Two taxes passed by the legislature during the 2009 regular session are being put to the voters.

The tax bills were a response to the state's falling revenue.

Rep. Phil Barnhart (D-Eugene), who sponsored both bills, said he spent a lot of time working to develop supplemental revenue to "help ease the pain of cuts to services."

Part of the answer was House Bills 2649 and 3405, new income and corporate taxes calculated to generate $733 million in state revenue - if supported by voters.

Opponents to the taxes circulated petitions and collected enough signatures to put the measures on a Jan. 26, 2010, special election ballot.

Rep. Sherrie Sprenger (R-Scio) voted no on both tax bills.

"I am very concerned about the negative effects these increases are going to have on small businesses in my districts," Sprenger said. "Especially in my district, small businesses employ the vast majority of folks."

Sprenger said she thinks it is a "very real possibility" these taxes would cause layoffs.

Both the governor's office and the Department of Revenue saw increased budgets, Sprenger said.

"Just like in our household budgets, the state needs to prioritize and decrease spending before it increases the tax burden," she said.

Kim Fandiño and Melody Antons, presidents of the Lebanon Education Association and the Lebanon Association of Classified Employees, respectively, said they would be supporting efforts to encourage "yes" votes on these measures.

When students asked Fandiño what she thought about taxes, she replied, "I explained to students that taxes are the price for public services," she told the school board on Oct. 15.

According to the Oregon School Boards Association newsletter, the OSBA also will be endorsing the tax revenue package.

Petitions to place the tax bills on the ballot were turned in to the Elections Division on Sept. 25.

Both petitions contained nearly twice the 55,179 signatures needed to refer them to the voters.

The petition to refer HB 2649 to voters contained 98,842 valid signatures. HB 2649 concerned personal income taxes. The referendum will appear on the ballot as Measure 66.

A second petition sought to refer HB 3405, which concerned corporate income taxes. The petition contained 99,471 valid signatures. It will appear on the ballot as Measure 67.

Ballots for the Jan. 26, 2010, election will begin going in the mail Jan. 8, 2010.

The deadline for registering to vote in the election is Jan. 5, 2010.