SB1530 allocates $300 million in funds to various state agencies—including the Housing and Community Services Department, Oregon Health Authority, Department of Human Services, State Department of Energy, Oregon Business Development Department, Department of Transportation, Water Resources Department, and the Department of Administrative Services—for a range of programs.
The Oregon State House of Representatives passed SB1530 on March 4, 2024 by a vote of 51 to 6. We have assigned pluses to the nays because these appropriations are a gross abuse of taxpayer funds. Expanding bureaucratic agencies and pouring money into government-controlled housing, healthcare, energy, transportation, and business development programs are not the proper roles of government. This bill funds wasteful spending under the guise of community services while pushing a big government agenda. Taxpayer dollars should not be used to grow government power, interfere in the market, or fund programs that should be left to the private sector. Oregon legislators should cut taxes and shrink government.
