Oregon Public Broadcasting

The special session of the Oregon Legislature that kicked off Monday may be short. But Democrats say they have big plans.

The majority party will focus on job creation and helping out the unemployed. But one of the Governor's priorities isn't gaining traction. Chris Lehman reports.

Democrats plan to extend unemployment benefits to 19,000 Oregonians who would otherwise lose their weekly checks.

They also plan to reward small businesses that create jobs with some kind of grant or low-interest loan.

One policy item that isn't rising to the top? Governor Ted Kulongoski's proposal that lawmakers refer to voters a plan to divert some of the kicker into a rainy day fund.

Democratic leaders in the Legislature haven't warmed up to the idea of asking voters to weigh in on the kicker this year.

Senate Majority Leader Richard Devlin says the time might not be right, coming so soon after last month's tax election.

Sen. Richard Devlin: “If we send it out to the ballot and it fails, it will probably be a number of bienniums before anybody else ever puts it back out onto the ballot again.”

Lawmakers say they're more likely to send a constitution amendment to voters asking them to make annual sessions the regular order of business from now on.