Rob Wagner

Once considered one of the most progressive legislative leaders in the country, Kotek has spent the last year preaching pragmatism over ideology. She's called for loosening the state’s vaunted land-use policies, sent more police to the city of Portland, touted the need for tighter drug laws, passed major business subsidies, and called for a freeze on taxes.

After nearly 10 hours of negotiations over the weekend, top lawmakers arrived at a tentative framework for rescuing the 2023 session. Both sides stress a deal hasn't been made.

One thing that is clear is that hope for an end to the five-week walkout has been rekindled in recent days partly because of a friendship between two lawmakers: Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland.

Lawmakers have fewer than three weeks left to work through their differences.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats did not say how they plan to bill their colleagues, what would happen if Republicans don’t pay nor where the money would go.

With both parties unwilling to budge on a bill tackling abortion and transgender care, the 2023 session appears stuck.

Lawmakers boycotting this session created a new political committee to raise money off the walkout. That money can't be used to challenge a new law that could bounce them from office.

Gov. Tina Kotek has not been able to convince Republican lawmakers to return to Salem.

A total of 10 senators have now accrued 10 unexcused absences, meaning they cannot hold office next term.

Oregonians would see a record $5.5 billion kicker rebate under a newly released revenue forecast.

The Republican boycott of the state Senate showed no signs of dissipating on Tuesday, as yet another state lawmaker hit 10-unexcused absences. Last November, voters passed a measure to try to put an end to legislative walkouts. But clearly it hasn’t worked.

With weekend negotiations proving fruitless, three senators will now be blocked from running for reelection.