In an extraordinary move on Thursday afternoon, Speaker Kotek and President Courtney announced the session was “functionally over” because the parties were not able to overcome the impasse. The abrupt…
Category: The Takeaway
Clock is Ticking for the Session
Lawmakers have been on a collision course for several weeks now—scheduling, postponing, and rescheduling the cap-and-trade measure—and it was only a matter of time for the mounting pressure in the…
Legislature Moves the Goal Post
The politics of the cap-and-trade debate has reverberated throughout the capitol for weeks, influencing decisions on virtually every measure introduced for the session, and the drama is showing no signs…
New Frontlines Emerge for Session Politics
Tensions flared in the capitol last week as lawmakers raced against the clock to keep measures alive before the first major deadline of the session. Thursday marked the first “chamber…
State Economists Predict Rosy Revenue Outlook
“We have a consistent pattern of every time we come in front of you saying, ‘More money, more money, more money,’” state economists told a joint meeting of the legislative…
Lawmakers at Loggerheads Over Session Trajectory
Oregon lawmakers began their 35-day “short” session on Monday, largely picking up where they left off on the issues and uncertainty that dominated their last session. The threat of another…