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The three primary areas of state growth during the 1990’s were in K-12, public safety and the Oregon Health Plan.
The specific drivers behind state growth were:
- Population Growth – Oregon was the 11th fastest growing state in the nation, which drove increases in the number of citizens receiving government services.
- Initiatives – A number of voter-passed initiatives required government to provide new or enhanced services or reduced taxes to pay for services. For example, Measure 11 led to an increase in prison construction and operations costs.
- Policy Decisions – Budgets passed during the 1990s included funding for new or enhanced services, including the Oregon Health Plan to expand health services for more uninsured Oregonians than were covered by the traditional Medicaid program.
- Court Decisions – A number of court decisions required the state to pay judgments or establish increased service levels.
- Inflation – The increased cost of doing business associated with rising prices for certain products or services also affected government, particularly in the health care area.
- Voters had little tolerance for new sources of revenue.
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