Item 3: Ratification of IGR Committee Actions and Direction on Legislative Policy

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SB 5548 Relating Clause: Relating to financial administration of the Department of Transportation; appropriating money; declaring an emergency. Title: Appropriates moneys from General Fund to Department of Transportation for rail programs. Limits certain biennial expenditures from fees, moneys or other revenues, including Miscellaneous Receipts and certain federal funds, but excluding lottery funds and other federal funds, collected or received by department. Limits biennial expenditures by department from federal funds. Limits certain biennial expenditures by department from lottery moneys. Authorizes specified nonlimited expenditures. Declares emergency, effective July 1, 2009. Sponsored by: Budget and Management Division, Oregon Department of Administrative Services URL:http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/sb5500.dir/sb5548.intro.pdf ContactRespondentDept Updated Priority Policy Poli Numb Recommendation Eric Jones Eric Jones PW-ADM 1/14/2009 Pri 3 Yes YesIII. A Neutral Comments: Typically the City does not advocate state agency budget bills. This bill, sponsored by the Oregon Department of Administrative Services, appears to establish budget limitations in various ODOT expenditure categories. This reviewer is unable to determine if the proposed limitations are appropriate. It does seem to be putting the cart before the horse to set categorical expenditure limitations before the broader questions of transportation funding needs and potential source of additional transportation revenues have been discussed by the Legislature. Several additional factors should be considered in reviewing this bill: - It should be determined that the limitations set forth would in no way restrict or reduce the amount of funding the city receives via highway trust fund allocations or other revenue-sharing agreements from ODOT "fees, moneys or other revenues." - It should be determined that the limitations set forth would not limit or preclude the amount of funding the state and/or the city might receive through federal economic stimulus payments (that appears to be addressed in the preamble to section 2). - It is unclear to this reviewer what "rail programs" are (i.e., how the addtional $1.2 million from the state general fund would be spent). SJR 2 Relating Clause: Proposing amendment to Oregon Constitution relating to surplus corporate income or excise tax revenue. Title: Proposes amendment to Oregon Constitution to transfer surplus corporate income or excise tax revenue to reserve fund intended to provide funding in response to economic decline. Refers proposed amendment to people for their approval or rejection at next general election. Sponsored by: Senate Interim Committee on Finance and Revenue URL:http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/measpdf/sjr1.dir/sjr0002.intro.pdf ContactRespondentDept Updated Priority Policy Poli Numb Recommendation Larry Hill Larry Hill CS-FIN 1/20/2009 Pri 3 Yes II Support Comments: SJR 2 proposes a constitutional amendment they would fund a state rainy day reserve fund with tax revenue currently subject to the tax kicker refund provision. The measure would be placed on the next general election ballot. 19