(Salem, OR) -- Oregon lawmakers are back in Salem for a short, 35-day session. Senate President Peter Courtney gaveled in the session yesterday despite spending most of January in the hospital with a severe hip injury. Courtney told state senators he wouldn't be able to preside over the Senate without help from his wife, Margie, and a physical therapist, who stood behind Courtney during the Senate opening. The 76-year-old Democrat has been Senate President since 2003.