Interim Ways and Means committee advances dozens of recommendations amid objections to pre-session general-fund proposals
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Summary
The Joint Interim Committee on Ways and Means met Jan. 15, 2026, and voted to recommend a slate of budget adjustments and reports to be included in a 2026 budget reconciliation bill. Several members objected to recommending General Fund allocations before the February revenue forecast and asked for deferrals on major items.
The Joint Interim Committee on Ways and Means met Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, at the Oregon State Capitol and reviewed 56 requests from state agencies and subcommittees, advancing recommendations on many while deferring some large, uncertain items to the 2026 legislative session.
Representative Gomberg, presenting the General Government Subcommittee findings, said the panel "recommends that the joint interim committee on ways and means recommend appropriating $2,000,000 General Fund to the secretary of state" to stabilize Oregon's centralized voter registration system, adding that $1.3 million is for one-time equipment and the remainder for recurring support and subscription costs. The committee approved the recommendation for inclusion in a budget reconciliation bill during the 2026 session.
Several members pressed the committee on process and timing. "I'll be a no on a lot of budget items," said Senator Jarrod, citing an anticipated need to cut roughly $700 million in February and adding that members must weigh General Fund commitments closely given an uncertain revenue forecast. Senator McLean and others objected repeatedly to the practice of recommending General Fund allocations in an interim committee, arguing the panel does not have appropriation authority and that many recommendations should be deferred until the short session.
On technology and procurement, the committee recommended deferring a $25 million Secretary of State request to implement new campaign finance compliance systems because procurement (no RFPs issued) and accurate cost estimates remain unknown. Representative Reschke and others said late notice of a large General Fund request made it difficult for members to evaluate the proposal.
The committee also heard major human-services and health-related requests. LFO analyst Gregory Jolivette said the U.S. Department of Agriculture assessed Oregon a SNAP payment-error penalty of $5.7 million; the state negotiated an arrangement where half the penalty is paid to the federal government and half will be reinvested into program improvements. Departments of Human Services and Oregon Health Authority requested large packages tied to implementation of Federal HR1 (changes to SNAP and Medicaid), including staffing and IT upgrades; the Legislative Fiscal Office and members recommended deferral pending federal guidance and further LFO analysis.
Corrections and public safety items were debated at length. The Department of Corrections requested funding for medications for opioid use disorder and one-time funding to address off-site specialty care backlogs. Members discussed operational details and cost drivers; several corrections items were recommended to appear in the reconciliation bill.
Throughout the five-hour work session, the chair emphasized that interim recommendations inform staff and streamline session work, while individual members retained the right to vote no. Multiple subcommittee reports were acknowledged or recommended for reconciliation, and several items were explicitly deferred to the 2026 session because of missing vendor responses, federal guidance, or uncertain cost estimates.
Next steps: the committee's recommendations are advisory—final appropriations and any rollups will be decided when the Legislature convenes for the 2026 short session and votes on introduced reconciliation bills.
