David Gomberg and Khanh Pham
Gomberg, a Democrat, represents House District 10-Central Coast, Lincoln, Lane and Benton counties, in the Oregon House. Pham, a Democrat, represents House District 46 - Outer Southeast Portland, in the Oregon House.
Over the past week, Oregonians have read many headlines about the accomplishments of the just-concluded legislative session, from major investments in affordable housing to initiatives in education, behavioral health, the opioid crisis, economic development, wildfire response and public safety.
They will have also read that for more than 40 days, the state Senate simply didn’t meet.
Because of an unusual provision in our state constitution, Oregon requires two-thirds of lawmakers be present for either chamber of the Legislature to vote on bills. That means that just 10 of 30 senators can walk away and the entire process grinds to a halt.
This is the seventh walkout in six years by Republican legislators of either chamber. We’ve seen walkouts to protest bills for school funding, climate policies, redistricting, COVID restrictions and now guns, abortion and whether legislation is easy enough to read. Republicans have consistently walked out on Democratic leadership, and Democrats, in 2001, walked out on Republican leadership. This problem is about process, not partisanship.
We understand the walkouts. Each of us has issues and values that we are prepared to use any and every tool available to protect. But taking a larger view, concerns for some issues should not be able to stop work on all issues. That is not negotiation. That is obstruction.
Last year, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 113 in an effort to address the problem. But the walkouts persisted. This session we introduced a bill, House Joint Resolution 30 to address the problem more directly.
We believe a simple majority (50% +1), which is the standard for 46 other states and the U.S. Congress, should be the requirement for the Oregon Legislature to conduct business. This change would make walkouts and boycotts by a minority of members irrelevant.
Our bill sought to refer the issue to voters on whether to amend the constitution to change the quorum requirement. A broad coalition of lawmakers from across our state, representing diverse viewpoints and constituencies, are united in support of this change to get Oregon’s government working for Oregonians again.
In 2023, Oregonians lost six weeks of work by their elected state Senate because we lack a simple majority rule.
Bipartisanship and collaboration are important to our democracy, but it doesn’t mean that we always have to agree. In a democracy, you show up, you debate, you negotiate, you amend and then you vote. That’s how government functions in a democracy. And it works! This year, 90% of House and Senate bills passed with strong bipartisan support.
Clearly, Measure 113 did not have the deterrent effect that voters intended. It’s time to fix this for good. While House Joint Resolution 30 did not make it through the legislative process this year, we see it as the start of a conversation that our Legislature – and public – desperately needs to have.
As lawmakers, we represent very different districts. From coastal communities to Portland’s Southeast neighborhoods, we share a commitment to service and a workable democratic process. The problems facing our communities simply can’t wait for grandstanding walkouts that threaten our government’s ability to perform its basic functions.
We support a ballot measure to ask Oregon voters to decide: should Oregon join the vast majority of states by adopting a simple majority quorum? Grinding government to a halt by simply not showing up has become an annual Oregon tradition. It’s one we should do away with, before the frayed edges of our fragile form of self-government become too worn for repair.