Oregon Senate President Peter Courtney said Tuesday that even if Republicans returned to the Capitol, there still would not be enough votes to pass a massive cap-and-trade bill.
The announcement came amid an ongoing walkout by Senate Republicans, who left the state in order to deny majority Democrats a quorum. The news of the bill’s apparent failure stunned supporters of the measure who had gathered on the front steps of the Capitol to urge its passage.
Debby Garman of Hillsboro said lawmakers should hold a vote on the bill, even if it means the measure would fail. “If their constituents are pressuring them to vote it down, then show up and do the darn work they’re supposed to do,” she said.
Some Democratic lawmakers addressed the crowd and urged them not to give up on their years-long attempts to get the bill passed. By the end of Wednesday, Republican Senators still had not returned to the Capitol. The legislative session has to wrap up by the end of the day Sunday.
Copyright 2019 KLCC
