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421 Chapter 20 John Kitzhaber and the Republicans, 1997-99 Oregon’s 69th Legislative Assembly convened at the Capitol on January 13, 1997. The challenges facing them would require prodigious effort. There was uncertainty about how much money would be available for public schools and universities. Would the robust Oregon economy continue to generate higher income tax revenues for the state? What about the so-called “kicker” fund, estimated to be about $385 million—should all or part of this money be rebated to taxpayers? How much money would there be for Oregon’s unique Health Plan? Were recently adopted sentencing guidelines going to force the legislature to set aside additional millions for more jails and prisons? Were the session’s two new leaders, Speaker Lynn Lundquist and President Brady Adams, ready to guide their chambers through the legislative maze? Would the inexperienced Lundquist succeed in holding together his fragile Republican House caucus? And what about the uncertainty caused by term limits (passed by the people in 1992 and due to go into effect at the end of the current legislative terms)?* Would the Republican Legislature forge a constructive working relationship with Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber? Governor Kitzhaber and legislative leaders agreed on their top priorities: implementing Measure 47 and increasing funding for public schools and universities . Other shared priorities were spending more money on both the Oregon Health Plan and on statewide road maintenance and repair. Improving water quality and salmon recovery were other shared concerns. There was agreement on Kitzhaber’s proposal to hire 160 new case workers in the State Office for Services to Children and Families. Recent stories about the increased incidence of child neglect, abuse, and even murder had outraged the public, eliciting the governor’s swift response. Though the governor and Republican leaders * Twenty-four legislators (22 representatives and two senators) would be forced to leave office in January 1999. 422 chapter 20 generally agreed on these priorities, they disagreed about how best to attain these goals. Republican leaders in both chambers wanted to reform election law, making it more difficult to file initiative petitions. Speaker Lundquist wanted to revise Oregon’s term-limit law (though it was not a priority of Kitzhaber’s). Senate Republicans wanted legislation to compensate landowners when environmental regulations reduced a person’s property values—a political issue that would kick around for the next decade. The 29 House Democrats (in agreement with Governor Kitzhaber) focused most of their attention on protecting public education; they wanted the legislature to replace the $450 million that schools were about to lose due to the passage of Measure 47. And Democrats also wanted more money for Head Start. The governor proposed a budget of $9.6 billion for 1997-99, a $1.4 billion increase over the current budget. The individual pieces of the governor’s budget included setting aside about $3.96 billion (over 40% of the general fund) for K-12 education; expanding Head Start, a program for pre-kindergarten at-risk children; and freezing university tuitions.1 The governor recommended $1.4 billion for public safety, including prison expansion, and $2 billion for human resources. Republicans remembered how Kitzhaber outmaneuvered them in 1995. The governor had vetoed 52 bills—the most in 80 years. Now, Kitzhaber was proposing a huge budget increase and $800 million worth of new taxes to pay for it. House Democratic Minority Leader, Salem’s Peter Courtney, suggested that “This time, Republicans are out to teach him a lesson. They’re going to try to spank him.”2 Many wondered how long the “honeymoon” would last between the Democratic governor and the Republican Legislature. Lynn Lundquist and Brady Adams Speaker Lynn Lundquist was a 62-year-old Quaker farmer who had entered the House two years earlier. He had a reputation as a well-prepared, hardworking lawmaker. Low-key and self-effacing, Lundquist was a moderate Republican with a conciliatory style and desire to build consensus. Many hoped that his skills would help him keep a steady hand on a caucus that had broken apart and made war on itself in 1995. Senate President Brady Adams’ reputation as a tough negotiator and budgetary expert led to his election as Senate president. He presided over a senate in which Republicans held 20 of 30 seats. With this strong majority, Adams believed he could block or limit Governor Kitzhaber’s boldest proposals. He agreed with [3.144.17.45] Project MUSE (2024-04-25 16:34 GMT...

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