Ore. agencies given their share of $377.5M in cuts

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — The budget cuts are about to begin at state agencies in Oregon.

The Department of Administrative Services has set targets for state agencies to cut $377.5 million needed to eliminate the latest projected shortfall in tax collections.

The Statesman Journal reports the pending cuts amount to 8 percent for the nine months remaining in the budget cycle, which ends June 30. They are on top of earlier 9 percent cuts.

Combined with a $577.1 million shortfall from the previous revenue forecast, the total comes to almost $1 billion less than planned in the current two-year budget.

Most of the cuts fall within a handful of agencies. The biggest cut will be $158.6 million from the state school fund, followed by $104.5 million from the Department of Human Services.

___

Information from: Statesman Journal, http://www.statesmanjournal.com