The board can allocate or transfer funds to state agencies beyond the original appropriated amount when required.

The board can also approve funding for new requirements that arise unexpectedly after the legislature has passed the state's budget and is no longer in session.

[7][8] When the Oregon legislature is in session, the permanent Legislative Fiscal Office staff supports the joint committee on ways and means.

The board was intended to be available to provide emergency funding for state institutions or departments when the legislature was out of session.

The Emergency Board allocated an additional $1,500 for the governor's program along with $5,000 to pay rewards to citizen who helped in the capture of criminals.

To cover emergencies that might arise between the close of the 1951 legislative session and the 1952 election, the legislature authorized Governor Douglas McKay to spend up to $1.5 million for unexpected funding requirements.

[18] In the 1952 general election, Oregon voters approved incorporating the Emergency Board into the state constitution by a vote of 364,539 to 192,492.

The office's non-partisan staff provided the Emergency Board with full-time professional expertise to analyze state programs, budget requirements, and expenditure issues.

[8][9] In 2007, the Emergency Board was authorized to review and approve federal grant applications during legislative interim periods.

[10] Today, the Emergency Board continues to fund critical programs that occur between Oregon's legislative sessions.

[24] Out-of-cycle requirements like these are typical of the funding issues addressed by the Emergency Board during the interim periods between Oregon's legislative sessions.