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SENATE:HANDOUTS NOW, PAY LATER
The U.S. Senate has passed a package of 26 billion dollars in aid to states with legislatures that wouldn’t balance their state budgets–and Oregon is sure one of those. Oregon gets 274 million dollars if the hastily-recalled U.S. House does likewise next week. Most of the money goes to teachers and social programs. Senate Democratic leaders attracted enough GOP support to pass the handout by promising to pay for it later with program cuts or new taxes. The windfall is just half of Oregon’s expected revenue shortage for the next biennium, so state legislators still have tough choices to make early next year.