City Club to preview historic legislative session
Democratic leaders will address the economy, wildfires, racial justice and the pandemic economy.
The Oregon Legislature has barely started and it s already looking to be very unusual session, with the pandemic driving much of the agenda and scrambling longtime traditions.
Because of the coronavirus and more recently the anti-lockdown protesters who invaded the Capitol during a Dec. 21 special session the 160 days scheduled for the 2021 session will be like no other.
On Monday, Jan. 25, Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, will headline a moderated State of the Capitol virtual discussion hosted by the nonprofit City Club of Portland to preview what Oregonians should expect. Media sponsors for the event are XRAY.FM and Pamplin Media Group.
Originally published on January 22, 2021 6:25 am
In normal times, the first day of the legislative session would find the hallways of the Oregon state Capitol flooded with people lobbyists, legislative assistants, the public, reporters.
But these are not normal times.
Instead of being a place of bustling energy, the halls of the state Capitol held silence on Tuesday, the first official day of the 2021 session. Lawmakers delayed gathering after heeding warnings from law enforcement that violent demonstrations could coincide with the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The Oregon state Capitol’s first-floor windows were boarded up.
The last-minute delay of legislative action is a fitting beginning for a session lawmakers expect to be more focused on responding to urgent crises than pursuing sweeping policy agendas.
Oregon legislative leaders focused largely on logistical issues in a press briefing on Friday, but said their general priorities for the 2021 session are pandemic and wildfire recovery and racial equity.