Another GOP senator hits 10-day limit as Oregon Senate walkout drags on
out to the Oregon Legislature where the GOP walkout continues. Republicans have stopped all the work in the state Senate because most are refusing to show up. They're protesting over a bill involving abortion and transgender services and a second bill involving gun rights. Republicans tell me the Democrats are not negotiating. The Democrats tell me the Republicans have not said what they want to end the stalemate. So there's that in the meantime, the Senate continues to wait quietly with no work being done there. This is day 11 of the boycott.
There has been some communication. Senate Republican leader Tim Knoop told Democrats that Republicans would end their walkout to pass budgets that are substantially bipartisan and bills that are constitutional. That's sort of coded talk for, hey, set aside those bills that we hate and we'll vote on everything else. It actually has been done before, by the way. Back in 2019, it was done to end a similar Republican walkout. Then Senate President Courtney, Peter Courtney, agreed to kill two or three bills on the Republicans really did not like. They included cap and trade, which limited carbon emissions.
In return, the Republicans did come back to the Senate and voted for budgets and bills that kept the state working. But this time, the Democrats are rejecting Knoop's offer. They've said House Bill 2002, which involves allowing children younger than 14 to get an abortion without their parents permission and mandatory insurance coverage for transgender care. The Democrats have said that is not up for discussion. It will not be changed. It will not be killed. So at least for now, a 2019 style compromise is not a possibility.
That has led some to question whether Democrats are even negotiating in good faith. In the meantime, we're digging into the meaning of measure 113, which voters passed last year by a large margin to avoid walkouts like this. Measure 113 says that lawmakers who have 10 or more unexcused absences cannot hold office in the following term. Once their current term ends, what you're looking at is the exact wording in the Oregon Constitution that was added. Thanks to measure 113. It does not actually say they are prohibited from running for office. See that? But the Secretary of State's office argues it's a qualification issue.
They put out a statement reading if a candidate is not eligible to hold office, the filing officer cannot allow them to be on the ballot. And by the way, that is different from the explanatory statement issued with the initiative when voters passed it to change the law last year. That statement said if someone reached that 10 absence threshold, they could still run and win the election the following term, but they could not actually hold office and serve in the legislature. Secretary of State's office argues that court rulings have supported their position that the lawmaker in question could not even run for election. But independent Senator Brian Boquist, one of the four lawmakers with 10 skips has said the elections division has no authority on the absence clause of the Oregon Constitution. They will avoid it completely. The first day a legislator can file to run in this next election is September 4th, September 14th, and Boquist seat is up for 2024.
That means he's gonna need to file if he wants to run. So time will tell if he actually makes it onto the ballot or if the Secretary of State's office wins and keeps him off. So far, three Republicans have joined Boquist with 10 unexcused absences. They are Senator Dan Bonham of the Dalles, Senator Dennis Lithicum of Klamath Falls, and today Senator Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek hit absence number 10. Following our story last night on the GOP Walkout, you were quick to fill our email and voicemail boxes with messages like this. These lawmakers, we haven't seen them. Who pays them? I think you and I do.
They're doing this crap. If I didn't show up for work after 10 days, I'd be fired. It's totally ridiculous. These guys are just be fired. Start from scratch. Ridiculous. And Mike told us democracy has been described as two wolves and a sheep voting on what's for lunch.
In this case, the sheep are not showing up. We spent some time today and last night talking about how Republicans have signals that they could challenge measure 113 in court. In several of you agree with a viewer named Christina who left us this voicemail. It is absolutely ridiculous that they are gonna fight something that we as Oregonians voted on, which was if you're out for 10 days by they have to realize that we voted on that your job. And like you said, there has to be some compromise going on within the state. And obviously nothing's happening. Yep, that's true.
In a little editorial of my own, I talked about how compromise should rule the day in the legislature. One way to do that would be if the Oregon Senate was made up of representatives from each county. Now, yes, yes, yes, I hear those of you yelling that the US Supreme Court already said no to that idea several decades ago. But for the sake of argument, it is an option. But a few of you simply said, No, I'm wrong. While your comments about compromise seem like they make sense on the surface, it's kind of like giving your kid a cookie when he has a tantrum because he can't have his cookie. If you reinforce the behavior, then the behavior is going to continue.
No, we should not compromise because they walk out compromise in the process to get the bill to the floor. Yes, compromise in the leaders offices before it gets to the floor. Yes, but compromise because they throw tantrum. Hell no. All right. Thank you for that. Greg wrote to us if Senate Republicans want to pass laws, they need to get a majority of Oregonians to vote for them and not obstruct the will of those who haven't.
We need a new ballot measure to make the quorum a simple majority of the Senate and I'm betting we'll get it sooner the better. And perhaps that is on the horizon, Greg, but it won't help the situation as it stands right now. The chamber of the Oregon Legislature once again stalled and deadlocked with a lot of business left on the table, including the budget and just over a month left in the session.
local, news, politics, the-story