State Rep. Andy Olson is not happy with the way the current session of the legislature is going.

He thinks it's wasting money by continuing to meet, handling non-emergency matters, even while the state has been told it has less money to spend this biennium than previously thought.

The Albany Republican spoke in an interview Tuesday.

The supplemental session of the legislature started Feb. 4 and is scheduled to continue through the end of the month.

Olson said that when it started, lawmakers got an economic forecast estimating that the state's revenue this biennium would be $200 million less than predicted in December. Still, he said, the legislature keeps meeting at a cost of about $30,000 a day.

"Why not consider that and end the session quickly?" he asked.

"This session is costing money," he added. "I voted for this to happen, but I'm not convinced it's a good idea now."

Scores of bills have been under consideration in the House and Senate. He thinks that only "pressing and priority" bills should have been on the agenda.

According to Olson, Senate and House Republicans came up with lists of bills that could be handled quickly by unanimous consent.

"But it's not happening," he said. "That's my frustration."

House Republicans have been chafing under rules adopted by the majority Democrats, 31-29, allowing no minority reports on committee bills.

"Equal representation got thrown out the window," he said.

Still, Olson said, it looks as though funding for additional state troopers will be approved in this session.

It will cost just under $500,000 to hire 39 additional troopers by June for the second year of the current two-year budget period, and Olson said there seemed to be agreement to appropriate the money.

His views on the usefulness of the session differed from those of his fellow lawmaker Frank Morse, the Republican senator representing Albany and Corvallis. Morse said earlier in the week he felt the session had been reasonably productive.