Sine die! Shortest session since 1995

The Democrats got it done.

At 12:36 p.m. on June 28, the Legislature adjourned sine die.

From a statement issued by House Speaker Jeff Merkley:

The 74th Legislative Assembly is set for final adjournment today. This has been the shortest regular session since 1995. By adjourning today, the legislature will save Oregon taxpayers an estimated $998,000 in operating costs over the last legislative session.

We will, of course, be recapping all the many things that this Legislature accomplished. Stay tuned.

  • (Show?)

    Whew. Senate Bill 965 died as a result (thank the sky-pixie). Many don't get what an atomic bomb that would have been if it was approved, but on the substantive legislative level, and the political devastation it would have wrought for the Democratic leadership and the party as a whole.

    The leg overall did good, and the gaveling close of the session marks a significant improvement over previous sessions of the past decade. Well done Jeff Merkley and staff.

  • Mari Anne Gest (unverified)
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    What a breath of fresh air it has been in the Capitol with new leadership. Merkley and Hunt rock! They were the movers and shakers plus the hard work of dedicated staff like Annette Talbott and the other good legislators (Clem, Witt, Read, Rosenbaum, and Nolan) that put them in the majority. Even the Senate was playing the same song though they remain a little bit harder to work with.

    I've been in that building for over 20 years working labor, education and environmental issues and I have to say that this session's experience was refreshing, energizing and gives us all hope! What a team. We all owe them our thanks for the hard work and great accomplishments. Everyone won something (and we lost a few too) but I think most importantly we got our humanity back. There was much more respect and openness - listening to concerns - more thoughtfulness vs. the back biting, secrecy. and regular beatings of prior sessions.

    It's been a pleasure.

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    This may be a touch off subject, but I don't know any other way to send in a suggestion for a new topic. The Citizen's Utility Board is calling for people to contact Gov. Kulongoski to ask him to line item veto a last-minute bill (so sort of on-topic) that would take $4.6 million from the Energy Trust of Oregon's public purpose funds to give to OMSI. Apparently this was SB 994. Prima facie seems like a bad idea and a good call by CUB. Financing or helping arrange the financing of Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen's solar energy proposal mentioned on Blue Oregon recently seems more like what this money is supposed to be for.

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    This may be a touch off subject, but I don't know any other way to send in a suggestion for a new topic.

    Yo, Chris. Hit the "Guest Columns" link up at the top. It's the only one in yellow.

  • George Seldes (unverified)
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    There's more on the OMSI thing--there's an excellent source for the money available:

    <h2>http://blog.onwardoregon.org/where-to-find-5-million-for-omsi</h2>
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