Governor Kitzhaber released the following statement on Senator Devlin and Representative Buckley's presentation of the Co-Chairs' budget:
"The Co-Chairs' budget is a very good starting point for the budget discussion, and I commend the Co-Chairs for their hard work. I am pleased to see public safety reform, PERS savings and a continuation of our health care transformation effort included in this budget. That is a key to ensuring that we have the resources necessary to prioritize our investments in children, families and education.
Obviously, I want to take a closer look at the detail in the budget to make sure it supports our human service needs, education reforms and tools for getting Oregonians back to work -- but it provides a good place to begin the discussion that will lead to a balanced budget that meets the needs of Oregonians."