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Lawmakers this afternoon reacted differently to Gov. Kate Brown’s call for a special session Dec. 13 to come up with a plan to augment federal rent assistance for Oregonians facing eviction.
House Speaker Tina Kotek (D-Portland), who is running for governor and has made addressing the state’s housing shortage a top priority well before the pandemic, reacted positively.
“I support an emergency special session,” Kotek said on Twitter. “We are ready to continue eviction protections when we convene on December 13. No Oregonian should be evicted while rental assistance is on the way.”
Senate and House Majority Leaders Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) and Barbara Smith-Warner (D-Portland) also welcomed the governor’s plan.
“From the start of the pandemic, Oregon has committed to protecting individuals and families at risk of eviction,” the majority leaders said in a joint statement. “We can take action in a special session to ensure this doesn’t happen and that we keep our promise to Oregonians. No one should lose their housing because of administrative delays.”
Senate President Peter Courtney (D-Salem) responded more cautiously to Brown’s summons.
“The governor has called us in on Dec. 13,” Courtney said in a statement. “That’s two weeks from today. Special sessions are the most difficult of all sessions. Everything must be carefully planned. We have a lot of work to do. I hope we will be ready.”
Related: Oregon landlords tell state lawmakers: Pay the rent.
Brown’s office said that Oregon Housing and Community Services has received $289 million in federal rental assistance money. The agency expects that money to be fully committed by the end of this month, so Brown wants lawmakers to come up with additional money for the winter months.
House Republicans, however, waved a yellow flag, saying the Legislature’s Emergency Board, which is empowered to make financial decisions between regularly scheduled sessions, can handle any shortfall.
Their new leader, state Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson (R-Prineville), replaced Rep. Christine Drazan (R-Canby) today. Drazan stepped down from her leadership post to focus on her candidacy for governor but will retain her seat. Breese-Iverson signaled that her caucus has no interest in helping Democrats earn a PR victory for providing more funding.
“We must allow our economy to return to normal,” she said in a statement. “Our unemployment level, jobless claims, and job openings have returned to pre-pandemic years. A special session is unnecessary. After back-to-back years of record state revenue, the Emergency Board has the ability to allocate funds to support those already in line to receive rent assistance.”
It was not immediately clear whether House Republicans would in fact show up for the special session.
