Like 90 Cinderallas rushing to beat the clock that will turn the Capitol into the political equivalent of a pumpkin, the Oregon Legislature was furiously working the past week to avoid a do-or-die Sunday night deadline.

The Oregon Constitution mandates that the 60-member House and 30-member Senate adjourn no later than 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. If the gavels of the Senate President and House Speaker don’t end it, the sweep of the second hand on the clock will.

Though Friday night, the finish line seemed in reach as lawmakers passed hundreds of bills on consecutive days.

The issues were headspinning as they whooshed by on the vote tally boards. Outlawing personal possession of fentanyl, upgrading ventilation in public schools, access to drugs for recovery for HIV, boosting educational access for veterans, business grants for opening new childcare facilities, upgrading small community water systems, small forestland owner tax credits, and easing bureaucracy around filing claims for sexual assaults on school campuses all flew by. And dozens more.

On Saturday, it was back to a full stop. Rent control, college construction, and dozens of other bills idled on the agendas of the empty chambers as lawmakers caucused throughout the morning.

The late hitch hit legislative leaders who were already churning out statements extolling bills they had sent to Gov. Tina Kotek to become law.

“Higher education is the vehicle to achieve launch velocity from poverty into the middle class and beyond,” said Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, about the $3.7 billion higher education budget.

Deputy Senate Minority Leader Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, touted a Senate Bill 1040, GOP-authored plan to establish more “micro centers” for day care, easing the way for smaller and less expensive operations to ease the “day care deserts” that are found in much of Oregon.

The idea gained bipartisan support and was passed into law.

“In discussions with child care providers across the state, it became clear that we need to test innovative solutions that support quality care for children, financial viability for small providers, workforce retention, and economic vitality. Micro centers are designed to offer increased flexibility for providers to develop collaborative, community driven solutions.”

Democrats and Republicans wrangled over a housing bill that is a key component of Kotek’s plans to make more affordable housing available and get roofs over the heads of people experiencing homelessness.

The caucus debate delayed the start of the House floor session by five hours.

When they returned, one of the first bills up for a vote in the House was SB611, which caps rent increases at 10% for buildings that are older than 15 years old. Current law sets the maximum annual rate at 7% plus the Consumer Price Index. When inflation spiked, the 2023 maximum rent increase was set at 14.6%.

“We’re seeing evictions of people with jobs,” said Rep. Mark Gamba, D-Milwaukie.

Rep. Andrea Valderrama, D-Portland, said many families were at a breaking point.

“We cannot let rent spikes go unchecked,” she said.

Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, said the bill would block investment in housing that Oregon needs by telling builders and investors they will carry the burden of keeping prices below market value.

“Oh no, we’re going to put the screws to you,” Mannix said.

Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook, said the only true solution to ensure affordable housing is to build more housing. The rent control bill is “like putting a Band-aid on a heart attack.”

The bill passed 32-18 and will go to Kotek, who is expected to sign.

In the Senate, there were early fears about making the quorum of 20 required by the constitution. Five Republic senators were absent without excuse. Four senators had been consistently absent even after the deal with Democrats to return from a Republican walkout was hammered out on June 15: Sens. Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls, Kim Thatcher of Keizer, Cedric Hayden of Roseburg and Independent Brian Boquist. With the arrival of Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles, a quorum was reached.

Early in the rapid push through bills there was celebration with the passage of HB 2009, which sets up tax credits to expand the semiconductor industry in Oregon.

“Colleagues, this is Semiconductor 2.0.,” said Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend. “This is what you’ve been waiting for.”

Now, the Oregon Legislative Information Service website shows floor sessions at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

A drift of the agendas into Sunday puts the Legislature very close to the deadline.

The usual copious numbers of comments on bills are scaled back through voluntary agreements in both parties to have fewer people talk and for less time.

“My colleagues know my tendency towards loquaciousness,” said Mannix, a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 498 limiting taxes on rural businesses.

Mannix said in this case, he had placed a letter on lawmakers’ desks instead.