Lawmakers should focus more on services for young children, the governor-elect said, because giving them a solid start in life makes them less likely to need state services such as medical care or prison.
John Kitzhaber says he wants to transform the way Oregon government operates in the coming decades. An economic crisis is a rare opportunity to do that, Kitzhaber said Monday in his second news conference since the Nov. 2 election. He used the occasion to lay out his ideas for building a budget.
“We need to capitalize on the opportunity embedded in the budget crisis to bring about fundamental system reform in the way we organize, coordinate and fund early childhood and family investment,” he said.
Read more in today’s Statesman Journal.
