Democrats deliver - Top 10 accomplishments of the 2010 special legislative session

Legislators and committees introduced 215 House and Senate bills during the Legislative Special Session and 120 of those bills were passed by both chambers.  Here is a quick look at just 10 of the most important bills of the Special Session:

1. HB 3698 - BOOST Credit for Small Businesses:  Provides new loans and grants to small busineses that create new jobs and hire Oregonians.
2. SB 1017 - Streamlined Business Loans:  Increases access to loans from the Oregon Business Development Fund for land, buildings, equipment, machinery, and working capital.  Allows for quicker approval of loans less than $250,000.
3. HB 5100 - Employment Related Day Care (ERDC):  Adds $12.8 million to restore ERDC slots, benefitting 5,500 kids and 2,900 working families and keeping 1,800 care providers employed through the rest of the biennium. 
4. HB 3680 - Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC):  Reforms the BETC to protect jobs while adding stringent new controls to reduce costs and prevent abuses of the program.  BETC has created 1,800 direct jobs since 2006.
5. HB 3686 - Religious Free Exercise:  My bill to end religious discrimination in Oregon's classroom by repealing a 1923 KKK-inspired state law banning public school teachers from wearing religious clothing.  Also prohibits religious proselytizing in schools.
6. HB 3706 - Unlawful Trade Protections Act:  Gives Oregon consumers additional legal protections against unlawful trade practices by banks and other financial institutions.
7. HB 3655 - Unemployment Benefits Extension:  Extends benefits until mid-April to 19,000 unemployed Oregonians to make ends meet while they search for employment.
8. SB 5565 - Keeping Our Promise to Schools:  Allocates the full $200 million contingency for K-12 schools to guarantee the total of $6 billion pledged to our school kids for this biennium.
9. HB 3613 & SB 1059:  Protect Oregon's special coast by prohibiting oil or gas drilling in coastal waters for another 10 years.  Lays the groundwork for a cost-effective strategy to reduce greenhouse gases from transportation sources.
10. HB 3700 - Investing in Local Communities:  Allows our state, schools, and local governments to make deposits in Oregon credit unions (not just banks), where funds can be loaned to entrepreneurs and businesses to create jobs and strengthen our economy.