LOC News
2023 Session Begins with Signs of Collaboration
The 2023 legislative session kicked off on Tuesday with an entirely new leadership group: Senate President Rob Wagner, House Speaker Dan Rayfield, and Governor Tina Kotek. In addition, the most recent election cycle resulted in some changes, specifically the Democratic party, while still in the majority, no longer has a super majority as the Republican Party made some gains in the House and Senate.
One of the interesting, or perhaps challenging, factors for this session will be the number of new legislators, with one-third of the Legislature turning over from the last full session in 2021. In addition, two-thirds of the legislative body have not worked together in-person since they were elected during the pandemic and worked in a virtual environment while serving in the Legislature.
The 2023 session started this week with a joint press conference that included House Republican Leader Vikki Breese-Iverson, House Speaker Dan Rayfield and House Majority Leader Julie Fahey, offering a possible sign of collaboration between lawmakers during the next six months. With several very difficult issues facing Oregon, a collaborative process between the chambers and party leadership will be critical.
During the press conference, both Republican and Democratic leaders presented shared top priorities, including homelessness, housing, and mental health outcomes. There will be more divisive issues facing leadership, but to start out the session focused on the issues that bring the parties together is a very important step toward a collaborative process and not something that has been seen in recent legislative sessions. For more details about the Democratic priorities, go here, and for details on the Republican priorities, go here.
Contact: Jim McCauley Legislative Director - jmccauley@orcities.org
Last Updated 1/20/23