Oregon lawmakers set legislative agenda with over 2,300 bills introduced on first day
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Oregon lawmakers had a busy Tuesday morning during the first day of the 83rd state legislature.
Legislators set their priorities on everything from housing to education and transportation as part of this year's agenda.
In total, 2,300 bills were introduced by lawmakers with more expected on the way. Not all of them will make it out of committee or head to the floor for a vote.
Two years ago, the legislature passed about 650 bills in the last long session.
The Oregon House and Senate convened shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday morning. It was mostly housekeeping, confirming committee assignments and reading the thousands of bills into the record.
Governor Tina Kotek and the legislature's major priority this session is housing and homelessness, specifically getting more affordable housing built.
Other major agenda items this session include education funding, government accountability, mental health and a transportation package that could reach more than $5 billion.
KOIN 6 News Political Director Ken Boddie talked with legislative leaders about transportation issues on the latest episode of Eye on Northwest Politics that aired over the weekend.
"If you think about the challenges facing our transportation system, we've got potholes, we've got congestion. We've got people who are paying more for the wear and tear on their vehicles because of poor road surface conditions, we've got a lot of parts of this state who don't have sidewalks or crosswalks. These are all problems throughout our system that the transportation package is designed to address," Democrat House Majority Leader Rep. Ben Bowman said.
Kotek has proposed a $39.3 billion budget. The Joint Ways and Means Committee will decide which agencies and local governments get a piece of that pie.
Democrats have a distinct advantage in this year's legislature, with at least a 60% supermajority in both houses. This will allow them to pass revenue-raising legislation without Republican votes.
The Democrats have 36 out of the 60 seats in the House and 18 out of the 30 seats in the Senate. But Democratic leadership says they will work with the Republican minority to craft the best legislation.
Meanwhile, committee work is starting. Committees meeting on the first day included those focused on education, climate, healthcare and transportation.
There are 19 new faces in the Oregon legislature: 11 new representatives and eight new senators.
They've got plenty of time to get accustomed to things. This is the long legislative session that happens every two years. It goes until June 30.