Oregon lawmakers face array of issues in second half of legislative session
By BRAD CAIN - Associated Press
Sunday, March 25, 2007 12:44 AM PDT
SALEM — Midway through the 2007 legislative session, Oregon’s new Democratic majority can point to some high-profile wins, from funding a rainy day savings account to mandating that health insurers cover contraceptives.
Progress has been slower on several items that Democrats had hoped would fly right through by now, including an increase in Oregon’s cigarette tax to pay for an expansion of children’s health insurance.
Other major hurdles remain as well, such as finding agreement on a rewrite of Oregon’s Measure 37 property rights law that has sparked thousands of claims from landowners seeking compensation or a waiver of land use regulations.
And yet the political gridlock that has gripped recent sessions isn’t in evidence this time around. It appears likely that by the time the Legislature’s scheduled June 29 adjournment rolls around, lawmakers will have enacted laws and policies that could affect many aspects of everyday life in Oregon. Among them: putting more state troopers on the roads; banning smoking in bars and taverns; expanding Oregon’s once-pioneering bottle deposit law; promoting production and use of renewable biofuels; and giving same-sex couples the right to form civil unions.
One reason the Legislature is moving more quickly is the decision by the House and Senate to move toward annual sessions, with a fixed adjournment date. That is aimed at preventing runaway sessions dragging well into the summer months, a recent hallmark of Oregon’s every-other-year legislative setup.
Another is the fact that Democrats are running both the House and Senate for the first time in 16 years, with Democrats regaining a majority of seats in last year’s elections and keeping control of the Senate.
There’s a sense among Republicans and Democrats alike that Oregonians have become weary of partisan gridlock that had plagued the Legislature in recent years.
‘‘The public is ready for some action, and I think this Legislature is going to give it to them,’’ said Gary Conkling, a Portland political analyst who also lobbies the Legislature for various clients.
That doesn’t mean there’s been a meeting of the minds between Democrats and Republicans on key issues. To the contrary, the two sides fought over the elements involved in creating a rainy day fund — but they did finally come to agreement after behind-the-scenes negotiations between the two parties.
House Speaker Jeff Merkley said he thinks the Legislature has made ‘‘pretty good progress’’ so far and that the two sides have developed a more cordial, businesslike relationship.
House Republican Leader Wayne Scott agrees. He thinks the big fights will focus mainly on proposals pushed by Democrats to raise the corporate minimum tax, increase the cigarette tax by 84.5 cents a pack and possibly raise the beer tax to pay for more state troopers.
‘‘It seems like every time we turned around, there’s a new tax increase being introduced,’’ the Canby lawmaker said.
Senate President Peter Courtney thinks the 2007 session is an opportunity for lawmakers to repair their tattered image by passing laws to improve the lives of Oregonians and adjourning in a timely fashion.
It’s not going to be easy, the Salem Democrat said, given that lawmakers have only three months left to act on a range of issues.
He lists efforts to crack down on ‘‘predatory’’ payday loan shops, to authorize construction of two state psychiatric hospitals in Salem and Junction City to replace the crumbling Oregon State Hospital in Salem and to ban discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation.
‘‘This is big stuff we are doing,’’ he said and cited the June 29 adjournment date House and Senate have agreed to. ‘‘We’ve never worked with deadlines like this before.’’
Senate Republican Leader Ted Ferrioli said that while there still are philosophical disagreements between Republicans and Democrats, the two sides are working through issues without the rancor that marked recent sessions.
He noted that the Senate Democrats have invited the minority Republicans to the behind-the-scenes talks on Democratic Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s plan to boost the cigarette tax to bankroll health insurance for kids.
Still, Merkley is bracing for difficult weeks ahead.
‘‘People get less sleep, they are working longer hours and feeling more pressure on the issues,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s going to take a concerted effort by everyone to hold things together.’’
