By Terry Murry on Wednesday, December 11th, 2024 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM โ Oregon lawmakers gathered in the capitol this week for a final series of interim legislative hearings prior to Thursdayโs 2024 Special Session called by Gov. Tina Kotek to deal with an estimated $220 million debt accrued during the most recent wildfire season.
Sen. Bill Hansell (R-Athena) retires at the end of the year, but he has one more job to do. Heโs been named to the Senate Interim Committee on Wildfire Funding. Rep. Bobby Levy (R-Echo) is on the House of Representativeโs committee with the same goal.
Hansell said that heโs glad Kotek decided to call for a special session to cover the cost as quickly as possible. His committee consists of six senators from each party.
โI think itโs wise that theyโre doing it now instead of waiting for the 2025 session to begin,โ Hansell said. โWe need to take care of this yearโs season before we find ourselves in the middle of wildfires in 2025.โ
The senate president agreed.
โWe have a responsibility to pay our bills to the brave individuals who helped protect our homes and property during this terrible wildfire season,โ Sen. Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) said.
Meanwhile, Hansell said that while he will no longer be in office in 2025, he will be watching and hoping the Oregon Legislature works on a permanent way of funding the cost of fighting wildfires.
โSen. Elizabeth Steiner brokered a bill last year that deals with that, but the leadership did not move it forward,โ he said. โI hope they revisit that.โ Steiner wonโt be around to push it through. She has been elected state treasurer.