A look at the past week in the Oregon Legislature

SALEM, Ore. (AP) - The 2015 legislative session is getting busier as the July 11 deadline to adjourn approaches. Here’s a look at some of the highlights of the past week in the Oregon Legislature:

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IMPEACHMENT

As ethical questions surrounded former Gov. John Kitzhaber and his fiancee, Cylvia Hayes, earlier this year, state lawmakers discovered that Oregon was the only state that doesn’t allow legislators to remove the governor from office. That would change under a proposed constitutional amendment that would give the House the power to impeach statewide elected officials, with a trial to be conducted in the Senate. This week, the House voted to send the question to voters in the 2016 election. It’s now awaiting action in the Senate.

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KICKER

Democratic Rep. Tobias Read introduced a longshot bill that would cancel anticipated “kicker” tax rebates and use that money instead for education and the state’s reserve fund. Read’s bill would require bipartisan support, and Republicans are showing no interest in cooperating. Economists project that Oregonians will get more than $470 million worth of tax rebates next year because the state collected more than expected in taxes.

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GUNS

The state Senate backed a measure making it harder for people with a conviction or restraining order for domestic violence to keep guns. In a rare display of bipartisanship on gun rights, senators approved the measure 24-6. About half of the Senate Republicans got on board after Democrats agreed to scale back the bill from its original scope.

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CONVERSION THERAPY

A signature from the nation’s first bisexual governor made Oregon the third state to ban so-called “gay conversion therapy.” Gov. Kate Brown signed a bill that makes it illegal for social workers or licensed mental health professionals to practice therapies that purport to change the sexual orientation of children younger than 18.

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FISH FEUD

The Senate confirmed two of Brown’s appointments to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, including one who drew vocal opposition from recreational fishing interests. Bruce Buckmaster of Astoria owned a salmon feed company, and he is a supporter of the commercial gillnet fishing industry. Commercial and sport fishers have long battled over Columbia River fishing policy.

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MARIJUANA

After a joint House-Senate committee deadlocked on changes to the medical marijuana program designed to limit leakage of drugs to the black market, Senate President Peter Courtney created a special committee comprised only of senators. The special panel adopted the medical marijuana changes, but the bill is still viewed skeptically in the House.

Meanwhile, the joint committee began discussions about the new recreational marijuana program, approved by voters last year. Lawmakers signaled plans to debate creating a sales tax for marijuana, which would replace the originally planned tax on growers.