At that level, Saccharomyces cerevisiae deserves not only official state recognition, but probably its own political action committee: SAC PAC. The microbe in question, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, plays a key role in the state's economy. Without it, sugar would not become alcohol, and Oregon would not have a craft beer industry worth $2.4 billion. Even though it is, by definition, an oversight that's been pretty small. The Oregonian's Christian Gaston reports that state Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Hood River, has introduced a bill to give Oregon the nation's first official state microbe , the crowd-pleasing Saccharomyces cerevisiae -- known to its fans as brewer's yeast. The idea, he says, came from a home-brewing constituent, who suggested that the Legislature — which has already designated a state nut (hazelnut) and a state fruit (pear) — do the right thing by another living embodiment of Oregon's contribution to quality foodstuffs.
– US states have official flags and official flowers, but Oregon could become the first to have a state microbe—and a delicious microbe, at that. Oregon's microbe of choice is the Saccharomyces cerevisiae, better known as ale yeast, and the bill's sponsor hopes the measure will show appreciation for the $2.4 billion that craft-brewing brings to Oregon each year, reports Popular Science. In fact, Portland purports to have more brew houses than any other city in the world, says NPR. So far the bill has passed Orgeon's House 58-0, and now it heads to the Senate. The Oregonian is already kicking around potential names for a microbial political action committee, with SAC PAC of SIX PAC making the cut. Wisconsin, incidentally, tried to get its own state microbe in 2010—the Lactococcus lactis, the bacterium used to make cheese and buttermilk—but the measure curdled in the state Senate.