Subcommittee advances State Library budget at current service level, drops scanning staffing request

The General Government Subcommittee moved the Legislative Fiscal Office's recommended 2025-27 budget for the State Library of Oregon to the Ways and Means Full Committee on May 15 after approving proposed key performance measures and targets and accepting a dash-2 amendment that kept the agency at current service level.

The LFO recommended a 2025-27 budget that totals $20,975,016 across all funds, consisting of $5,421,047 general fund, $9,815,584 other funds and $5,738,385 federal funds, and includes 41 positions (39.38 FTE). The committee approved the LFO recommendation as amended and selected Representative Gomberg to carry the measure to the full committee.

Nut graf: The committee approved the budget at current service level after staff and LFO explained that the agency's requested personnel to expand scanning work was removed during budget reductions directed by leadership. Committee members approved the package, the KPMs and the dash-2 amendment with no objections and scheduled carryover to the full Ways and Means committee.

Committee discussion focused on the staffing ask for additional scanning capacity and whether funding that pushes money to local libraries remained intact. LFO staff said the scanning personnel request had been removed from the recommended budget after direction to reduce budgets to current service level unless there was an extraordinary reason to invest. LFO staff confirmed the line item that provides funds to local libraries remains in the current service level budget.

LFO also recommended approval of the State Library's proposed key performance measures and targets; the committee accepted them without change. After the motions were offered and there were no objections, the committee voted to move HB 5017, as amended, to the Ways and Means Full Committee. Representative Gomberg volunteered to carry the bill; a committee member identified as Rev Grama volunteered to carry it in the House while the co-chair would carry it in the Senate.

The action preserves the agency's staffing and funding at current service level and leaves the removed scanning staffing request for potential future consideration at later budget stages. The committee closed the work session on HB 5017 and moved on to other bills.

Ending: The matter will next be considered by the Ways and Means Full Committee; Representative Gomberg will carry the measure to that committee and committee members volunteered carriers for the House and Senate floors.