Following a deal cut on Thursday evening to gain bipartisan support for the omnibus wildfire bill being considered by Oregon’s Legislature, lawmakers in
Kristyna Wentz-Graff
Originally published on June 26, 2021 7:18 pm
Oregon lawmakers put a bow on an unprecedented five-month legislative session Saturday, passing major bills on clean energy, wildfire prevention and police reform before adjourning their chambers for a final time.
After breaking early Friday to some legislators’ dismay, the Legislature spent Saturday hustling more than 50 bills in quick succession. In a session that had sometimes been marked by rancor, lawmakers closed out in collegial and lighthearted fashion some of them notably dressed down for the affair in shorts and novelty t-shirts.
Carrying on a Capitol tradition, legislators in the House and Senate opened their chamber doors shortly after 5:30 pm, waving at each other across a Capitol rotunda that has remained eerily empty for more than a year as a final resolution adjourning the session “sine die” passed in the House.
Beginning next year, Oregon voters will be able to drop their ballot in the mail on Election Day without worrying it will be rejected, under a bill that