The 2009 legislative session is over in Oregon and state senators and representatives are returning to their "real" lives. Some northern Willamette Valley area legislators are satisfied with the way they made it through a tough session and think the Legislature did the best it could. But for others, going home marks defeat.

"I'm very disappointed," said Rep. Vic Gilliam (R-Molalla, Silverton). "It's always an honor to be there on behalf of my constituents ... it's an important place (and) I respect my colleagues, but in the end I think we did a great deal of harm."

"Our district was hammered this session," Sen. Brian Boquist (R-Dallas) said, naming environmental bills that will limit timber and farming operations, the reduction of field burning, and tax increases he said would hit small businesses hard. "Businesses are leaving Oregon now. This is a depression."

"I can't say it was all bad -- there were some good things that passed -- but I think overall it was pretty negative for the economy," Rep. Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer) agreed.

Democrats are more likely to cast the Legislature's work in a favorable light.

Sen. Martha Schrader (D-Canby) said she thinks the Legislature moved in the right direction. "I think it was one of the harshest sessions we've had ... (but) I'm hopeful that our constituency sees what we had to do as historic."

"I am very proud of all we accomplished this session," Rep. Betty Komp (D-Woodburn) added. "(We) made strategic investments in transportation, capital construction, health care and energy efficiency which will result in maintaining thousands of jobs in Oregon."

In a year that saw a plummeting economy and skyrocketing unemployment, the session came to revolve around and be defined by legislators' efforts to balance and pass a state budget. The Democratic majority achieved this by making about $2 billion in cuts and pushing through more than $800 million in new taxes, mostly on corporate and personal income. Minority Republicans fought the tax hikes and proposed their own programs, a Back to Basics budget that focused on funding core services and making use of ending funds balances and a Main Street Incentive Plan that would generate revenue through investments and business tax decreases.

Republicans say that beyond not being implemented, their ideas weren't even considered.

"A lot of good things Republicans were suggesting didn't get looked at seriously, such as the Main Street plan or Back to Basics budget," Thatcher said.

"We weren't even given two seconds," Gilliam added. "That was the saddest thing for me, that they couldn't even take some pieces of our plan."

"It was amazing to me how many bills that would've actually stimulated job growth would not move," said Rep. Matt Wingard (R-Wilsonville). He said the Main Street program would have added thousands of jobs and the Whopper federal timber plan would have added many logging jobs if fully implemented. "We have the worst economic situation ... and the leg was in session for almost six months and did precious little to address that. They seemed to address anything but that."

Komp said she thinks the job and economic recovery bills passed will be effective in helping the economy recover. "This has been a critical session for Oregon's future," she said. "I am proud to say that my colleagues and I worked collaboratively and reached across the aisle to accomplish our most difficult tasks."

Although Schrader agreed that the Legislature took effective measures to help the state, she thinks there could have been more collaboration across the political fence. "There were lots of arguments about how we should move forward with this economy ... and I think that we came out with a good (budget) product, but yes, I think there were some pieces that could have been looked at more closely," she said. "I'd like to see (the Legislature) become less partisan. People still kind of get caught up about whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, and that's a waste of time. We need to be working on crafting solutions."

Schrader said that while the Legislature worked together adequately "under the circumstances," there is always room for improvement. Area Republicans, however, seemed to think working together was something the Legislature did well.

"We get along, we just have to agree to disagree on certain things," Thatcher said. "We're still marching to the same tune 70-plus percent of the time."

"They are nice people to work with," Gilliam said. "I know they care about their districts. I know they care about Oregon."

"This is probably the most cordial and personally respectful legislative session that I have seen, and that's a testament to leaders on both sides," Wingard added.

"I think for the most part it was quite bi-partisan," said Rep. Bill Kennemer (R-Oregon City). "I think most of us understood that we had an economic crisis and we had to work together, and we ... worked together and we worked hard."

Ultimately, Democrat legislators think the Legislature pulled through a tough session well, and Republicans are heartily wishing for more numbers on their side.

"We continued to put Oregon's children and families first during these tough economic times," Komp said. "(We) focused on providing jobs to rebuild our economy, protecting families facing tough times and preparing for a brighter future."

"You'll always have folks who are going to be the naysayers. I do think the Legislature tried with good intent to change things," Schrader added.

"It was an interesting session, (but) ... the pendulum swung quite a ways to the left," Thatcher said. "Hopefully it will come back to the middle."