar for all schools – from pre-school through graduate school and job training – and increased k-12 funding for the first time in four years, stabilized Head Start, fully-funded college grants for low-income students, made important investments in post-secondary capital improvements, capped college tuition increases at 3 percent per year, and took significant steps to end the disinvestment in post-secondary education by securing nearly $5 billion in total funding.
- Oregon Pre-K/Head Start – Expanded funding for pre-kindergarten by approximately 3.5 percent to help Oregon children prepare for success in school.
- K-12 – Increased funding by 8 percent over the 03-05 budget – to $5.318 billion – which provides a no-cuts budget for most school districts.
- Opportunity Grants – The largest increase since its inception – a 71 percent increase – so all eligible full-time and part-time students can receive grant awards.
- Post-Secondary Capital Construction
- The first investment in infrastructure construction at community colleges in more than 25 years, dedicating more than $38 million for 7 projects statewide.
- The largest capital construction investment in state history for Oregon’s Universities, investing more than $410 million in new construction and deferred maintenance.
- School System Efficiencies – Established three pilot Education Service District (ESD) structures and identify cost-efficiencies in central office business and administrative functions for school districts to free up more dollars for the classroom. The three ESDs are: Northwest Regional ESD; Willamette ESD; and High Desert ESD.
- Expanding Access – Provides access for every Oregon student to all online learning opportunities available in the pre-k through 20 public education system through a web-based portal.
Supporting Oregon’s Traded Sector Industries: The Governor invested $7 million in the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnology Institute (ONAMI) with the potential to generate up to $14 million for commercialized research (and funding to administer programs), which will facilitate university research to be developed and commercialized to make Oregon companies more competitive in the global economy.
ConnectOregon – Investing in Rail, Air and Ports: Building on his 2003 transportation package, the Governor dedicated $100 million in non-highway transportation projects including rail, aviation, marine and transit systems to improve congestion, increase freight capacity and delivery speed, and expand importing and exporting opportunities for rural and urban communities throughout the state.
Expanding Industrial Lands: The number of "project-ready lands" will expand by approximately 15 industrial sites, at least one large opportunity site, and more than 10 certified sites through $45 million in lottery bonds. This program will create thousands of new jobs, millions of dollars in property tax and income tax revenues, and dozens of opportunities for new companies to relocate to Oregon or existing companies to expand.
Cleaning up the Willamette River: The Governor secured funding to fully implement watershed based permitting in the Willamette River and reduce the permit backlog to less than 10% by 2007 and finalize and implement the Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the Willamette and its sub-basins, which will improve water quality, and ensure compliance with Clean Water Act requirements.
Protecting Watersheds and Recovering Salmon: Increased funding for Oregon Watershed Enhancement Boards’ capital grants program by 70 percent to a record amount of $41.3 million for projects dedicated to watershed protection and salmon recovery. OWEB also received funding to accelerate of recovery planning for salmon and steelhead under the Endangered Species Act.
Combating Global Warming: The Governor stood strong on his commitment to curb global warming by vowing to veto language included in the Department of Environmental Quality budget that would have impeded Oregon’s ability to move toward cleaner cars and cleaner air through the adoption of more stringent vehicle emission standards.
Updating Oregon’s Land-Use System: Senate Bill 82 provides funding for – and creates – a task-force to conduct a comprehensive review of the Oregon land-use system. This was an early priority of the Governor shortly after his election. The review will identify where the state’s land-use system needs to be updated, modified or strengthened to support a 21st century economy and quality of life needs.
Honoring Oregon National Guard Troops: The Governor’s National Guard package includes: assistance to veterans’ attending college who agree to teach in Oregon; free hunting and angling licenses; emergency financial assistance to veterans and their immediate families; creation of the Oregon Veterans' Emergency Financial Assistance Fund and a tax refund check-off to contribute to the fund; elimination of penalties for students attending college and called to active duty.
Fighting Methamphetamine: The Governor has led the fight against Oregon’s meth epidemic. Last year he directed the Pharmacy Board to put pseudoephedrine products behind pharmacy counters and keep a log of purchases, which resulted in a more than 50 percent reduction in meth labs. The Governor’s 2005 meth package increased penalties for manufacturing meth with children present, increased funding for drug courts/drug treatment for meth-users, strengthened punishment for those that dispose meth-lab waste in our communities and classified pseudoephedrine so that it can only be obtained with a prescription.
Improving Mental Health Services: The Governor furthered his commitment to comprehensive mental health system improvements through: Senate Bill 1, which will help Oregonians access adequate health insurance to cover mental health and addiction service costs in the private sector; and funding for the continued construction and operation of more community-based facilities; and funding for Phase II in the redesign the Oregon State Hospital.
Making Government More Efficient: The Governor introduced and signed more than two dozen bills that make it easier for businesses to interact with state government, including simplified licensing requirements, combined permits, and improvements to state agency rule-making processes.
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