Gov. Tina Kotek’s recommended state budget focuses on new or continued spending on the key priorities she has laid out for her first year: Housing and homelessness, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and public schools.

In her budget message on Tuesday, Jan. 31 — one day ahead of the legal deadline for a new governor — the Democratic chief executive said more work remains. She proposes the added spending in a two-year, $32.1 billion budget from the tax-supported general fund and lottery proceeds, the most flexible sources of spending.

Reporter

“When I decided to pursue reporting as a career five decades ago, I did so while living, learning and working in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. But aside from the fact that most young reporters do not get their start in those cities — at least back then — I felt something was missing. That was a more intimate connection with readers and audiences that cannot be acquired from working in large metro areas. So I’ve spent my entire reporting career with news organizations in smaller cities. “Pamplin Media Group is that rarity that combines local journalism in two dozen communities with the reach of a larger organization in a mid-sized metro area. Yes, I report on Oregon government and politics, but I do it with a sense of the readers living and working in our communities.”

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