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Oregon’s legislature is struggling to pass a budget and the session is scheduled to end in a month. But Gov. Kate Brown said it’s too early to call for a special session.
“It is four weeks,” she said. “It is time to start passing budgets.”
Brown slapped the top of a conference room table to emphasize how she feels about where lawmakers are in this year’s legislative process.
The governor said her priorities include full funding for Oregon’s healthcare plan, containing the cost of growth in state government and passing a state transportation package.
Lawmakers are struggling to fill a $1.4-billion budget gap over the next two years. ?
Brown also used the weather as an analogy for what may or may not happen in the next month.
“I have to say the sunshine of last week and early this week, I think encourages legislators to want to wrap up their business and balance the budget,” she said. “But I don’t know what the rain is going do over the next couple of days.”
Oregon’s legislative session must end July 10.