Oregon Public Broadcasting

Oregon lawmakers Monday convened a four-week special session.

One of the first orders of business is extending unemployment benefits to an estimated 19,000 Oregonians. That's how many whose benefits are set to expire soon.

Money for the six-week extension will come from the state's unemployment insurance fund.

Senate President, Democrat Peter Courtney, says it's one example of why he believes lawmakers need to meet on a regular basis.

Peter Courtney:  "We cannot take care of the needs of Oregonians every other year. We can't deal with the budget, and we can't take care of major policy issues."

Oregon is one of just five states where the Legislature doesn't typically meet every year. This is the second time lawmakers have tried a month-long special session.

They plan to ask voters to formally approve a change to the state constitution in order to make annual sessions permanent.