The Takeaway is a weekly session publication making sense of Oregon politics and policy. Every Friday while the legislature is in session, we publish a review of the week’s prominent topics and controversies. Our readers span from politicians and corporate executives to journalists and every day political junkies.
Apr
07
Lawmakers to Begin Marathon Floor Sessions
Tuesday marked the completion of the legislature's first deadline of the session, requiring a measure to move out of its original policy committee or falter for the session.
4 min read
Mar
31
Legislative Deadline Shapes Session's Focus
In past years, the presiding officers regularly scheduled extended floor sessions in the evenings and weekends to work through the third reading list. A new bargaining chip has emerged this session—Fridays.
4 min read
Mar
24
Ways & Means Co-Chairs Release Framework Budget
For many lawmakers, they are only familiar with excess revenues and debates over where to spend it. Now, however, state resources are coming back down to earth, requiring the legislature to slim its spending.
3 min read
Mar
17
Legislative Crossroads: Kumbaya or Kumbaygone?
The collegiality between the parties has been a pleasant change of pace from previous sessions, where the parties started on a collision course.
3 min read
Mar
10
Well, It's Groundhog Day in the Legislature, Again
With new members and leadership, Oregon lawmakers are reviving a series of proposals that came up short in previous sessions, including campaign finance limits and self-serve gas, suggesting lawmakers believe they have a better chance of success this time around.
3 min read
Feb
24
Freak Snowstorm Brings the Capitol to a Halt
Despite only meeting for three days this week, the legislature still covered a lot of ground on housing, semiconductors, and the trajectory of tax and fiscal politics.
Housing and semiconductors are unequivocally the talk of the town. Still, the legislature cannot sit idly waiting for those issues to get out of the way.
4 min read
Feb
10
A Different Type of Chips
Lawmakers have spent a lot of time talking about semiconductors, but there is another category of chips at play this session—bargaining chips.
4 min read
Feb
03
Getting Down To Business
If the first two weeks of the session felt like an introductory college course, the third week bumped up to mid- and upper-level courses.
5 min read
Jan
28
Ready, Set, 2023 Session!
The legislature is gearing up to tackle some of its most daunting challenges, including housing and semiconductors, in only a matter of weeks.
