BY SARAH ROSS
SALEM- The legislature ended their 25 day special session Thursday, passing a controversial constitutional amendment calling for annual legislative sessions.
The bill, SJR 41, created heavy controversy in the past few days which were filled with clear divides not only among parties but also among the two legislative bodies. House leaders were arguing for longer sessions while Senate leaders were pushing for the original time frame of 45 and 135 day sessions.
“After a lot of different tries, we finally came to an agreement that continues to have the length of time that I believe is necessary to get the work done on the budget in the odd numbered years,” said Rep. Arnie Roblan, D-Coos Bay in his introduction of the legislation.
To address the perceived shorter length of 35 day sessions, Roblan stated, “We as a body are going to have to come together and make rules that limit the kinds of things that we work on and release.”
Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, expressed his disappointment in not being able to move the Senate’s original bill.
“I will apologize to you today for where we’re at. Because I keep telling myself, how could I have done this better? What move could I have made to sustain what we experienced just a few days ago on this floor? I will always wonder about that.”
The final draft of the legislation came with a conference committee amendment proposing a 35 day session during even numbered years and a 160 day session during odd numbered years. This version passed both houses with slim margins costing Democrat and Republican votes on both sides of the issue.
“If we actually care about the institution, we should not run something out to the voters that all of us, with a straight face, cannot say is good,” said Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, who had been a co-sponsor of the original bill but voted against the final version.
Following the passage of the amendment by the legislature, it must also be voted on by the state’s citizens in order to be enacted. If passed by the voters, Oregon will join 45 other states in holding annual sessions.
Congratulations on your new website.
We’re also providing an overview of this proposed constitutional amendment here:
Oregon Legislature Annual Sessions Amendment (2010)
In addition to the two measures Oregonians voted on in January, another three have now qualified for the statewide ballot, including one coming up in May:
http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Oregon_2010_ballot_measures
Great news! Thanks Leslie!
Yeah, we really need annual sessions so the Legislature can spend more time on vital issues like plastic bags, “Resolutions” “Honoring” extinct Indian tribes, and creating “Left-Handed Awareness Month”.
You watch - once they get annual sessions, they’ll whine for the session length to be extended. Then when they get that, they’ll complain that the sessions are too long for “part-time” Legislators who have to work at real jobs the rest of the year to be able to make a living, and demand a full-time legislature with big salary increases.