Current Events > Oregon GOP walks out of legislative session over climate bill

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https://www.kptv.com/news/oregon-legislative-session-implodes-amid-gop-walkout/article_625f7147-0288-5d7b-92a9-d5401a6ed183.html

Oregon's 2020 legislative session ended abruptly Thursday amid a boycott by minority Republicans over a climate change measure

At a news conference, Democratic lawmakers, some struggling to keep their composure, said representative democracy is at stake. Frustration boiled into the open after Senate Republican Leader Herman Baertschiger, Jr., said his party would return only to vote on emergency budget bills.

A "minority is shutting down government and impacting the will of the voters who elected us to be here, said Rep. Diego Hernandez of Portland. By shutting down this process and choosing things that benefit them, it's a historical precedent that I think shows us where we're headed and where we could be headed and that anytime they are not happy with any sort of bill, our government is going to be shut down.

Senate President Peter Courtney took the podium and responded to the offer by Baertschiger, whom he believed was watching via videostream from afar by saying: Thank you but no thank you."

"All of us are going to be in history one day as the Legislature that failed the fifth short session, Courtney said. This was the fifth short session since even-year 35-day sessions began in 2012.

Republicans had insisted that any climate change legislation go before voters. Democratic leaders say said legislation was urgently needed to address the climate crisis and attempt to reduce emissions in Oregon of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.

The first GOP walkout over the climate change bill, in 2019, put Oregon on the front line of the climate-change issue. Democrats say repeated use of the tool by the minority party puts democracy itself at risk. Courtney vowed to try to take that ability away.

I will fight as hard as I can to rebuild this institution, but I'm going to make it clear: you're not going to walk out of the Legislature in terms of sessions. You're not, because we are going to have to find a ways, tragically, to have legislations or constitutional amendments that stops it."

Democrats, who wield a supermajority in both the Senate and the House, made reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a priority this session. Enough GOP lawmakers boycotted to prevent a quorum in both chambers. Oregon and only three other states require two-thirds of lawmakers be present instead of a simple majority.

The walkout torpedoed legislation that was sometimes months and even years in the making.

At the press conference, Democratic Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon spoke of legislation that would have sent flood aid to rural eastern Oregon, assisted the homeless, and phased out a carcinogenic pesticide that harms farmworkers. She also spoke of legislation that would have provided her hometown of Woodburn, which is primarily Latino, a community center for the first time.

That can't happen because our colleagues choose not to come to work, Alonso Leon said.

Rep. Tawna Sanchez, a Native American from Portland, said: "I'm trying really, really hard not to be angry. It's very frustrating when you know all the bills, all the different things that are sitting there waiting to just go away.

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Seems like this is a weekly occurrence in Oregon at this point.

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emergency elections

get em the fuck out

traitors
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solosnake posted...

Seems like this is a weekly occurrence in Oregon at this point.

And the Dems just throw up their hands and give up, because that's what they do.
It's disgusting.

The GOP are terrorists and need to be dealt with

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Do you want climate change denial to be moddable?

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Solid Sonic posted...

Do you want climate change denial to be moddable?

Who wouldn't?

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Absolute fucking unit

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shockthemonkey posted...

Fuck Republicans, the whole fucking party is a bunch of crybaby fuckwads

Yep. I've had to block a couple republican family members on facebook because all they do is whine and complain about liberal this, liberal that...constantly whining about wanting to move from California to Texas (yet they never do), yadda yadda.

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Man caused climate change doesn't care about party lines.

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ElatedVenusaur posted...

And the Dems just throw up their hands and give up, because that's what they do.
It's disgusting.

They literally cant do their jobs if the republican counterparts refuse to participate

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Text of bill:
https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2020R1/Downloads/MeasureDocument/SB1530/B-Engrossed

Interesting that there appears to be a carveout for some natural gas customers (section 17).

lots of melties in here

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Solid Sonic posted...

Do you want climate change denial to be moddable?

The great risk here, is the inevitability that "climate change is a lie!" and "climate change is not worth gutting liberty!" will be considered identical.

thronedfire2 posted...

They literally cant do their jobs if the republican counterparts refuse to participate

Why not just impeach them if they aren't getting their way?

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The Republican Party does not deserve to continue its existence
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MeltyAlert posted...

lots of melties in here

Caution is really upset by people angered by climate change denial.

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glitteringfairy posted...

Why not just impeach them if they aren't getting their way?

An impeachment trial would probably also require the same quorom of legislators to attend.
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Antifar posted...

