Local legislators will meet with the public tonight to discuss the recent legislative session and hear ideas about what needs to be done in Oregon.
The Oregon State Legislature meets every two years and finished its 2005 session in August.
Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, and Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner will be hosting the meeting.
Tori Klein, legislative assistant for Prozanski, said the meeting is a good chance to let people know where the legislature is going.
“This meeting is a time during the interim to talk to people and give a rundown of the legislative session and for people to give their input with legislative committee work coming up,” Klein said.
Legislators recently received their appointments to interim committees, and Klein hopes the meeting will allow the legislators to hear concerns from their constituents before committee work begins.
Klein also wants to remind people that legislators still work with the legislature between sessions.
“A lot of people feel that nothing happens during the interim,” Klein said, “but that’s just not true.”
The meeting has no specific agenda, which will allow people to bring up any issue of concern to them, Klein said.
Klein said she sees the people of Oregon as feeling disconnected from the legislature and hopes this meeting will start to give people a sense of inclusion in the process.
“It’s really important for people to come and know how the process is working and to influence policy in the state,” Klein said.
The meeting will be today at 7 p.m. at the Eugene Water and Electric Board training center.
-Chris Hagan