The Oregon Legislature’s main web page says that regular sessions usually last about six months. The last few years, that’s been a little embarassingly optimistic for sessions running from January into August. This year, remarkably, it was an over-long estimate – this session, adjourned shortly after noon today, ran not a lot more than five months. As widely noted, this was the shortest regular session in a dozen years.
We should note here as well the other departures mentioned at the Statehouse this week. In addition to Senate Majority Leader Kate Brown, about whom we’ve blogged earlier, Blue Oregon cited three more indicated from today’s floor sessions: Senator Avel Gordly (currently an independent from Portland) and Representatives Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village, a former House speaker) and Donna Nelson (R-McMinnville, one of the chamber’s most colorful characters) also indicated they were opting out.
(Politically? Gordly’s seat likely will revert to a Democrat; Minnis’ may well go Democratic; Nelson’s probably but not definitely will stay Republican.)
And Senator Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, is apparently the first in the race for secretary of state in 2008. (Running in mid-term, she would retain her Senate seat if unsuccessful.)
A side note: Don’t be surprised if the next couple of weeks doesn’t unplug a bunch of announcements on hold while the session lasted.
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