In a move that has touched off instant ire among transportation reform advocates, the Oregon Legislature moved a controversial funding bill forward this morning. As I shared yesterday, Senate Bill 1601 emerged over the weekend with provisions that would reallocate unobligated funds from within the Oregon Department of Transportation in order to backfill its highway operations and maintenance budget.<\/p>\n
The budget balancing bill includes a $17 million reallocation from the Safe Routes to School program and $8 million from the Community Paths program \u2014 part of a total of $170 million that would be funneled into ODOT\u2019s highway fund.<\/p>\n
Lawmakers passed a stop-gap funding measure with a variety of taxes and fees last session, but that was put on hold when Republicans got it referred to the ballot \u2014 a move that created the $288 million hole lawmakers are now trying to fill. In this short session, the game is to find the least objectionable pots of money that can be moved around to fill that hole and keep ODOT\u2019s top priorities \u2014 maintenance and operations of highways and interstates \u2014 functioning at an acceptable level. And it has to be done in a matter of hours to meet legislative deadlines.<\/p>\n
In addition to the reallocations from Safe Routes and Community Paths (a program that\u2019s, ironically, funded in part by revenue from Oregon\u2019s $15 tax on new bicycles), the -3 amendments to SB 1601 include two other changes that have alarmed passenger rail advocates.<\/p>\n
The bill takes $20 million from the Transportation Operating Fund (TOF, aka the \u201clawnmower fund\u201d because it\u2019s bolstered by a tax on non-automobile gas purchases). That raises concerns because TOF is used as a source of matching funds to leverage federal rail grants that go toward Amtrak\u2019s Cascades service. SB 1601 would also reallocate $42 million from the Connect Oregon program which also funds rail projects.<\/p>\n
In a hearing and vote on the bill this morning at the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Capital Construction, lawmakers heard several members of the public share strident opposition.<\/p>\n
Richard Sheperd with the Association of Oregon Rail Transit Advocates (AORTA) said the loss of Connect Oregon matching funds is comparable to losing $300 million from the federal government. \u201cThe failure for ODOT to manage costs related to their highway expansions and increasing maintenance should not be balanced by eliminating these critical matching funds,\u201d Sheperd said.<\/p>\n
Brett Morgan, policy director for Climate Solutions, also urged lawmakers to vote against the bill. \u201cWhile the cuts proposed and redirects proposed in this budget feel like easy targets, small line items add up to big consequences,\u201d Morgan said. \u201cYou might save a little now, but you\u2019re going to end up paying more in the long term, both in crashes, loss of life, pollution and higher household transportation costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/a>Indi Namkoong, the transportation justice coordinator for Portland-based Verde, told lawmakers there were \u201cless harmful\u201d sources of funds lawmakers could have tapped.<\/p>\n
After public testimony was closed, Southeast Portland Representative Rob Nosse<\/a> made a motion to move the bill forward (something folks noticed today, with one person saying<\/a>, \u201cHe should be ashamed of this\u201d). Before the bill passed out of committee, one of the architects of SB 1601, State Senator Kate Lieber (a Democrat who represents Beaverton and Southwest Portland), had some choice words for critics.<\/p>\n Sen. Lieber said the budget moves in the bill are only temporary. She also claimed that, \u201cIt actually does not impact service for Amtrak. That was something we were very, very cautious in making sure that it did not do.\u201d While Lieber tried to set the record straight, she also acknowledged the anger in the room. \u201cI\u2019m glad you\u2019re mad. You should be mad. You absolutely should be mad,\u201d she said, speaking directly to people who\u2019d opposed the bill. Lieber than had marching orders for folks who oppose the bill. \u201cI believe those of you who are mad should go out there and you should work to defeat this ballot measure,\u201d she said. (To which an audible \u201cOh boy\u201d could be heard coming from another member of the committee.)<\/p>\n The bill passed out of the committee with no objections.<\/p>\n For Verde\u2019s Namkoong and others, the hope now is that Lieber \u2014 and other lawmakers \u2014 can be trusted with claims that these cuts to popular programs are indeed temporary.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to believe this is a one-off, short-term fix to this crisis,\u201d Namkoong said during her testimony. \u201cBut when this legislature is promising to prioritize affordability, yet is cutting the services that already deliver it \u2014 it is difficult to extend the benefit of the doubt indefinitely. We need to see action.\u201d Namkoong added that if the bill passes, she and other advocates will expect their needs to be met in the 2027 session, where lawmakers are expected to try yet again to pass a comprehensive transportation funding package.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ask that you please make this right moving into the future, we can\u2019t be promised IOUs or silver bullets, and we need to restore these programs moving forward as the conversation progresses in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n