| The Oregon Legislative Assembly will convene in Salem this morning to begin a month-long special session. Oregon is one of only five states which still only mandate biennial sessions, and one thing legislators plan to address this special session is to introduce a state constitutional amendment to be voted on by the public in November, mandating annual legislative sessions.
Other issues under consideration include extension of state unemployment benefits, [PDF] SB 1009, which would prohibit grocery and other stores in Oregon from using plastic bags, SB 1032, which would ban the sale of BPA-containing reusable food and beverage containers for children under 3, and a permanent extension of Oregon's offshore oil and gas drilling ban, which expired last month.
Governor Ted Kulongoski is also going to ask the legislature to put kicker reform to a statewide vote in November, in order to create a financial emergency cushion for the state in the case of any further future massive budget shortfalls, like the one we just saw which was mostly fixed by last week's passage of Measures 66 and 67. Sadly, it looks like the legislature probably won't act on that, though. As for the BPA bill, it seems relatively weak and uninspired, but I guess it's a start. If you're in Oregon, you can contact your state legislators here and share your thoughts.
The current composition of the Oregon House is 36 D, 24 R; and the makeup of the Oregon Senate is 18 D, 12 R. Democrats hold 'supermajorities' in both chambers, and Governor Ted Kulongoski is also a Democrat. February 11 is the day to watch for what will and what won't receive a vote during this special session -
Legislative leaders have set rigid deadlines to ensure adjournment by the end of February. That means the pace will be like a regular session on steroids. Of the approximately 200 bills drafted so far, those that don't get a hearing by Feb. 11 are likely dead. |
