TROY State Rep. Greg Smith-R (Heppner) told a gathering here Saturday that the number one issue in the legislature is the states budgetary shortfall. 

Smith said combined General Funds, federal funds and a category he termed other adds up to about $57 billion. This is a decrease of $4 billion from the previous budget, he said.

The Troy community held a May potluck and welcomed special guest Smith, who provided a legislative update to the gathering of Troy area residents. Smith is the ranking member on the legislatures Ways and Means Committee and is a chairman of the Public Safety Committee, which oversees state police and the Department of Corrections.

Smith explained that general fund dollars are derived from several sources, including state income taxes, and service and licensing fees. The general fund provides dollars for education, health and human services and public safety.

In addition to the general fund, the state also receives funds authorized through the federal government. 

Two years ago, the President borrowed a bunch of money, and put a one-time injection of dollars into the state. That money is gone now, and now we have to eliminate programs, Smith said.

He explained that the state legislators placed priority on the largest budget item and passed funding for the schools at $5.7 billion. Smith said that the amount was unchanged over the last school budget.

To avoid cutting the amount for schools, the state faces a potential reduction of $3 billion in health and human services, including programs for seniors, people with disabilities and temporary assistance to families.

Additionally, the state is looking at a 6.5 percent reduction in funding for public safety programs, which could add up to about $82 million in cuts. 

The problem is that almost all that money is in personnel to oversee the 14,000 prisoners in the state, he said.

Additionally, Smith said that Governor Kitzhaber is calling for a reduction of half of the beds in youth offender programs. 

By flat-funding education, it has put pressure on these other areas, Smith said.

Smith was asked about the current progress and working relationship among members of the Oregon House and Senate. The last election placed an equal number of 30 Republicans and 30 Democrats in the House and reduced the ratio in the state Senate to 16 Democrats to 14 Republicans.

Its working well, he said. The equal ratio means that we cant pass anything too extreme and it stops the addition of new laws. For legislation to pass, it must have bipartisan consensus.

One issue that has garnered bipartisan support and was passed by the House is a bill drafted and sponsored by Smith that would allow a person to kill a wolf in protection of human life.

This is common sense to us and it is already in federal law, but not yet in state law, he said. The bill now goes to the state Senate for a vote.

Another of the wolf bills drafted by Smith looks to authorize a system of compensation for ranchers who lose livestock to wolf predation. 

The compensation bill has passed the House and is now at the Ways and Means Committee, he said.

Smith and fellow supporters are looking to implement a compensation program managed at the level of local government. He said that local control of the program would go beyond confirmed losses and allow for a system that better recognizes actual losses. He said the legislature is looking to pass broad guidelines and then have the program managed by county governments.

Other items of interest mentioned by Smith included a bill under consideration that would have Oregon recognize concealed handgun permits from other states and allow for the recognition of the Oregon concealed handgun permit in those states.