Today, Governor Tina Kotek delivered her State of the State address in the Oregon House Chamber in the Capitol before a joint legislative session of lawmakers, former elected leaders, distinguished guests, and representatives of the nine federally recognized Tribal nations. The Governor’s invited guests included county chairs and city leaders, affirming her ongoing commitment to partner with local governments in the spirit of the One Oregon Listening Tour during her first year in office.

Key takeaways from the address include the Governor’s continued efforts to listen to and work with local communities, a call to action to stay the course on addressing homelessness and housing supply, mental health and addiction care, improving outcomes for Oregon students, and encouragement to lawmakers to rise above partisan differences and work together to solve problems – citing the transportation package, public defense, and wildfire funding in the upcoming session. She also discussed climate resilience and improvements to state government operations. Below are several highlights from the address:

Vision for 2025

“This new year, 2025, carries a clear charge for all of us: to summon our unyielding spirit of resilience, to tackle problems with purpose, and to embrace opportunities for change together. Oregon’s ability to move ahead is grounded in the soil from which we have grown – together.”

Homelessness and housing

“By this July, the actions related to my homelessness state of emergency are projected to rehouse 3,300 households and prevent another 24,000 households from experiencing homelessness in the first place. Our state shelter program now supports over 4,800 shelter beds to help people stay off the streets and have access to transitional stability…This is incredible progress. But I will not be satisfied until the job is done.”

Mental health and addiction care

“I believe we can do a better job of coordinating shelter services with access to mental health care, and by doing so help people stabilize before they decompensate, and a crime is committed. By doing so, we will keep our communities safer, reduce the logjam at the Oregon State Hospital and, most importantly, meet the needs of our neighbors more humanely.… I have directed my team to develop a new model of permanent supportive housing – what we’re calling “intensive permanent supportive housing” or PSH double plus plus – that can more effectively serve people with serious mental health needs who can live independently.”

Education

“As for improved certainty as the largest funder of K-12 education, my team has worked diligently with education stakeholders to propose changes to the way Current Service Level funding for the State School Fund is calculated. There will be a bill to codify some of that work, and my recommended budget takes a big leap forward to help school districts with their base funding. But this is not a blank check. I believe increased investment must come with deeper accountability, which is a focal point of my 2025 education agenda…. The bottom line is this: When a district’s numbers show failure for their students, there will be help and attention – not voluntarily requested, but required, direct assistance to make sure all resources are pointed toward better student outcomes.”

Climate resilience

“As stewards of our air, water, and landscapes, we must rise to the challenge of fighting climate change, both by continuing our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and by taking strong action to enhance the resiliency of our natural resources and communities…. Oregon needs two things to be better prepared. First, we need dedicated reserves to manage for substantial wildfire suppression costs in the future, and second, we need ongoing dedicated funding for mitigation and fire readiness programs.”

You may view the State of the State, here.

You may read her full remarks here.

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