What happens if Oregon Senate Republicans don’t come back?
Posted Jun 20, 4:59 PM
Noble Guyon
Sen. Chuck Riley, D-Hillsboro, sits at his desk in the Oregon state Senate chamber in Salem on Thursday. Gov. Kate Brown dispatched the state police to find the 11 Republican senators who left the Capitol, denying Democrats the quorum necessary to conduct business.
SALEM - Senate Republicans have left the Oregon Capitol with no apparent plans to return. Their absence puts into doubt whether Democrats will finish their business during the 2019 legislative session, which has to conclude by June 30.
The GOP protest stems from Republican’s staunch opposition to House Bill 2020, a massive proposal to regulate carbon emissions. A vote on the measure had been scheduled for Thursday.
It’s already been a notably productive session for Democrats, who used their new supermajorities to pass their top policy priority — a new multibillion-dollar business tax to raise money for education — as well as other signature policies, such as a new rent control law and juvenile justice reforms.
But the walkout threatens the future of dozens of other bills and puts funding for several large state agencies in jeopardy.
The list of legislation that would die if Senate Republicans don’t return includes several Democratic priorities, including a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to get legal driver’s licenses, a bill to modify the state’s death penalty, a bill that would refer an increase in the cigarette tax to voters, and a bill that would allow duplexes in single-family zoned neighborhoods in some cities.
In each of those cases, the bill has passed the Oregon House and is awaiting further action in the Senate.
Budgets for several large state agencies also hang in the balance, including the Oregon Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health Authority, and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which distributes funds to universities and colleges.
The absence of a new two-year spending plan would not necessarily mean those agencies would shut down on July 1, when the new fiscal year begins. Both the House and the Senate have passed a bill that would authorize state agencies to continue spending at the same level as the previous budget cycle through September 15.
As of Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown had not signed that measure, known as a “continuing resolution,” into law. But a spokeswoman confirmed Brown plans to do so.
Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, said that thanks to the continuing resolution, Oregonians will continue to receive uninterrupted government services for at least several months.
“Obviously, there will be no government shutdown and Oregonians are going to continue to receive access to all the programs and benefits that they have,” Knopp said on Thursday afternoon. Knopp declined to say where he was, since Oregon State Police have begun contacting absent Republicans and asking them to return to the Capitol.
Knopp said the timing of his return would depend upon what bills Brown and Democratic legislative leaders schedule for consideration. On Wednesday, the governor said she was preparing to call a special session on July 2. But there is no guarantee Senate Republicans would show up.
“I feel no constitutional obligation to stand around so they can pass their leftist progressive agenda for Multnomah County that my constituents don’t happen to agree with,” Knopp said. “I think that’s true for every other Senate district that’s out there that’s represented by Republicans.”
What would meet Knopp’s bar to return to Salem? Budget bills, legislation to address workplace harassment at the Legislature, and a paid family and medical leave insurance plan negotiated with businesses’ and Republicans' input. It passed the House on Thursday with bipartisan support. Knopp said not all Senate Republicans might agree to return to vote on the family and medical leave proposal, although Republican leaders listed its passage among their demands to return from the first walkout in May.
Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. of Grants Pass did not respond to a request for comment Thursday regarding how long his caucus generally is willing to stay away from the Capitol.
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