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Oregon Ways and Means hearing draws hundreds of public witnesses urging protection of health, education and disability services amid HR 1 revenue shock
Summary
Hundreds testified before the joint Ways and Means Committee on Feb. 3, 2025, urging legislators to avoid deep program cuts proposed after federal tax changes (HR 1) reduced state revenue. Witnesses pressed to protect education, IDD services, Medicaid programs and natural‑resource funding and proposed revenue alternatives.
Co‑chairs of the Oregon Legislature’s joint Ways and Means Committee opened a Feb. 3, 2025 hearing to gather public testimony on proposed mid‑year budget reductions after the passage of the federal HR 1 tax package, which witnesses and the committee said has reduced state revenue and shifted costs to programs including SNAP and Medicaid.
The chair framed the hearing as part of an accelerated short‑session budget process, noting agencies submitted reduction lists and six subcommittees collected feedback from nearly 170 stakeholders. Committee staff limited in‑person and remote testimony to 90 seconds and accepted written comment for 48 hours after the hearing.
Speakers from a broad cross‑section of Oregon’s public and nonprofit sectors urged the legislature to preserve core services and consider revenue options rather than deep program cuts. Health‑care advocates, including Sen. Deb Patterson (chair, Senate Health Care Committee), warned that HR 1’s…
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