A Tale Of Two (Or Three) Sessions

Capitol Currents:

Oregon's brief 2012 legislative session won't get underway until February 1st. But lawmakers to our north in Olympia kicked things off today for a 60-day session that could have its share of drama. My colleague Austin Jenkins reports that Washington state lawmakers could be taking on some thorny policy matters.  In Oregon, on the other hand, the conventional wisdom is that the 35-day session that's on tap this year will be too short to take on anything beyond budget matters (which could be tricky enough as it is.)Of course, during the last "off-year" session in Oregon, lawmakers duked it out over the non-fiscal issue of banning the chemical BPA in children's beverage containers. That effort fell short, but came back with force in the 2011 regular session...before falling short once again. But it just goes to show that anytime lawmakers come to Salem, all bets are off.Meanwhile, lawmakers in Idaho also came back to town today. Our public radio friends in Boise have put together the "Ultimate Guide on the Economy for Idaho's 2012 Legislative Session."

Read the full article here. Discuss below.