Subcommittee advances HB 5024 revising Oregon Business Development Department budget; lawmakers flag broadband, trade and one‑time funding cuts

The Ways and Means Transportation and Economic Development Subcommittee voted to move House Bill 5024 — the biennial budget for the Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD) — to the full committee with a due‑pass recommendation after adopting a dash‑3 amendment based on the Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO) recommendation.

The LFO recommended a 2025–27 total‑funds budget for OBDD of $1,801,284,094.20, with 200 positions and 196.13 FTE; the recommendation reflects a 20.8% decrease from the legislatively approved budget because of the phase‑out of one‑time funding and a 56.5% increase from the 2025 current service level, LFO staff said. Representative Kate moved the LFO recommendation and later moved the bill as amended to the full committee; after floor discussion she announced she would vote no on final passage.

The nut graf: the subcommittee’s action preserves continuing programs, authorizes one‑time carryovers and narrows policy decisions on infrastructure financing to the capital construction subcommittee, while trimming the strategic reserve and applying vacancy‑savings adjustments that members said respond to reduced ongoing revenue.

Key budget items and packages described by LFO staff included: - Operations division: $30,700,000 total funds, 71 positions (67.88 FTE), funded from a mix of general fund, lottery, other and federal funds. The LFO recommendation incorporates four central‑services positions added by an emergency board action to support accounting and procurement tied to infrastructure investment disbursements. - Business Innovation & Trade (BIT): recommended funding that restores proposed gubernatorial reductions for the Oregon Metals…