SALEM — It will be a new Oregon Legislature when the Capitol opens for business Jan. 8. Democrats control the House, Senate and governor’s office for the first time in over a decade. That means, for a handful of “labor legislators,” all Democrats, that they’ll chair committees for the first time in their legislative careers, and have a much better chance of passing legislation.

Up to now, there hasn’t been a formal “labor caucus” in Oregon, just informal lists of union-friendly lawmakers.

State Rep. Diane Rosenbaum hopes that will change this year. Rosenbaum, a retired central office technician for Qwest and a 30-year member of Communications Workers of America Local 7901, is president of the labor caucus of the National Conference of State Legislators. She wants to formalize a group of legislators who would sign a pledge and meet periodically to discuss bills and plan strategy. If it follows the national model, Rosenbaum said Oregon’s labor caucus wouldn’t be limited to union members, but would be open to any lawmaker who supports a “pro-working families agenda.”

Rosenbaum will be speaker pro-tem of the House this legislative session, which means she’ll control the agenda of the House when Speaker Jeff Merkley is away. And she’ll chair the House Elections, Ethics and Rules Committee. Rosenbaum expects the committee will look at reforms limiting gifts and paid travel legislators could accept; electoral reforms like limiting pay-per-voter “bounty” for registering new voters; and fusion voting, which is sought by the recently formed Working Families Party of Oregon.

Rosenbaum’s other committee assignments include the House Revenue Committee, which deals with taxes, and the House Business and Labor Committee.

Chairing the Business and Labor Committee is Rep. Mike Schaufler, a former member of the Laborers Union. Schaufler will also serve on the Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Ocean Policy, and will be vice chair of the House Veteran Affairs Committee.

State Rep. Brad Witt, who served 14 years as secretary-treasurer of the Oregon AFL-CIO, will chair the House Workforce and Economic Development Committee. He will also be a member of the Revenue Committee. When not in session, Witt is a staff representative at United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555.

State Rep. Paul Holvey, a community relations representative for the Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters, will chair the House Consumer Protection Committee. He’ll also serve on Workforce and Economic Development and will be vice chair of Business and Labor.

State Rep. Jeff Barker, a retired lieutenant of the Portland Police Bureau and former president of the Portland Police Association, will chair the Veterans Affairs Committee. He will also be vice chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and a member of the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety.

State Rep. Larry Galizio, a teacher at Portland Community College and member of the American Federation of Teachers-Oregon Local 2277, will chair the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education, which will work on the education part of the state budget. He will also serve on Consumer Protection, Joint Ways and Means, and the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on General Government.

As a part-time professor at Portland State, State Rep. Mitch Greenlick is a member of American Federation of Teachers-Oregon. Greenlick, who last year sponsored an unsuccessful attempt to qualify a ballot measure declaring the right of every Oregonian to health care, will now chair the House Health Care Committee and its Subcommittee on Health Care Access. He will also serve on the House Education Committee and its Subcommittee on Higher Education.