• During a discussion of the Emergency Board, Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner, prefaced his remarks by warning his colleagues that he was “a little cranky.”

“My wife put me on this diet and took me off of bacon and eggs, so I apologoize if I come across as I’m not being kind,” Smith said.

• Lawmakers are in brainstorm mode this month to come up with ideas to address the state’s $1.7 billion shortfall for 2017-19. The House Revenue Committee has come up with “a plethora ideas,” said Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, as he waited for an appointment with his colleague, Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton.

“I don’t think Phil Barnhart has ever seen a tax he didn’t like,” quipped Kruse Dec. 12, referring to the committee’s chairman, a Democrat from Eugene.

• Rep. Betty Komp’s wit didn’t miss a beat Wednesday, Dec. 14, when the Democrat from Woodburn and other members of the Emergency Board were discussing testing for lead in water supplies at public schools.

“Do we have a definition of what constitutes a fixture?” asked Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.

“That’s you,” Komp inserted quickly.

Smith, who recently was elected to his 10th consecutive term, blushed and responded “On that note…”

“This could get worse. A lot worse,” another lawmakers interjected, amid boisterous laughter.

“This is our final hearing (before the 2017 legislative session), and I would like to say that was a nice shot,” said House Minority Leader Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte.

Smith later said his concern about the definition of fixture stemmed from reports that the Oregon Department of Education had refused to reimburse schools for testing water for lead from garden hoses, where some atheletes drink water during practice.

• The joint legislative Committee on Transportation Preservation and Modernation, a 14-member group charged with proposing a transportation package in 2017, reflected Dec. 13 on some of the main messages they heard during an 11-stop tour of the state to identify transportation needs and hear from taxpayers.

“I’m going to keep my comments very brief because I anticipate the Senate is going to take a couple of hours,” said Rep. Greg Smith, R-Heppner.

Senators on the committee appeared to take the remark to heart. They kept their comments short.

The theme lawmakers said they heard most was the desire for more public transit options.