Salem, Ore. – Following “extensive input” from southern Oregonians, Governor Kate Brown will not veto a portion of a bill that provides funds for the Holly Theatre.
Last session, the Oregon State Legislature passed House Bill 5006, which determines the amount of money authorized for financial agreements.
On August 8, Governor Brown said she will veto appropriations in HB 5006 for the Holly Theatre, Harry and David Baseball Park and the Bradshaw Drop Irrigation Project.
The Holly Theatre was set to receive $1 million out of the state’s general fund along with $750,000 for Harry and David Field, and about $1.9 million for the Bradshaw Drop Irrigation Canal Project.
Local representative Sal Esquivel said the governor’s vetoes are a power play fit for a political drama. He said he was asked to vote in favor of a medical provider tax to fund Oregon’s Medicaid program.
Esquivel was the only Republican House member to vote “yes” on House Bill 2391.
“My job was done. I had committed to give them the one vote to get it out of the House and into the Senate, I’d done so,” he told NBC5 News.
According to Esquivel, he later agreed to help put a provision of the health care tax on the ballot.
“Evidently, the governor took exception to that, saying that I wasn’t in the spirit of the agreement,” he said.
On August 15, Gov. Brown officially vetoed the Bradshaw Drop Irrigation Project and Harry and David funds.
However, she changed her mind on the Holly Theatre funds, citing community input on the importance of the project.
She wrote the following in a letter addressed to Oregon Secretary of State Dennis Richardson:
“The Representative from Medford committed to supporting House Bill 2391, which funded the Oregon Health Plan, in exchange for funding the projects listed in section 4. House Bill 2391 funds health care for Oregon’s most vulnerable populations and supports valuable health services that several hundred thousand Oregonians rely on. This funding is vital in a time of federal threats to the stability and even the existence of the United States’ health care system.
“I am not a fan of this type of explicit horse-trading on unrelated legislation. But, having served in the legislature I understand that political compromise is often necessary. The Representative broke this straightforward agreement, and in the interest of being able to negotiate support for future legislation that all sides honor, I must hold him accountable.
“Since my veto notification on these projects, I have received extensive input from the Southern Oregon community on the importance of the Holly Theatre project. Because of this, I am not vetoing this project. I ask the Legislature to reevaluate the Bradshaw Drop Irrigation and the Harry and David Baseball Park projects based on their merits in the next legislative session.”
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