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State Rep. Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, finds himself squarely in the center of the ring as the House Majority Leader. Just like he always dreamed. Well, almost anyway.

Determined not to have their top players pilfered by other schools, states are busy passing laws to enhance the “Name, Image, Likeness” playing field for their state’s schools, while also insulating them from being sanctioned for their efforts by the governing body of college sports, the NCAA.

With 300 bills to work and five weeks to do the work, the short session is a frenzy of activity where legislators are warned that evenings are considered working hours. The first work session posting deadline was Feb. 12, and any bill that isn’t heard by Feb. 19 is dead. The next deadlines come in quick succession the following weeks and the entire session will wrap no later than March 10.

Lynn Peterson has consistently performed, moving from transportation planner to county commissioner to state transportation director to Metro President. She has made the right play call over the years, demonstrated by her electoral success on the political field. Now, she is playing in a new league, and it may not be the best fit. Peterson is in a competitive three-way battle in the May Democratic Primary for the 5th Congressional District against seasoned veterans Janelle Bynum and Jamie McLeod-Skinner.

In a forest of legislators, the majority of whom hadn’t yet been planted in their seats three years ago, Rep. Paul Holvey (D-Eugene) stands like an obelisk of petrified wood. Serving nearly two decades in the House of Representatives, he is eclipsed only by Rep. Greg Smith (R-Heppner) in seniority in the chamber. This week, Holvey faces a recall election, composed and orchestrated by one of his long-time allies: the United Food & Commercial Workers union.

Mike may have been a quiet leader but his integrity and loyalty never wavered. He pushed management, often unsuccessfully, for maintaining a high standard of journalism quality. Through the highs and lows, he remained true to his impeccable standards and to his friends.

The 2023 Eastern Oregon Economic Summit brought together about 280 business leaders, farmers, manufacturers, candidates, legislators, and state and local elected officials in Union County on August 3-4 to learn about the opportunities and challenges facing the expansive and diverse region.

The City Council voted this week to impose a payroll tax on all employees and independent contractors “for work performed within the Salem city limits.” The ordinance particularly calls out employees of the “State of Oregon” and “any political subdivision of the state.”

It was a turbulent flight that ended with a rough landing, but the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session safely set down on Sunday as both chambers adjourned on the last possible day.

There were rumblings of movement on the ongoing Senate Republican Caucus walkout last week, but still no clear path to a finish line of the 2023 Legislative Session before sine die. While Democrats in the Senate continue to look for ways to coerce or demand Republicans’ return to the floor, their colleagues in the House have nearly completed their work and may call their own sine die before June 25.

The political stalemate in the Oregon Senate is showing no signs of breaking in time for a normal conclusion to the 2023 Legislative Session. If anything, leadership is moving further away from resolution by the day.

The sprint toward the finish line begins this week in the Oregon Legislature, but nobody is quite sure where the finish line will be.

Now an 11-year veteran of the Oregon Senate, Sen. Elizabeth Steiner keeps her own firm grip on the legislative process as co-chair of the powerful Ways & Means Committee. And she gets plenty of hands extended from all the new friends her position attracts.

Democrats and Republicans alike continue to counter each other’s tactics to grind the legislative process down to a crawl. From a robotic voice to read bills to the Flesch Kincaid Reading Test to calculating how many days they can stay away from Senate proceedings to deny a quorum, the ultimate game plan of either party is unknown. Crystal clear, however, is that the sand in the hourglass on this constitutionally restricted session is sifting quickly.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan was thrust into the media spotlight last week when it was revealed she has been moonlighting as a consultant for a cannabis company that has been under legal and political fire in Oregon.

After two weeks of full floor sessions, legislators returned their focus to committees last week as they began ramping up for the second committee deadlines. These next two weeks will be critical as bills must be posted for a work session by May 5 and heard by May 19 as we prepare for the final push.

Oregon’s Legislature has hit the two-month warning mark, and the fans are getting restless. First downs are critical to keeping the chains moving on the remaining bills moving toward the goal line. But Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas) is not panicking. She trusts her training and her preparation. Forty miles to the South in Eugene, her son Ellis has taken a page from her playbook. He is a freshman running back for the University of Oregon football team.

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is set to begin tolling bridges in the South Metro area next year and then install additional per-mile tolls all along I-5 and I-205. That adds up to about 40 or more tolls motorists will face when they utilize the not-so-freeways in the Portland area.

Students today face a more complex world, especially in navigating the tar pits of personal finance, asset management, and risk aversion. Oregon has not required a semester of personal finance in a quarter of a century in public high schools. Financial literacy has been in a decades-long courtship with the Oregon Legislature, only to see the nuptials continuously disrupted on the altar by Sine Die. This session, fueled by legislative leadership, teachers, school board members, and committed advocates, we may finally witness the tying of the knot.

At 73 years old, Kevin Mannix is an unlikely rookie in the 82nd Oregon Legislative Assembly. But as Pappy Van Winkle is to bourbon, Mannix is a scarcity among legislators across the country. Both were aged 23 years. The last time he patrolled the legislative chamber Bill Clinton was president, and flip phones were all the rage. Why come off the shelf now?

Health care isn’t something younger people think about much. Like retirement savings, it’s often something you put off for later. Then, out of nowhere comes the wake-up call. I got mine earlier this month.

Two remarkable careers will take their final curtain call in January 2023, bringing an end to a political performance that has run on Oregon’s biggest stage for almost two decades.