When the Legislature convenes in January, Oregon will have a Democratic governor, a Republican-controlled House and an evenly divided Senate. How this will affect Oregon government, however, has yet to be seen.
After prolonged attempts to resolve the state budget crisis resulted in five special legislative sessions last year, some are anticipating that the Senate’s shift from a 16-14 Republican majority to a 15-15 tie could make matters worse.
Experts, however, say the political makeup of the Legislature is not necessarily a reliable indicator of things to come.
University political science Professor Jerry Medler, who teaches a course in Oregon government, said the dynamics of the Legislature depend more on individuals than political affiliations.
Medler said the divided Senate could result in more gridlock, but that the added balance of power could have the opposite effect.
“You might get better compromises and better deals out of a divided government,” he said.
Brenda Erickson, a senior research analyst with the National Conference on State Legislatures in Denver, said because the American political process is structured around majority rule, a divided chamber sometimes has to change the way it does business.
“It’s not going to be their preferred method of doing things,” she said.
Erickson said a division of power can diminish the importance of partisanship, which often results in better legislation being passed. Although people anticipate gridlock in such a situation, it often doesn’t materialize, she added.
“Normally the reaction is, ‘Well, it turned out better than we thought,’” she said.
Michael Redding, associate vice president of governmental affairs for the University, said the division of power may have an effect on the way the Legislature operates.
“Compromise is always part of the process, but I think it’s going to be more critical next session,” he said.
Redding echoed Medler’s contention that the increased necessity of compromise may actually encourage bipartisan coalitions, which he said could make the Legislature more effective.
Either way, Redding said the University’s approach to the state government does not change based on the
composition of the Legislature.
“Higher education is not a partisan issue,” he said.
Erickson said that whatever problems may arise as a result of the split, the government must find a way to work through them.
“Legislatures always get their work done,” she said. “They have to.”