Oregon Capitol Renovation Cut Out Of State Construction Plan

A plan to upgrade Oregon's Depression-era Capitol building will likely not advance this session.

Lawmakers voted on Friday to keep the building out of the state’s construction budget. Schools will get money for seismic improvements, but most lawmakers said the nearly 80-year-old building will have to wait.

The renovation was supposed to prepare the aging Capitol for an earthquake and make it more accessible to visitors.

It's been a top priority for Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney. He said the exclusion is a devastating loss.

“It is a loss for science,” he said. “It’s a loss for decade-long public process, it’s a loss for the state Legislature, most importantly, it’s a loss for Oregon and her people and her children.”

The construction budget is one of the last things lawmakers need to pass before the session ends.

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