Republicans stage third walkout in Oregon Legislature, slam brakes on state aid msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Governor Kate Brown and leading state lawmakers agreed that Oregon s revenues are looking up, but it obscures the way that many people in the state continue to struggle during the pandemic.
Oregon Senate Republicans walk out for 3rd straight year, citing governor’s COVID-19 restrictions
Updated Feb 25, 2021;
Posted Feb 25, 2021
Oregon Senate Republican Leader Fred Girod, shown here during a swearing-in ceremony Jan. 11, boycotted a Thursday floor session to protest Gov. Kate Brown s COVID restrictions.Brooke Herbert/The Oregonian
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Oregon Senate Republicans carried out their first Capitol boycott of the legislative session on Thursday, in what has become an increasingly common tactic by the party that holds a minority of seats in both chambers of the Legislature.
Unlike in 2019 and 2020, when Senate and House Republicans walked out to kill proposals to cap greenhouse gas emissions and other Democratic proposals, Senate Republicans decided to no-show this time in order to protest Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions. They outlined their reasoning in a letter to the governor.
Senate Republicans revive walkout as a political tactic
The walkout as a political tactic resurfaced Thursday in the Oregon Legislature.
This time, however, the 11 Republicans in the Senate said Feb. 25 that they were absent not to stall a vote on legislation by the 18 Democrats although their walkout will delay at least five bills from coming to a final vote but to send a message to Democratic Gov. Kate Brown about her policies during the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, the Senate could not conduct business because the Oregon Constitution requires a two-thirds majority (20) to be present in the Senate chamber. Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, was forced to adjourn the Senate until March 3.
SALEM â A one-day Republican walkout in the Oregon Senate on Thursday, Feb. 25, was sparked by Gov. Kate Brownâs announcement that she will extend the COVID-19 state of emergency until May 2.
âWe had to get their attention,â said Sen. Tim Knopp, R-Bend, one of the lawmakers who was not present for the scheduled session on Feb. 25.
The Republicans sent a letter to Brown protesting her decision and other COVID-19 restrictions, and calling on her to support reopening the Oregon Capitol, which has been closed since March 2020.
âWe need an open process for our constituents to engage in testimony on bills,â said Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena. âWe want transparency so people can have a voice in what is going on.â