2015-17 Oregon budget is out: Spending is up!

by Dan Lucas

Information on the current 2-year Oregon state budget came out yesterday afternoon from the Legislative Fiscal Office. This is for the 2015-17 Oregon budget – that was just passed by the 2015 Regular Session of the 78th Oregon Legislative Assembly, which adjourned on July 6th.

This new 2-year budget reflects a continued jump in state spending. The All Funds budget has grown to $69 billion, a 10% increase over the previous budget. The General & Lottery Funds budget has grown to $18.9 billion, a 13% increase over the previous budget.

The General & Lottery Funds budget is the portion of the state budget that the Legislature has the most direct control over, and is what is generally discussed in the news when referring to the “Oregon state budget.” This current $18.9 billion General & Lottery Funds budget reflects a staggering increase of $2.1 billion from the previous $16.8 billion budget.

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Charts from the previous Oregon budget (2013-15)

Charts from the 2013-15 Oregon budget show the pattern of growth in state spending. For example, Oregon’s All Funds budget has nearly doubled in 14 years (since 2001-03). It is $69 billion in the 2015-17 budget and it was about $35 billion in 2001-03.

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More detailed information on the current 2015-17 Oregon budget will be coming out in the next few months from the Legislative Fiscal Office. According to yesterday’s announcement “The expanded Highlights document is slated for release in August, with the Detailed Analysis to follow in September.”

To read more from Dan, visit www.dan-lucas.com