Legislature goes down to the last day of session

The Oregon Capitol in Salem, Oregon

State Politics Reporter

A pedestrian stop sign at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon. June 25 was the equivalent of a stop sign for thousands of measures in the Legislature that hadn't received action up until the last day of the 160-day session.

The Oregon Capitol in Salem, where tumultuous 2022 session is over and jockeying for 2024 election has begun.

Like 90 Cinderallas rushing to beat the clock that will turn the Capitol into the political equivalent of a pumpkin, the Oregon Legislature was furiously working the past week to avoid a do-or-die Sunday night deadline.

The Oregon Constitution mandates that the 60-member House and 30-member Senate adjourn no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. If the gavels of the Senate President and House Speaker don't end it, the sweep of the second hand on the clock will.

When the clock strikes midnight, "All the measures that fail to pass both houses are effectively dead," said Obie Rutledge, deputy chief clerk of the House.

Ever session is distinct in its deadlines, rules and legislation. Bills that didn't get over the finish line by Sunday would have to start all over again in 2024 or later.

"No rollovers," Rutledge said.

Though Friday night, the finish line seemed well in reach as lawmakers passed hundreds of bills on consecutive days.

But Saturday fell back into the familiar stall of the session. When the House adjourned at 7:24 p.m., it was just until resuming business at 11 a.m. Sunday. The Senate was already gone for the day, but will be coming back on Sunday as well, starting an hour earlier at 10 a.m.

During the speed-up, the issues in legislation were headspinning in variety as they whooshed by on the vote tally boards.

Outlawing personal possession of fentanyl, upgrading ventilation in public schools, access to drugs for recovery for HIV, boosting educational access for veterans, business grants for opening new childcare facilities, upgrading small community water systems, small forestland owner tax credits, and easing bureaucracy around filing claims for sexual assaults on school campuses all flew by. And dozens more.

Legislative leaders who were already churning out valedictory statements extolling bills they had sent to Gov. Tina Kotek since January to become law.

"Higher education is the vehicle to achieve launch velocity from poverty into the middle class and beyond," said Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, about the $3.7 billion higher education budget.

Deputy Senate Minority Leader Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, touted a Senate Bill 1040, GOP-authored plan to establish more "micro centers" for day care. More but smaller operations could ease the situation in "day care deserts" that are found in much of Oregon. The idea gained bipartisan support and was passed into law.

“In discussions with child care providers across the state, it became clear that we need to test innovative solutions that support quality care for children, financial viability for small providers, workforce retention, and economic vitality. Micro centers are designed to offer increased flexibility for providers to develop collaborative, community driven solutions."

Big packages of bills on rent control, college construction, and local district projects were lined up to go through both chambers so everyone could go home.

But the pace proved unsustainable. On Saturday, the House and Senate were in full stop.

The gears of government were grinding when Democrats and Republicans - and then factions of Democrats - argued over House Bill 3414, one of the key bills in Kotek's housing and homelessness plan.

The Democratic caucus debate delayed the start of the House floor session by five hours.

When the House returned, one of the first bills up for a vote was another housing hot button issue: rent control. SB611, caps rent increases at 10% for buildings that are older than 15 years old. Current law sets the maximum annual rate at 7% plus the Consumer Price Index. When inflation spiked, the 2023 maximum rent increase was set at 14.6%.

Rent increases were outstripping even the paychecks of middle class people, supporters of the bill said.

"We're seeing evictions of people with jobs," said Rep. Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie.

Rep. Andrea Valderrama, D-Portland, said many families with even less resources were at a breaking point.

"We cannot let rent spikes go unchecked," she said.

Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, said the bill would block investment in housing that Oregon needs by telling builders and investors they will carry the burden of keeping prices low

"Oh no, we're going to put the screws to you," Mannix said.

Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, said the only true solution to ensure affordable housing is to build more housing. The rent control bill is "like putting a Band-aid on a heart attack."

The bill passed 32-18 and will go to Kotek, who is expected to sign. Late in the evening, HB 3414, which restricts the limits cities can put on building within a city's Urban Growth Boundary, squeaked through on a 33-21 vote. It now goes to the Senate for a final day of session vote.

Lawmakers showed they were conscious of the clock.

The usual copious numbers of comments on bills are scaled back through voluntary agreements in both parties to have fewer people talk and for less time on all but the most contentious bills, such as rent control.

"My colleagues know my tendency towards loquaciousness," said Mannix, a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 498 limiting taxes on rural businesses.

Mannix said in this case, he had placed a letter on lawmakers' desks instead.

In the Senate, there were early fears about making the quorum of 20 required by the constitution. Five Republican senators were absent without excuse. Four senators had been consistently absent even after the deal with Democrats to return from a Republican walkout was hammered out on June 15: Sens. Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls, Kim Thatcher of Keizer, Cedric Hayden of Roseburg and Independent Brian Boquist. Sen. Bill Hansell of Athena was also absent without excuse on Friday.

With the arrival of Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, a quorum was reached.

There was celebration with the passage of HB 2009, a bi-partisan effort which sets up tax credits to expand the semiconductor industry in Oregon.

"Colleagues, this is Semiconductor 2.0.," said Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. "This is what you've been waiting for."

The Senate marched through a series of bills before deciding that since a Sunday session was now a foregone conclusion, they should call it a night.

Now, the Oregon Legislative Information Service website shows floor sessions at 10 a.m. on Sunday. A drift of the agendas into Sunday puts the Legislature very close to the deadline. When the House roll call is taken at 11 a.m., there will be 13 hours to finish up. Whether it's enough, time will tell.

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A pedestrian stop sign at the Capitol in Salem, Oregon. June 25 was the equivalent of a stop sign for thousands of measures in the Legislature that hadn't received action up until the last day of the 160-day session.

State Politics Reporter

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