Category Legislature
End of legislative session leaves pile of dead bills in its wake
Oregon State Capitol (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) SALEM — Disagreement and stalemate over a single bill has killed upwards of 200 pieces of legislative and left more than $665 million in requested state money on the table as the clock officially struck midnight on Oregon’s 2020…
Senate, House go dark as 2020 session shuts down in burst of acrimony
House Speaker Tina Kotek and Senate President Peter Courtney speak to reporters on Thursday in the Capitol as they closed down the Legislature over missing Republicans. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM — In an extraordinary move, Democratic legislators on Thursday effectively ended the contentious and…
Oregon Democrats end “failed short session” following Republican boycott
Oregon State Capitol, Legislature (Salem Reporter/file) SALEM — In an extraordinary move, Democratic legislators on Thursday effectively ended the contentious and gridlocked 2020 Legislature, killing key legislation and taking with it the hotly debated climate change legislation that Republicans fought. “This is a failed short…
As stalled legislative session nears its end, Democrats rebuff Republican offer
Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, discusses the 2020 legislative session with reporters. (Jake Thomas/Salem Reporter) SALEM — Democrats scoffed Thursday morning at a Republican offer to end the stalemate at the Capitol by returning on Sunday, the last day of the 2020 legislative session.…
The only two Republican legislators in the Capitol say their voters want them to stick around
State Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, was the only one of 12 Republican senators to show up for a floor session of the Oregon Senate. The other 11 senators boycotted the session over fierce opposition to pending climate change legislation. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM —…
A normally bustling Capitol takes on new routines in absence of Republicans
School kids gather in the rotunda of the Capitol on Monday, March 2. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM — School kids still visited, their eyes drifting up toward the larger-than-life murals of settlers and farmers. A smattering of lobbyists could be seen chatting in the…
Legislature’s top lawyer says missing Republicans likely aren’t immune from subpoenas to return
The Oregon State Capitol. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter) UPDATE: This story has been updated to include late developments regarding a new legal opinion. SALEM — The Oregon Constitution likely doesn’t protect House Republicans from subpoenas issued by their Democratic colleagues to force their return to the…
House Democrats try legal force to drag Republicans back to Capitol
House Speaker Tina Kotek, D-Portland, and Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, explain to reporters at the Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 27, why they decided to issue subpoenas to state representatives boycotting the current legislative session. (Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau) SALEM — Democrats in the Oregon House…
As Republican walkout enters day 3, both sides dig in their heels
Seats in the Oregon House of Representatives remain vacant during a Republican boycott of the legislative session. (Sam Stites/Oregon Capital Bureau). SALEM — With Republican legislators absent from the Capitol for the third day over a proposal to reduce Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, Democrats in…