politics

Oregon's Senate President Says Lawmakers Should Support Mental Health Investments

By Chris Lehman (OPB)
Salem, Oregon May 9, 2017 12:46 a.m.

As Oregon lawmakers grapple with a $1.6 billion budget shortfall, even some legislative leaders are having trouble gaining traction for their priorities.

Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, made the case Monday for keeping mental health programs off the chopping block in the upcoming spending plan.

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"There are cuts and there are cuts," Courtney said to reporters in his state Capitol office. "I think mental health is taking a disproportionate amount of cuts. And there are certain things you can't cut as much as others."

Courtney says he was especially angry about proposals to close a state-run psychiatric hospital in Junction City. That plan was contained in cost-cutting proposals from both Gov. Kate Brown and legislative budget writers.

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