We’re wrapping up the 5th week of the GOP led walkout of the Oregon senate. And, without a quorum in the senate, it’s not looking likely much more legislation will come out of this session, including budgets for most state agencies.
KLCC’s Rachael McDonald spoke with our political reporter Dirk Vanderhart who covers the legislature.
Can you catch us up on the many attempts by the Governor and Senate Democrats to convince their colleagues to return to the floor?
Sure. Talks really began on May 10th between legislative leaders in both parties. That’s a week after this walkout began. But those ultimately fizzled which was when Gov. Tina Kotek stepped in. She was hoping she could forge a deal with Republicans to bring them back to the Senate. But Kotek announced last week that negotiations have been unsuccessful. So she’s now putting the job of settling this back in the hands of lawmakers, which is where it sits today.
What is your sense of how constituents feel about the lawmakers continued walkout? Is it supported by regular Oregonians?
You know, I think there are a couple of ways to answer that. What Democrats would probably tell you is that Oregonians clearly do not like walkouts since they overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure last year, measure 113, that created penalties for lawmakers who do it. But Republicans, I think, would argue that the specifics of a walkout matter. Oregonians might not like the idea of walkouts in general. But Republicans say, many of the conservative voters that elected them support holding the line to block bills that they see as an abuse of Democratic power in Salem. Basically, this walkout is a winning issue with at least a portion of the GOP base.
Both sides are holding fast on HB 2002, the law that among other things allows children of any age to obtain an abortion without parental consent. Why is that such a sticking point?
Well, Republicans have seized on a couple of pieces of HB 2002. But, you’re right, this provision is sort of the main event. What we’ve seen is that the parties just disagree fundamentally about what this would do. Republicans are adamant this is an attack on a parent’s right to be a parent. That’s an argument that’s often made nationally by Republicans on a whole variety of issues these days. Democrats say the provision is necessary because if a young child is pregnant, some sort of abuse has occurred, potentially abuse involving a parent and they say that nothing should stand in the way of them getting the care they need. We should note that this is pretty rare for a child under 15 to get pregnant in Oregon. Which is one reason some people are saying maybe this provision should go away in the name of saving the Senate.
Another recent development has to do with Eugene lawmaker Paul Holvey who is the subject of a recall by a powerful union. Can you catch us up on that news?
In late May, the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555, which is the state’s largest private-sector union, announced it was going to try to oust Holvey from his seat. The union is arguing that Holvey has become an impediment to laws that will help workers and that he’s now out of step with the voters in its district. This came after Holvey didn’t help the union pass its key bill this year. But, it was a huge shock to people in the capitol because Holvey has long been seen as one of the bigger champions of unions in Salem. He’s a former union rep himself. UFCW is adamant about this. It’s poured $100k into recalling Holvey and its been actively gathering signatures in Eugene to try to force a recall election later this year.
There must be a lot of frustration on the part of a lot of different people, not to mention, cities and counties in Oregon who were counting on bills being passed this session. What’s the mood like at the capitol and what have you been hearing from folks?
Well, I can tell you it is very, very quiet in the capitol right now. Often, at this time in session, the hallways would be teeming with lobbyists and other advocates as they sort of furiously work to get their bills across the finish line. These days the hallways are almost empty because very little can happen with the Senate unable to conduct business. But the mood, I think, really varies depending on who you talk to. Some people seem sure the session is just going to end early because the walkout is not going to come to a close. That would be a problem, as you mentioned, since lawmakers still need to pass a 2-year budget. Others think a deal is possible. Negotiations are still occurring at this point. It’s just not clear how productive they are. But I would say anything is possible right now.
