PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

Lawmakers at the Capitol are churning toward the end of the current legislative session and the process recalls fond and not-so-fond memories for me during the 25 years I worked as a state lobbyist.

My former colleagues in the firm CFM, now called CFM Advocates, have described the end this way:

“Legislative leaders are wrestling with a unique problem as they enter the final phase of budget deliberations.

“Simply put, they have too much money.  With a surprisingly rosy economic forecast and an influx of federal coronavirus relief funds, Oregon finds itself in a position to set aside large reserves, fully fund existing operations and invest in one-time projects and improvements across the state.

“The issue is that, with the perception of additional funds, comes an exponential increase in request for those funds.  So far, lawmakers have approved an additional $300 million for schools.  They are also preparing a massive $400-500 million investment package dedicated to addressing behavioral health, mental health and the homeless crisis.

“In addition, Houser Speaker Tina Kotek is championing $650 million toward affordable housing.  

“At the same time, lawmakers must dedicate funds to mitigate future wildfires while addressing the catastrophic damage from the 2020 wildfire season – and they are preparing to invest upwards of $920 million toward recovery efforts.

“Other one-time projects are gaining traction, like potentially expensive city water and wastewater investments totaling nearly $23 billion over the next two decades which lawmakers could buy down with upfront investments today and upwards of $200 million towards water infrastructure projects.”

See!  More money makes it hard to adjourn, given all the wish lists.

So, here is a quick summary of end-of-session memories for me:

ONE HOUR NOTICE:  A few days ago, legislative leaders enacted a typical end-of-session mechanism – requiring only a one-hour notice for meetings of committees.  Usually, the requirement is 24 hours.

The one-hour construct is meant to indicate that things are driving toward the end.  In the past, it meant that lobbyists like me walked the hallways to monitor bulletin boards to find out whether bills important to our clients had been scheduled or not.

Now, in a virtual legislature, lobbyists are not allowed in the building; nor are citizens.  Which means everyone has to check on-line sources to see the emerging one-hour notice schedule.

PACKING THE BUDGET:  When a legislature convenes in Salem, there is only one action that must be taken:  Approve a state budget that balances expenses with revenue.

Tough stuff for government.

For some good reasons – and some bad ones – the federal government has no such balanced budget construct.

In Oregon as a lobbyist who focused on state spending, the last few weeks of a session always involved a lot of to-ing and fro-ing over budget decisions.  I worked hard to find legislative champions involved in the Joint Ways and Means Committee processes to advance the cause of my clients.

Things usually come together at the end in what is called “the Christmas tree” budget bill.  The image is a reference to budget allocations that function as ornaments on a tree.

It always was a way to prompt – read “force” – legislators to agree to end the session.  Give them what they wanted in the way of spending — or say “no,” then adjourn.

For a lobbyist like me, waiting with baited-breath for the Christmas tree was a big deal.  For anything pending near the end, it was important to see whether your favored budget allocations for clients had made it or not. 

HOPING FOR “SINE DIE:”  Say what.  What is sine die?

Here’s how the dictionary defines the term:  “Something done sine die has no definite date or period to resume.  It’s legalese for “indefinitely,” and Latin for “without day.”  If a meeting ends with no set day to get back together, it’s adjourned sine die.”

As a lobbyist, when I saw sine die resolution produced in writing, I knew the end was near. 

At the moment, the sine die resolution for the current session is pending at the Capitol.

Did the Legislature do its job this session?  It’s too early to tell.  And, the judgment, of course, depends on your expectations, as well as your political perspectives.

A few weeks after the session we’ll be in a better position to judge success or failure of the 81^st Legislative Assembly.