An impeachment trial would probably also require the same quorom of legislators to attend.

Dems impeached Trump over a nothingburger, surely they can find a way to remove lowly opposition like this

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Elected officials who refuse to do their job should be fired and jailed. If you walk out on any other job, you will lose your job, so why don't the rules apply for people in the positions where this is most damaging?

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EmbraceOfDeath posted...

Elected officials who refuse to do their job should be fired and jailed. If you walk out on any other job, you will lose your job, so why don't the rules apply for people in the positions where this is most damaging?

This. IMPEACH EVERY REPUBLICAN!!

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Tmaster148 posted...

Caution is really upset by people angered by climate change denial.

Is the going assumption that that account is his?
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Bio1590 posted...

Is the going assumption that that account is his?

He posted in his discord that this account was his. So it's not an assumption when he admitted it.

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Which one is caution?
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Tmaster148 posted...

He posted in his discord that this account was his. So it's not an assumption when he admitted it.

looooooooooooooooooooooool god that's embarrassing, especially after the public display he made about closing his 998 account.
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glitteringfairy posted...

This. IMPEACH EVERY REPUBLICAN!!

Im not American but why are you such an embarrassing manchild?

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can the legislature not just convene without them?

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Balrog0 posted...

can the legislature not just convene without them?

Depends on whether or not that screws up the quorum.

Balrog0 posted...

can the legislature not just convene without them?

They apparently need a quorom of 66%.

NinjaWarrior455 posted...

The GOP are terrorists and need to be dealt with

They've actually done more damage to this country than any terrorist ever could

ElatedVenusaur posted...

They apparently need a quorom of 66%.

well, you know, I guess I think that's a good rule despite it being abused?

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Both the Democrats and the State Police have the power to force them to return to the Capitol but neither of them are doing anything of substance to get it done.
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Balrog0 posted...

well, you know, I guess I think that's a good rule despite it being abused?

FWIW, most states set quorum at 50 percent
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Balrog0 posted...

well, you know, I guess I think that's a good rule despite it being abused?

Is there a good reason to have the supermajority requirement differ from the quorum requirement though? Or even have a quorum requirement above 50%?

Looking at this old article from last year they're one of only 4 states (Tennessee, Indiana, and Texas are the others) that have a 2/3rds quorum requirement, and of course it's always been abused.
https://www.businessinsider.com/oregon-democrats-have-supermajority-but-learned-its-limits-2019-7

Only three other states have rules requiring two-thirds of lawmakers be present to vote on legislation, and those in the minority party have used them though rarely to combat proposals they want to defeat.

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If they're not going to show up to do their job because they're on the losing side, tender their resignations.

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Bio1590 posted...

Is there a good reason to have the supermajority requirement differ from the quorum requirement though?

no that part is definitely weird

in my state you need 50% for a quorum and 75% to pass a budget bill, I've definitely seen the 50% threshold abused as well but idk, I just havent given it a lot of thought tbh

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so which account is Caution again

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sylverlolol posted...

so which account is Caution again

whichever one is melting down
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E32005 posted...

whichever one is melting down

looks like he got modded

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sylverlolol posted...

so which account is Caution again

MeltyAlert
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Tmaster148 posted...

He posted in his discord that this account was his. So it's not an assumption when he admitted it.

lmao What a simp.

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Ah, it makes perfect sense for MeltyAlert to be caution. His username is actually announcing his presence.
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Phantom_Nook posted...

@MeltyAlert

ironic
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Whoever wrote the quorum rules in Oregon was very smart. They were meant for a day like this.

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TaiIs82 posted...

Whoever wrote the quorum rules in Oregon was very smart. They were meant for a day like this.

I'm sure you also agree with the Democrats employing a similar strategy in the past in Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana then, correct?
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Bio1590 posted...

I'm sure you also agree with the Democrats employing a similar strategy in the past in Texas, Tennessee, and Indiana then, correct?

dont even bother with tails

the dude creates subreddits to cry about mods
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I'm just curious.

This isn't even completely about the quorum issue anyways, Oregon's GOP has been openly associating with right-wing militias and there have even been credible enough threats from these militias that the Capitol was closed last summer.
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Bio1590 posted...

I'm just curious.

This isn't even completely about the quorum issue anyways, Oregon's GOP has been openly associating with right-wing militias and there have even been credible enough threats from these militias that the Capitol was closed last summer.

white supremacy, sadly, has been massive in oregon for almost a century.

portland itself was known as a nazi haven for years before the progressive good people moved in and ran them to the fringes
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