The agreements that ended the Republican-led walkout at the Oregon Legislature won’t please the ideological purists or the one-issue voters who equate compromise with betrayal.
But for the millions of Oregonians who live with compromise as a reality of daily life, the restart of the legislative session is an enormous relief. Oregonians need legislation that helps provide more housing and removes barriers to construction. They need behavioral health investments that answer the urgency of the mental health and addiction crises playing out across the state. They need reforms to Oregon’s broken public defense system to ensure representation for those charged with crimes. And they need the Legislature to act this session – not wait for next year’s.
Democrats made the right call to compromise on abortion and gun-safety bills in order to address the numerous emergencies facing Oregonians. Oregon is already among the most liberal states in the country on ensuring abortion access and has adopted several laws in recent years that help reduce gun violence. And while Democrats hold majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, they need enough Republican or Independent legislators to attend Senate floor sessions to meet the constitutionally-required two-thirds minimum of legislators to vote on bills. Lawmakers will have a lot of ground to cover in these last several days before the mandated June 25 adjournment, but the breakthrough and speedy work so far by the Senate suggest they will be able to do so.
Predictably, Democratic and Republican legislative leaders all declared victory for their side and for Oregonians as a whole. But they are correct. A failed session would have been a disaster for all. It is a reflection of legislators’ commitment to public service – which is far from an easy career path – that they ultimately set aside animosity to find a path forward.
Oregonians are better off today than they were a week ago when the legislative session was in doubt. In the two days they have been back in session, senators have quickly approved long-sought restrictions on untraceable, owner-assembled “ghost guns;” passed a slew of agency budgets that will ensure public services continue; and are poised to adopt fixes to improve administration of Measure 110, which directs marijuana tax dollars to addiction treatment providers. These bills are not perfect, but they are significant wins with broad support.
Legislators, however, cannot keep playing this game of chicken, where Oregonians are the ones who end up crushed in the collision of agendas, left and right. Certainly, lowering the minimum for quorum to match the 50%-plus one that most other states follow would end the effectiveness of walkouts. But changing that constitutional provision will require approval by Oregonians. Any such vote is at least more than a year off, and passage is no sure thing.
But ironically enough, this session, which made history for Oregon’s longest ever legislative walkout, also demonstrated how to avoid a repeat. The session began with bipartisan collaboration to pass critical bills addressing Oregon’s housing crisis and the state’s competitiveness for federal semiconductor investments. While lawmakers rightfully debated and disagreed on elements of legislation, they broadly recognized the urgency of action and followed through with impressive support.
The impending June 25 deadline appears to have lent the same kind of clarifying momentum. With the walkout in its sixth week, legislators relented on earlier refusals to consider bill changes. Smartly, Democratic Sen. Kathleen Taylor, who has developed a friendship with Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp over previous bipartisan efforts, played a key role in breaking the impasse. Trust, relationships and a focus on unifying priorities matter – and can make all the difference between a successful or failed session.
Legislative leaders should take these lessons to heart for the next session and beyond. They should commit to talking through shared priorities with party leaders before the start of a session. They should also establish ground rules that are fair, consistent and transparent for appointing committee members, excusing absences and other processes that get little attention from the public but feed directly into relationship-building among legislators. And while each party will have priorities that conflict with the other’s, there must be a willingness to hear the views of Oregonians who disagree and genuinely consider how to broaden a bill’s appeal.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether some legislators will ever get behind the idea of compromise. Several Republican and Independent senators failed to show up for the floor session on Friday. While they may already be disqualified from running for re-election under Measure 113, they should recognize that refusing to show up only hurts their own constituents. Pointless stands do not constitute public service.
Oregon used to pride itself on leaders’ ability to find solutions through bipartisan pragmatism. But we’ve moved away from the “Oregon Way” to a legislative philosophy that might makes right. Certainly, the majority – whether Democratic or Republican – has the power to do as it pleases. But Oregon’s civic health, frayed from divisive national politics, disinformation campaigns and mistrust among fellow Oregonians, needs a more magnanimous strategy that seeks to pull people into the circle rather than pummel an agenda through.
The sense of alienation is real. Voters in 12 counties have indicated they’d rather join Idaho than remain a part of Oregon, reflecting the lack of representation that many residents feel. While many might write off the chances that the movement to shift borders will succeed, they should not so easily dismiss the sentiment of Oregonians who feel so discarded and disdained.
It may be unrealistic to suggest that the Legislature can go from the brink of disaster to a new era of collaboration and compromise. But there is something so hopeful about the fact that legislators peered into the abyss and chose to step back. Legislators have the keys to solving walkouts – provided they are willing to use them.
-The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board