The Oregon Legislature met for the first time Monday, with both the Democratic and Republican parties pushing for a bipartisan approach to education, the economy and legislative ethics.
Both parties have put forth similar platforms, supported by the state’s bullish economy and rising revenues, although they have differed on how to support them.
Nevertheless, the 2007 session began with a series of rule changes in the Senate and House.
The Oregon House first adopted new House rules that ban legislators from accepting lobbyist-sponsored free entertainment and meals, gifts that cost more than $10 and from accepting out-of-state travel or lodging.
The House also adopted 11 new rules that create a more transparent process for legislative procedure and that grant more power to the minority party. This includes a 72-hour notice for committee hearings and priority consideration for two bills by each member of the House.
House Speaker Jeff Merkley, D-Portland, said in a press release that the new rules are meant to make the House more transparent and collaborative, allowing all members “to use their voice on behalf of their constituents, regardless of their party affiliation.”
The Senate passed a resolution Monday that ends the legislature’s regular session on June 29 and creates a 20-day session in February. The House is expected to vote on the resolution this week or next week, said Clackamas County Democrat Dave Hunt, the new House Majority Leader.
The Democratic Party, which is in control of both the Oregon Senate and House for the first time in 16 years, put forward a “road map” of 12 proposals. They include a major focus on education, healthcare, government accountability, public safety and investment in renewable energy.
The Republicans, who lost control of the Oregon House in 2005, are working on passing a balanced budget and on issues such as creating a rainy day fund for future budget crises and on funding highway police, said Nick Smith, a spokesman for the House Republican Caucus. He said both parties want to see many of the same proposals put in place.
The Republicans are supportive of the bipartisan tone of the new legislature, Smith said.
“Certainly there is a change in strategy when you go from a majority to a minority,” Smith said. “As the loyal opposition, the House Republicans are prepared to work with the Democrats to address the issues facing the state.”
Hunt said the atmosphere in the legislature was very hopeful and optimistic, noting that the new legislators made it “a lot younger and a lot more moderate.”
“If you look at the House Democratic Caucus, it really is a group that represents Oregon,” Hunt said. “This is not swinging from the far right to the far left. This is swinging from the far right to the center.”
Both Republicans and Democrats have made education a large part of their platforms.
Senate Democrats and the governor have proposed more investment in K-12 education and increased funding for grants, such as the state-funded Oregon Opportunity Grant, which provides financial aid for college students.
Republicans have proposed looking at expanding access to higher education, and putting more focus on training programs for people who don’t attend college, Smith said.
State Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, who chairs the Senate Education and General Government committee, said it would meet Thursday to get an overview of what it should work on.
Oregon has not invested in education for a long time, and people are hungry for any type of investment, she said.
Walker said she hopes to make further investments for the Oregon Opportunity Grant and to lower the maximum income level so middle-class families can take advantage of it.
“Students have become priced out of education, unless they’re willing to go into debt for their lifetime,” Walker said. “I’m hoping that with this new Congress and this new investment, that we’re going to see changes across the board.”
However, both Democrats and Republicans split on the provisions in Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s budget for 2007-09, which put significant funding boosts to public education, health, policing and renewable energy development.
Education services received a hefty $8 billion funding boost, with $6.06 billion going to K-12 schools. The Oregon University System budget received an additional $41 million for campus operations and $594 million for construction and maintenance projects. Community colleges received $483 million.
Hunt said the budget is a blueprint and it will be changed as each funding component is reviewed and voted on in committees and by the House and Senate, but that it was the best governor’s budget that he’s seen in a long time.
However, the legislature should instead look for a sustainable budget that prioritizes spending and sets aside revenue for any future budget shortfall, Smith said.
“We were a little bit surprised about it, considering the state has $1.3 billion in new revenue,” Smith said. “The governor came out with a budget that spends every dime the state takes in, and then he wants to raise taxes to pay for even more things on his budget.”
Smith said there were problems with each tax increase the governor proposed, such as a tax on automobile insurance. He said each revenue measure would be judged on its merit, but that the party “really doesn’t like tax increases.”
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