Thank you for contacting me concerning the transfer of $1.8 million from the Cultural Trust that was used to close Oregon’s unprecedented $885 million budget gap. Let me first say that I personally support the Trust and have a Cultural Trust license plate on one of my family’s cars. Please know that the use of the Trust’s funds in this manner is not something we have done lightly — it was, in fact, a decision taken only after we had reached the point where the only additional cuts that could be made would either cripple state services vitally needed in the recession or have a further negative impact on our K-12 schools.

The legislature has never before been called upon to cut such a large percentage of state spending in such a short period of time. I realize that this is small consolation to you, but we applied the same approach to sweeping funds from agriculture, fish and wildlife, and judicial programs funded by direct payments by stakeholders in those fields. Our record makes it clear that none of these fund sweeps is to be taken as a precedent.

Oregon faces a challenge that borders on crisis at the moment. We are looking at a gap of over $3 billion and growing – almost 20% of our budget — for the 2009-11 budget cycle that begins on July 1. We have been provided some support by the federal stimulus package, but still have a larger gap to fill than we have experienced in over 30 years at least. We will make it through this time, and are working to make sure our state will be in a position to thrive when this challenging time passes. I look forward to working with you to make this so.

Sincerely,

Mary Nolan
State Representative (SW Portland)
House Majority Leader