With the end of a GOP slowdown in the Oregon House, the sluggish pace of bills moving between it and the Senate has turned into a torrent.

The Senate added 64 House bills to its plate on Monday, raising the likelihood that more than halfway through the 2021 session, some of the first legislation of 2021 will finally reach the desk of Gov. Kate Brown.

Before the flood, the Senate was able to dispatch a short list of bills still requiring votes before they were sent to the House.

Among the items was a bill by Sen. Tim Knopp, SB 699, to close a loophole allowing for some medical insurance policies to include an exclusion for coverage of pre-existing conditions.

Pharmacists could do more of their work with customers and technicians by phone or computer with the passage of SB 629, by Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena. Hansell said it brings Oregon in line with the rest of the states west of Texas.

“The pandemic has made us realize that many services we depend on can be provided online or over the phone,” he said.

More than a year under COVID-19 restrictions also gave the state data that it could change its fee structure for RV use in Oregon State Parks by increasing the amount charged to non-residents.

During the pandemic, a drop in revenue from the lottery and other sources hit the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. In order to sustain the more than 200 parks and sites it oversees, the department raised revenue by increasing the facility fees for RVs from outside the state.

The result was $500,000 in additional revenue for the parks budget between September 2020 and February 2021 with only a 5 percent drop in out-of-state users.

Under SB 794 by Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Milwaukie, the split fee favoring residents would be made permanent. RVs from outside Oregon will pay 25% more for hook-ups and other spots.

State studies show the parks department income will grow to $2.1 million in the 2023-25 period. Non-residents account for 48 percent of those who make RV reservations at Oregon parks. The state forecasts the higher fees will result in an 8 percent drop in use by non-Oregon RVs.

All the bills now go to the House for a vote.

Another piece of news came out of the Senate – a pending goodbye to one of its longest serving members.

Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, the former majority leader, will resign at the end of the 2021 session. She’s been in the Legislature for 25 years. 

Burdick is resigning to take an appointment by Gov. Kate Brown on the Northwest Power Planning Council.

The board, created by Congress in 1980, oversees water and power in the Northwest.

Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana each have two seats on the council, which oversees the operations of the Bonneville Power Administration.

Mark Walker, spokesman for the council, said each state sets the salary of its council members. For Oregon that is currently $142,848 per year. 

The salary is paid by the Bonneville Power Administration. The salaries go directly to council members – except those from Oregon – where the money goes to the Department of Energy, which then pays the council members.

Critics say this is a way for appointees to “spike” their PERS benefits with three years at a higher salary level. It’s also been criticized as a patronage position that usually goes to veteran lawmakers or others who have served in other roles for decades.

Burdick will replace former Sen. Richard Devlin, D-Tualatin. His last day as a Council member will be October 31, 2021.

Devlin and Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day, were both appointed to the council in 2017 by Brown.

Brown in February appointed Chuck Sams, former head of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, to replace Ferrioli. 

Burdick was just re-elected in 2020 to a four-year term. County commissioners in her district, which includes parts of Multnomah County and Washington County, will choose a replacement.

Burdick’s Senate District 18 includes southwest Portland and Tigard.  There is bound to be a fierce fight to get the job. Each Senate district includes two House districts. Burdick’s district includes House district 35 and 36. Rep. Dacia Grayber and Rep. Lisa Reynolds hold those two seats, respectively, and could seek to move up to the Senate with the commissioners appointing a new House member to fill the seat.

Democrats will want to move fast on the replacement. Democrats currently hold 18 seats in the Senate – the minimum number needed for a three-fifths supermajority that can pass any bill without Republican support.