Oregon legislators celebrated Presidents’ Day … by going to work.

Sen. Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction, told a story on the Senate floor about George Washington. Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, mentioned President James K. Polk, for whom Oregon’s Polk County is named.

Monday was the 15th day of this year’s 35-day “short” legislative session. It was a day when many bills technically died from procedural deadlines, politics or both. 

First-term Rep. Farrah Chaichi, D-Beaverton, used the day to announce her priorities for the 2024 Legislature. They included HB 4126, a rent control bill that appears dead.

Folks at the State Capitol say this is Oregon’s busiest, most jam-packed short session, according to Rep. Dacia Grayber, D-Portland, whose bills were progressing.

“Everyone, be they Democrat, Republican, Advocate, or Agency is hustling like mad to get work done for their districts and their people, and while at times it can be a bit overwhelming, it’s genuinely inspiring,” she wrote in her constituent newsletter Monday.

Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, noted the progress on Gov. Tina Kotek’s housing bill, the ongoing uncertainty around Measure 110 reforms and the demise of his SB 1559 updating the state’s greenhouse gas emission goals. That bill foundered amid intense Republican opposition.

“This strong opposition had the makings of another distraction in a difficult session, so it is not moving to a vote this session,” he told constituents on Monday.  

Dembrow noted that the Senate Education Committee, which he chairs, had unanimously passed the omnibus education bill out of committee. SB 1552A now is in the budget committee. The 41-page bill covers various topics, including “a number of technical fixes to bills that passed last year and that needed repair or clarification.”

So-called “technical fixes” are a key reason why the Legislature in 2012 started having annual sessions. 

The Senate met for 33 minutes on Monday, passing two minor bills with little debate and little opposition. Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, said Senate Bill 1568, dealing with prevailing wages for electrical workers, would fix a mistake the Legislature made in 2021. Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, wondered whether yet another “technical fix” would be needed to fix this fix.

The other bill, SB 1580, would clarify state law regarding workers’ compensation fraud. Both bills are now in the House. 

The floor session also provided a prelude to Tuesday. Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, who five years ago advocated for year-round Daylight Saving Time, shared a letter from Save Standard Time urging support for SB 1548. The bill, which had bipartisan sponsors, would eliminate Daylight Saving Time in Oregon. 

“We are leading the way,” Thatcher told her colleagues. “I think we’re not going to be alone in this, but there might be a little weirdness at first. Just know that, but we’re getting there.”

However, the bill failed the next day on a 15-15 tie vote, before being resurrected and sent back to a committee for revisions. Committees are where most legislative work occurs. Unlike Congress, Oregon rarely – if ever – amends a bill on the Senate or House floor.

Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Portland, was excused from Monday’s floor session. So, too, in the House were Rep. Jason Kropf, D-Bend, and Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis. Lieber and Kropf chair the committee working to revise Measure 110 on drug use and treatment. Was the trio huddling on potential changes to Lieber and Kropf’s HB 4002?

House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich of Hood River had a busy day, including sending a press release saying: “A 1500% increase in overdoses is the direct result of Oregon enabling drug use with Measure 110. People will keep dying at nation-leading rates as long as this failed policy remains in place. The majority party must stop stalling and pass HB 4036 to put an end to this crisis.”

HB 4036 is the Republican proposal for fixing Measure 110.

Four hours later, Lieber and Kropf responded with their own press release that quoted CDC data on overdose deaths.

“Inaction is not an option. This is another sobering reminder of why we have to act this session to keep our communities safe and save lives. We’re working hard to finalize a plan that accomplishes both,” they said. 

“It is clear that Oregon’s current approach to the drug crisis is not working, and we know the War on Drugs didn’t work either. Our goal is to put politics aside so we can chart a new course to a safer, healthier Oregon together.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, who also is a member of the Joint Committee on Addiction and Community Safety Response, issued a lengthy press release with his own plan for amending the Lieber-Kropf amendment. To cover minor drug offenses, Mannix would create a special misdemeanor and sidestep the debate among some legislators about whether drug possession should be a Class C misdemeanor or the more serious Class A.

Gov. Kotek’s Monday meetings included one with Oregonians for Safety and Recovery, which opposes reinstating criminal penalties for minor drug use. During the group’s seven-hour lobbying day, participants handed out dozens of handwritten constituent letters supporting “healthcare, not handcuffs.”

On the other hand, the House ended its 80-minute floor session Monday with a brief speech by Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, about Measure 110’s failures. He urged lawmakers to pass the Republican proposal, saying, “House Bill 4036 is the only bill that provides law enforcement and treatment centers the leverage necessary to get people into treatment and help them complete it.”

The House passed seven measures Monday, compared with the Senate’s two. They included HB 4147, a school bus safety bill from Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville, and HCR 203, recognizing “a strong and enduring partnership between the State of Oregon and Taiwan,” which featured a passionate speech by Rep. Paul Evans, D-Monmouth.

For many legislators, especially ones in leadership, Presidents’ Day was packed with meetings.

House Republican Leader Helfrich’s day started with district business, working on improvements to the Bridge of the Gods. He then spoke to statewide Republican leaders before going to the House Republican Caucus and the floor session, after which the caucus took its yearly photo.

Helfrich spent the rest of the day in meetings with labor representatives, stakeholders connected to pending legislation and House members. Dinner was a burrito bowl from La Hacienda Real in Salem.