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Oregon Senate Republicans returned to work today after a 43-day walkout, the longest in state history.
They returned after hours of contentious negotiations among leaders from both chambers. Both sides claim to be happy with the result. Lawmakers can now clear a backlog of policy bills that have already passed through committees and on the House floor and, most importantly, approve the budget bills necessary to avoid disruptions to state and local government.
“Today’s agreement is a win for the people of Oregon,” said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D-Beaverton and Southwest Portland). “We protected our shared Oregon priorities and values, including defending the rights we had under Roe v. Wade, rescuing urgent, bipartisan priorities, and sustaining the overwhelmingly voter-approved consequences for walkouts.”
Two of the bills that caused the Republicans to walk out, House Bill 2005, a gun control measure that bans “ghost guns,” and House Bill 2002, which enshrines abortion rights and establishes protections for gender affirmation care and insurance coverage, now go to the Senate floor for votes. HB 2005 will proceed as introduced, but HB 2002, which was more of a sticking point, will be amended to remove some sections relating to parental notification that were most objectionable to Republicans.
“Senate Republicans and Independents stood firm as the last line of defense for parental rights and the rule of law,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend). “We achieved constitutional, lawful bipartisanship. And parental rights were restored.”
The truce comes a day after a raft of Democratic lawmakers introduced legislation that would prevent future walkouts by changing the requirement for a quorum—the number of members required to be present on the floor for votes—from two-thirds to a simple majority, as is the case in nearly every other state.
The Senate will now begin voting on a backlog of bills that have already passed the House, which continued to operate normally during the Senate walkout. The session is scheduled to end no later than June 25.
Update at 10:30 am on June 16: After the GOP senators returned, HB 2005, the gun bill, was amended in the Senate Rules Committee so that it only bans ghost guns. The bill no longer includes provisions raising the age to purchase certain categories of guns to 21, nor does the amended bill allow public entities to ban licensed concealed weapons. The amended bill passed the Senate floor June 15 by a 17 to 3 vote.