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--> --> The session: high jinx and a few OK bills The gavel fell on Oregon's 71st Legislative Session at 5:15 Saturday morning. It concluded when lawmakers found themselves with idle hands in the pre-dawn hour, and resorted to a rubber band fight. Evidently, it's a tradition. It was a legislative session that was marked by senators and representatives in leadership roles grousing about the lack of seasoned judgment and experience in both houses - a function of term limits. "You have bright young people who don't understand how to operate in this environment," House Speaker Marks Simmons said. These upstarts were likely confused and startled by the rubber band barrage. How were they to know, being of such a tender political age, that this was the way things operate. This was also the session marked by the Demo-walkout, a successful tactic that thwarted a Republican-backed redistricting plan. Irate Republicans hired a private investigation firm - at taxpayer's expense - to hunt down the scoundrels. Shockingly, none were found. Despite the shenanigans, there were positive aspects of the session. Gov. Kitzhaber's prescription drug cost-cutting plan - dubbed "the formulary" - rammed through both houses on the final day. The legislature passed a bill to strengthen animal abuse laws, approved a bill to expand a child care tax credit, raised the speed limit to 70, held the line on the $5.2 billion school budget, and provided over $1 million for breast cancer medical assistance and treatment to low-income women. Legislative inaction also played a role as lawmakers recognized the power shortages and price spikes that have plagued California as a result ot the state's electricity deregulation, and put Oregon's deregulation on hold for at least five months. On the negative side, House Republicans managed to curtail campaign finance by hiding the bill in someone's desk drawer, to be dealt with at a later time - like never. Also, politicos continued to provide tax relief to the least needy taxpayers - an act that, according to the Oregon AFL-CIO, will come back to haunt future legislators. Perhaps the session is best summed up by the last-minute passing of SB885, which establishes a Pain Management Commission to educate health care professionals on dealing with aches and anguish. This comes just in time for Oregonians who suffered through the session with a nagging, posterior pain that just wouldn't go away. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing