Current Events: Oregon's 2022 Short Legislative Session

The 2022 Oregon Regular Legislative Session: What is the long and short of it?

On February 1, 2022, the Oregon Legislative Assembly returned to the Capitol building in Salem for a 35-day session of introducing, debating, and passing legislation, as well as making «budget adjustments». The Legislative Assembly, similar to the United States Congress, consists of two houses. There is the upper house, the Oregon State Senate, and the lower house, the Oregon House of Representatives. It was not that long ago, that these part time legislators would be back in their districts or at home, because 2022 is an even number year. Initially, the Oregon Constitution, in Section 10 of Article IV established that the Legislative Assembly would meet in a regular session once every two years. Since the late 1800’s, that meant that the legislature’s regular sessions occurred in odd-number years, like most states who followed the biennial legislative session calendar. Things changed with the approval of a statewide ballot in November of 2010.

Measure 71, The Oregon Legislature Annual Sessions Amendment, a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, was ratified by the voters with roughly sixty-eight percent of the vote. The measure amended the state Constitution to require a 160-day session for the Legislative Assembly in odd-numbered years and 35-day session even-numbered years. This change to the legislative calendar was a long time in the making. Two decades earlier voters rejected a similar measure and through the mid-2000’s legislators worked on, but could not agree to an annual structure. At the time of its ratification, Oregon was one of only five states left that had legislators meeting every other year.

As Measure 71 was being worked out in the legislature, a key component to the negotiations was the focus of the 35-day, ‘short’ session. Some argued that the short sessions should focus solely on budget adjustments and addressing emergency issues. This language was never included in the amendment itself, but a number of lawmakers still hold the view that these even-numbered sessions should limit its scope to addressing those issues, and not larger policy debates.

When reviewing the nearly three hundred introduced bills in this year’s legislative session, it is clear that many in the legislature hold a more expansive view on what could and should be covered in a short session. With bills ranging from Oregonians pumping their own gas, to school funding adjustments for those districts affected by past wildfires, to revamping overtime pay regulations for agricultural workers, the breadth of bills is as diverse as the state itself.

This week’s Current Events resources examine the 2022 Oregon Legislative Session, its short and long session origins and the bills that have been introduced. The resources shared provide information and context surrounding the Oregon Legislative Assembly. To see resources on last year’s Legislative session, check out our Current Event on the topic.

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Essential Questions, Vocabulary & Extend the Resources:

Where does the Oregon Legislature derive its power from?
What role does the Oregon Legislative Assembly play in the creation of new laws?
What roles do the OR House/Senate have in writing and ratifying bills? What role do committees play in the legislative process?
Why does the Oregon Legislature have a ‘long’ and ‘short’ session?
What are the pro’s and con’s associated with an annual legislative session? What are the pro’s and con’s associated with a biennial legislative session?
What role do citizens play in the Oregon legislative process?
In your opinion, does the current way Oregon creates law seem like the best system for the state? Explain.

Click here for a hardcopy of the Essential Questions & 2022 Legislative Session Vocabulary

Click here for a hardcopy of the Extend the Resources handout with suggested lesson activities and extensions