During a Dec. 13 special session, Oregon lawmakers passed a $400 million bipartisan spending package to prevent mass evictions, crack down on illegal marijuana cultivation, help farmers and ranchers impacted by drought, and provide funds to resettle Afghan refugees. The session was convened in response to a Nov. 30 request from Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat, who called legislators back to the Capitol for an special session asking that they address a pandemic-related rental relief program after the state ran out of federal funding. “Tens of thousands of Oregon renters have applied for rental assistance,” said Brown. “While we have made significant progress in improving the delivery of rental assistance in the last several weeks, we know that renters and their landlords are counting on these additional state resources and that we must move quickly.” In the ensuing weeks, legislators expanded the agenda through bipartisan negotiations. During the one-day session, …