SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Democrats in charge of the Oregon Legislature say they are scrounging for a few million dollars to add to programs such as day care subsidies for working families and college grants.
The sums are not large in the state's budget -- $16 million to extend the day care subsidies another year, $19 million to meet additional demand for the college student aid.
They have some powerful backers, though, such as unionized day care workers and Gov. Ted Kulongoski, who made the student Opportunity Grants a priority.
They also illustrate that even with voter approval of two tax increase measures last month, the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate have little room to maneuver on budget questions.
House Speaker Dave Hunt told a gathering of day care advocates Tuesday that adding money for the day care subsidies for families leaving welfare rolls is a priority because it helps both parents and child care providers stay employed.
If the Legislature didn't act, parents in nearly 3,000 families with 5,500 children would lose the benefit. Most would have to quit working and fall back on more-expensive government assistance, said proponents of the new spending.
Hunt alluded to voter approval of Measures 66 and 67 in January. Had the votes gone the other way, issues such as additional spending on day care and college aid might have been washed away by a wave of budget cuts.
"Fortunately, Oregonian voters said loud and clear last month that cutting our way out of the recession is not the way," he said.
Still, the measures don't help with spending that's not already in the budget, Hunt told the day care advocates, so what comes out of the Legislature's February session is likely to be "frankly, not as much as you would like or we would like."
The Democrats have a little more than two weeks to meet their self-imposed deadlines for making budget fixes and wrapping up a special session. The Ways and Means Committee is expected to consider tapping reserves and state agency budgets to find cash for unbudgeted spending, as well meet expectations from school districts about state aid.
