Oregon lawmakers are weeks away from this year's short, month-long legislative session, which will focus on fine-tuning the state budget and tackling perennial priorities like transportation.

The big picture: Portland-area state legislators told Axios they expect to spend much of the session crafting policies in response to President Trump's actions as well — like countering federal funding cuts and increased immigration enforcement.

Between the lines: Shortly after lawmakers approved Oregon's two-year budget last June, Trump signed his massive spending and tax cuts package, which is expected to reduce the money coming into the state's general fund by $890 million this cycle.

• The Legislature will look to fill that hole when the session starts next month.

Here's what else we're watching:

Federal pushback: Rep. Willy Chotzen will introduce a bill building off Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield's work in court to safeguard federal funds for the state.

• Chotzen told Axios his bill would allow Oregon to withhold payments to the federal government if it unlawfully withholds money from Oregon in violation of a future court order.
• Plus: He's backing a Democratic-led package expanding immigrant protections and limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. It would require schools to notify families when ICE is on campus and ensure law enforcement officers are clearly identifiable and unmasked.

Housing and renters: Sen. Khanh Pham is focused on addressing Oregon's chronic shortage of affordable housing with a bill that would establish a revolving loan fund with lower-interest, short-term construction loans for mixed-income developments.

• Another of her priorities is to guarantee "the right for tenants to opt out of landlords' electronic portals for housing applications and monthly rent checks" in order to ensure accessibility for seniors and Oregonians with disabilities, while limiting online processing fees.

Workers' rights: Rep. Travis Nelson said his pair of bills this session aim to strengthen workplace protections for people with disabilities and require employers to pay out earned vacation when a job ends.

Health care: Rep. Rob Nosse said he plans to introduce bills to change how Medicaid payment rates are set for coordinated care organizations and to phase out Oregon's long-standing "prioritized list" for treatments to comply with new federal coverage rules.

Share this story

We Portlanders love our books, so we've been waiting to see which titles Multnomah County residents checked out the most from our libraries last year.

Why it matters: The annual roundup offers a glimpse into our reading habits — and perhaps provides a bit of inspiration for anyone looking to build their next list of must-reads.

Top titles in physical books

• "James: A Novel" by Percival Everett (1,089 checkouts)
• "Tilt: A Novel" by Emma Pattee (1,059 checkouts)
• "The God of the Woods" by Liz Moore (1,004 checkouts)

Top titles in physical books for teens

• "Sunrise on the Reaping" by Suzanne Collins (507 checkouts)
• "The Blue Line Letters" by Steven Christiansen (338 checkouts)
• "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas (217 checkouts)

Top titles in physical books for kids

• "The Thank You Book" by Mo Willems (636 checkouts)
• "Pigs Make Me Sneeze!: An Elephant & Piggie Book" by Mo Willems (625 checkouts)
• "My New Friend Is So Fun!" by Mo Willems (611 checkouts)

Top titles in digital checkouts

• "Solito" by Javier Zamora (10,006 checkouts)
• "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer (7,835 checkouts)
• "Onyx Storm" by Rebecca Yarros (6,320 checkouts)

Fun fact: The No. 2 book for physical checkouts — "Tilt" — details an expectant mother's journey across an apocalyptic Portland in the aftermath of a major earthquake.

• The novel, whose author lives in Portland, helped spur the conversation that led to long-awaited seismic upgrades at schools around the city.

Tell a book worm

🪖 Hundreds of National Guard troops in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago have been demobilized and will return home, the U.S. Northern Command said. (OPB)

🛏️ A new 140-bed overnight shelter opened in Portland's Buckman neighborhood this week — down the street from the longstanding CityTeam shelter — and requires guests to be sober when they arrive. (The Oregonian)

🍔 Popular smash burger restaurant Sure Shot Burgers is opening a brick-and-mortar location just a few feet away from where its food cart sits now on Northeast 42nd Ave. The owners said the move will allow them to expand their menu and offer booze. (Eater Portland)

⚖️ Nathan Vasquez, Multnomah County's district attorney, said his office will start pursuing drug possession charges against those who fail to "meaningfully engage" with the county's drug deflection program. (KGW)

Maximizing time off in 2026 is possible with a PTO strategy that turns scattered days off into longer breaks.

Why it matters: Many Americans feel guilty using vacation time, but research shows that unplugged time away from work (not just "quiet vacationing") is linked to better well-being and reduced burnout.

Here's how to get the most out of vacation days by combining them with federal holidays and weekends.

Around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, take off:

• Take Friday, Jan. 16, or Tuesday, Jan. 20

(4-day break)

Around Presidents Day, take off:

• Friday, Feb. 13, or Tuesday, Feb. 17

(4-day break)

Around Memorial Day, take off:

• Friday, May 22, or Tuesday, May 26

(4-day break)

Around Juneteenth, take off:

• Thursday, June 18

(4-day break)

Around the Fourth of July (observed July 3), take off:

• Thursday, July 2, or Monday, July 6

(4-day break)

Plan for the rest of the year

At long last, the first major snow storm is set to pummel the Cascades today and tomorrow.

A pair of frontal systems will bring snow that is measured in feet instead of inches to Mount Hood and other Cascade peaks through the end of the week.

• A winter storm warning is in effect for Mount Hood through tomorrow evening with 14 to 20 inches of new snow today, another 7 to 11 inches overnight and 4 to 8 more inches the next.
• All told, mountain passes and above could see between 2 and 4 feet of new snow before skies clear on Friday.

Plus: This comes after Portland saw its warmest December on record.

• Happy shredding fellow snow enthusiasts!