Democratic leaders in the Oregon Senate have agreed to suspend floor sessions through the weekend while they continue negotiations to end Republicans’ nine-day boycott, granting relief to some GOP senators perilously close to becoming ineligible for reelection under new, strict walkout rules.
Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, banged his gavel ending Thursday’s brief floor session after Republican absences again denied Democrats the necessary 20-member quorum to conduct business. Wagner said the Senate won’t reconvene until Monday.
“I hope this agreement to pause Senate floor sessions will create room for progress,” Wagner said in a statement. “I will continue to engage in good faith conversations to move our state forward.”
Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, said in a statement that Wagner agreed to “give us time to work out a legitimate agreement” to end the impasse. Knopp, seven other Republican senators and Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas, were absent without an excuse from the Senate chamber Thursday morning.
Republicans began boycotting the Senate last week, a familiar tactic from the minority party. Knopp and top Republicans said they were protesting violations of a little-used, 40-year-old law requiring bill summaries to be penned in plain English. The boycott began after House Democrats passed bills on gun safety, abortion and gender-affirming care that Republicans vehemently opposed. Knopp has since said his party is protesting about 20 bills it considers to be “hyperpartisan.”
The sustained walkout has put some senators dangerously close to clocking 10 unexcused absences on the Senate floor this session, which would disqualify them from reelection under Measure 113. A majority of Oregon voters approved the measure last November in response to high-profile Republican walkouts in recent years.
Three senators have nine unexcused absences as of Thursday, according to figures provided by Wagner’s office: Sen. Daniel Bonham, R-Welches, Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, and Boquist.
Relations are thorny between top Senate Republicans and Democrats. Communication between Knopp and Wagner was scant until two meetings Wednesday and Thursday.
Wagner and Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber expressed frustration with the Republican boycott in comments to reporters Tuesday but said the gun safety proposal, HB 2005, and the abortion and gender-affirming care measure, HB 2002, were not up for negotiation.
-- Grant Stringer; gstringer@oregonian.com; @Stringerjourno
This story was updated with a comment from Wagner.