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2B | WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 2021 | APPEAL TRIBUNE Positive tax year for state, residents Boost to Oregon budget, near-historic personal kicker credit expected Connor Radnovich Salem Statesman Journal USA TODAY NETWORK Driven by a historically bullish economic out- look, Oregon is expected to bring in an additional $1.2 billion in tax revenue this biennium, with the next two biennia also looking far stronger than economists predicted at the start of the coronavi- rus pandemic. Compared to the years-long impacts from other recent recessions to employment and per- sonal incomes, “there is no long-run damage as- sociated with the COVID pandemic and the reces- sion,” state economist Josh Lehner told lawmak- ers on Wednesday. Further demonstrat- ing the state’s booming revenues, Oregonians are estimated to receive a $1.4 billion personal “kicker” credit on their 2021 taxes. The median Oregonian is projected to receive a kicker rebate of $312 for 2021 taxes. The bottom 20% in- come bracket would re- ceive approximately $25, while the top 1% would see nearly $13,000. Actual revenues are Kenneth Lloyd Putnam SCOTTS MILLS - Ken- neth Lloyd Putnam, 83, of Scotts Mills, OR, passed away on May 12, 2021 in his home. Lloyd, as he was known, was born to William Addi- son Putnam and Lucilli Alice Evarts on Janu- ary 13, 1938 in Albany, OR. After serving in the U.S. Army, he married Lu Ann Taylor April 17, 1964. Aside from a short time in Ida- ho, Oregon was their home. He is survived by his children Steve (April), Jim (Heather), Aaron (Amie) and Lau- ra (Rob) and his many grandchildren and great grandchildren. Memo- rial Service will be 6/19 at LDS Silverton Chapel at 11 AM. expected to exceed start- of-biennium forecasts by nearly 10%; the kicker is triggered when the fore- cast is surpassed by 2%. “We’re well above where we thought we would be, even pre-pan- demic,” state economist Mark McMullen said. Gov. Kate Brown said the expected revenues over the next three bien- nia present lawmakers with “a tremendous op- portunity for transforma- tional change.” “And as we recover, we must work to create a more just and equitable Oregon, supporting the communities that have been disproportionately impacted,” Brown said in a statement. “By rooting our recovery efforts in ra- cial equity, we can sup- port economic growth for all of Oregon’s communi- ties.” Lawmakers expressed shock and delight at the revenue forecast. House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, called the forecast “stunning.” “Money is coming out of our ears,” said Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod, R-Stayton. “In all my years at the Oregon Legislature, I have never seen a fore- cast like this,” said Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem. “If we join our hands and arms, we can really do something about the pain and suffer- ing of Oregonians right now. If we don’t, we have no one to blame but our- selves.” Lawmakers are also determining out how to spend $2.6 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Much of the growth was attributed to federal pandemic relief dollars and fiscal policy. However, economists warned growth could be slowed by labor short- ages and the potential for spiraling inflation. Oregon’s employment is expected to return to pre-recession levels mid- way through the next bi- ennium, but pandemic fears, lack of in-person schooling and higher un- employment benefits have tightened the labor The Oregon Pioneer stands atop the Oregon State Capitol, in Salem, Ore. on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL State economist Mark McMullen. KOBBI R. BLAIR / STATESMAN JOURNAL market, economists said. About 45,000 people are not looking for work due to the pandemic, ac- cording to the labor de- partment. “That’s a good year of job growth for Oregon,” McMullen said As the revenue fore- Due to the holiday, our offi ce hours and obituary placement times may vary. Please contact us at 503-399-6789 or obituary@statesmanjournal.com for further details. OR-GCI0540969-01 Simple Cremation $795 Simple Direct Burial $995 Church Funeral $2965 SALEM 275 Lancaster Drive SE Salem, OR 97317 (503) 581-6265 TUALATIN 8970 SW Tualatin Sherwood Rd Tualatin, OR 97062 (503) 885-7800 PORTLAND 832 NE Broadway Portland, OR 97232 (503) 783-3393 TIGARD 12995 SW Pacifi c Hwy Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 783-6869 EASTSIDE 1433 SE 122nd Ave Portland, OR 97233 (503) 783-6865 MILWAUKIE 16475 SE McLoughlin Blvd Milwaukie, OR 97267 (503) 653-7076 “Easy Online Arrangements” OR-GCI0571428-02 www.CrownCremationBurial.com cast was being presented to lawmakers and the public, these legislative leaders were already pro- posing potential uses for the additional revenue. Kotek said the Legisla- ture should use the mon- ey to provide relief to Ore- gon families who are struggling to pay rent, in- vest in recovering from the pandemic, “advance racial equity,” and ad- dress needs in housing and behavioral health. “A year ago, the world was in a free fall. Oregon’s decisions and invest- ments in the face of con- verging crises have start- ed an incredibly strong recovery,” Kotek said. Republican leaders, meanwhile, said the state should direct money to- ward: pandemic relief, K-12 school budgets, ca- reer and technical educa- tion programs at commu- nity colleges, and com- munities impacted by last year’s wildfires. They also pushed back against any plans to change the state’s kicker law or implement new taxes. “Republicans will be pushing for these invest- ments as we work to bal- ance the budget with healthy reserves while limiting financial bur- dens caused by unneces- sary new taxes or raiding the kicker,” said House Republican Leader Chris- tine Drazan, R-Canby. Reporter Connor Rad- novich covers the Oregon Legislature and state government. Contact him at cradnovich @statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6864, or fol- low him on Twitter at @CDRadnovich. Countdown begins to discover where Columbus came from ASSOCIATED PRESS MADRID – Was Chris- topher Columbus really from Genoa, in Italy? Or was he Spanish? Or, as some other theories have it, was he Portuguese or Croatian or even Polish? A definitive answer to the question of where the famous explorer came from could be just five months away as interna- tional scientists on Wednesday launched an effort to read the DNA from his remains and identify his geographic origin. Their findings are to be made public in October. Knowledge of the 15th- century navigator’s early life is scant. A major breakthrough in establishing a fuller profile of the man who died 515 years ago came after DNA tests in 2003 established that bones in a tomb in the cathedral of Seville were those of Co- lumbus. But after that discov- ery, the research team from Spain’s University of Granada that is leading the Columbus research decided to halt its investi- gation. The reason: DNA technology at the time was neither accurate nor reliable and required a significant amount of ge- netic material. After leaps in the so- phistication of DNA test- ing in recent years, gene geography may now as- certain the rough area of a European person’s an- cestry. José Antonio Lorente, a professor of forensic medicine at Granada Uni- versity, said there had been a “radical” improve- ment in DNA analysis, which now permits tests on very small fragments. He said researchers are working with four small bone fragments from Columbus, seven bone fragments and a tooth from his son Her- nando, and a dozen bone fragments in poor condi- tion from his brother Die- go. The fragments are be- ing sent to genetic identi- fication laboratories in Rome and Florence in Ita- ly, Mexico and the United States, Lorente told an online press conference. Lorente said he be- lieves the generally ac- cepted theory that Co- lumbus was from Genoa, but the project aims to re- solve some “mysteries … and contradictions” in the historical record and obtain “as much informa- tion as possible … so that there is no argument.” Granada University on Wednesday was hosting what it called the first world meeting of Colum- bus researchers, who are presenting evidence for their different theories about the explorer’s ori- gins. Columbus’s four transatlantic voyages on behalf of the Spanish monarchs between 1492 and 1504 opened a door to Europe’s colonization of the Americas, then known as the New World. Columbus died on May 20, 1506, and was buried in the Spanish city of Valladolid, though he had asked to be buried in the Americas.