The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1919-02-14
RESUME OF WORK OF
OREGON LEGISLATURE
Road Legislation to Occupy
Both Houses Most Of
This Week.

--35 Measures Become Law--Minl-
mum Sentence Clause Removed
Red Flag Bill Passes--Budset Prun-
ed s1,sss,sso.72.
Salem.-Both houses resumed work
Monday after the usual weekend ad-
journment with two weeks In which \
to accomplish most of the real work.
While the various committees have
been busy whipping proposed legisla-
tion into shape and many measures of
minor Importance have received at
tention in either house.. none of the
big bills have passed.
Road Legislation, which overshad-
ows all other issues, will occupy most
Of the time Of both houses this week
The $1O,OO0,oOo road bond bill has
appeared after weeks Of contention in
the committee, and numerous paving
bills are ready for the legislative
grind. There is apparently little op-
position to the bonding bill, but some
of the other road bills are likely to
cause some vocal fireworks.
Eonding Bill Fellows Closely 1917 Bill.
In it's present form, the result of
nearly two weeks of consideration and
compromise the bond bill follows
closely the lines of the s6,0O0,000 bond
bill passed by the 1917 session and
referred to and approved by the peo-
Pile in the special election in June,
1917. Efforts to instruct the state
highway commission as to which roads
should first be completed have been
| overruled, inasmuch as members of
the commission have said they can
and will have work proceeding stimuli
taneously on wall the primary trunk
| roads. The main effort at first was
| to insist that the commission com
plete the Pacific highway before any
other. trunk line was touched. Those
advocating this demand have been
convinced that they can depend on
the commission dealing fairly by the
Pacific highway and that there are
other roads of Importance in Oregon
calling for speedy completion.
| No Consolidation Legislation.
Early in the session there was
some prospect Of consolidation legis-
lation, but it is new freely predicted
that all proposals for consolidation OF
the management Of state institutions
+ Will fail at this session. The depart
ment of agriculture bill, chief Of all
the measures proposed by the joint
consolidation committee, was defeated
] in the house after stormy debate,
and it is understood that other con-
solidation bills will be quietly con-
signed to the legislative scrap pile.
Reconstruction Legislation Unlikely.
| Apparently there will be no prac-
tical reconstruction legislation at this
session. Early in the session 1t was
roughly outlined what could be done
in reconstruction, such as road work,
irrigation, drainage and logged-off
lands and land settlement, but no one
attempted to combine these ideas into
workable programme. 1t has been
suggested that reconstruction com
mission be created to formulate legis-
lation to be presented at a special
session of the legislature.
l Fewer Bills introduced.
A record is being made by the Ore
gon legislature in curtailing the num-
ber Of bills introduced. Up to the
present time 220 measures have been
introduced in the senate, against 305
for the corresponding period of the
1917 session, while in the house AT
bills have been introduced, against
52s two years ago.
7 At the conclusion of the first four
, weeks Of the session, but 35 bills have
been signed by. the governor, 20 house
bills and IL from the senate. Many
more bills, however. have been sent
! up to the executive for consideration.
! Most of the bills passed SO far are OF
minor importance.
Minimum Sentence Law is Repealed
: Provision Is made for doing away
: with the minimum sentence law In
sending prisoners to the state peni
tentiary In bill By Representative
Sheldon, which passed the house. The
measure removes the minimum sen
! tence clause from all criminal laws
and provides that. when convict has
; served one-fourth of his term he may
} be paroled. If his record shows him
! to be deserving.
Another Of Sheldou's penitsntiary