Upbeat Oregon budget forecast surprises state lawmakers - Portland Business Journal bizjournals.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bizjournals.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, said the lower chamber will meet on Mondays and Tuesdays “to start moving some bills,” although daily floor sessions will not commence until April.
A 2020 file photo of an envelope containing a 2020 census letter. The COVID-19 pandemic and lawsuits around the every-ten-years population count is delaying the release of census results this year, creating challenges for Oregon lawmakers.
A six-month delay of U.S. Census data means lawmakers could miss their shot at redrawing legislative and congressional districts.
As they work to regain control of their oversight of key political maps this year, Oregon lawmakers are pulling in outside help.
In a brief hearing Friday, a legislative committee approved a motion to contract with the law firm Markowitz Herbold. The Legislature will pay the firm up to $100,000 to explore options for sidestepping constitutional deadlines that could shut it out of political redistricting. A petition before the state’s Supreme Court appears likely to follow, though no one quite knows what to expect.