Gideon John Tucker was an American lawyer, newspaper editor and politician whose enduring claim to fame is writing these words in 1866: “No man’s life, liberty or property are safe while the Legislature is in session.”

You might have thought those words were uttered by Mark Twain — but this apparently is among the numerous “Twain” aphorisms that, over time, have been mistakenly attributed to him. (Twain, of course, was good enough on his own that he has little need of burnishing his reputation by swiping, even posthumously, the words of others.)

In any event, as you know, the Oregon Legislature is in session, even though it might be a little too early to fully assess potential threats to life, liberty and property that might emerge from the Capitol. Neverthless, the session offers a number of intriguing storylines, and one of them in particular is of interest to Eastern Oregon: Will legislative leaders and Gov. Tina Kotek follow up on their earlier promises to keep the needs of rural Oregonians in mind?

That question has taken on increased urgency in the wake of increasingly gloomy budget forecasts. Legislative leaders have proposed a spending framework that calls for spending less than Kotek called for in her budget. And this is the point in the session at which promising bills are being referred to the powerful Joint Committee on Ways and Means, which will have a big say in which ones get funded. Some of those bills may emerge penniless: Nice try. Thanks for playing. See you next session, maybe.

That’s why we’re keeping a close eye on legislative measures that have special interest to Wallowa County, including a bill that potentially could help with the county’s housing crunch and another one that would help fund the costs of connecting Oregon to a hotline designed to offer immediate and confidential help to farmers, ranchers and foresters dealing with stress.

Another measure, which reporter Bill Bradshaw will report on in Wednesday’s edition of the Chieftain, involves the compensation to ranchers who have lost livestock to wolf depredation. 

One of the intriguing factors here is that some of these initiatives tie in directly with the priorities that Kotek and lawmakers have set for this session, including housing and behavioral health. The Wallowa County housing bill, House Bill 3317, would create a county board to work on housing and workforce development; it calls for a $5 million investment from the state, which might seem pricey — until you consider that a successful Wallowa County effort could offer a blueprint for other rural counties as they tackle their own housing issues.

The bill that would help Oregon connect to the AgriStress Helpline, Senate Bill 955, should be an easier call for budget writers: With a price tag of just $300,000, it represents a stunning bargain in the effort to improve mental health in Oregon’s rural counties.

The Chieftain will continue to track these legislative issues — it’s part of our commitment to cover news involving Wallowa County to the best of our ability.

As always, if you have questions or comments about the Chieftain or story suggestions, send me an email at this address: mmcinally@wallowa.com. It sometimes takes me a few days to respond, but I try to answer every email.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the Chieftain’s subscribers: We simply would be unable to do this vital work without your support.