Republicans in the Oregon Senate were a no-show in the chamber on Wednesday, stopping action in the chamber as Democrats teed up one of the session’s most controversial bills.
As the Senate attempted to reconvene at 1:30 p.m., none of the chamber’s 12 GOP members were in sight. That denied majority Democrats the 30-member quorum needed to conduct business.
While Republicans offered no immediate reason for their absence, the walkout appeared to be connected to transportation funding, an issue that has dominated the Capitol for the last year. The maneuver came as the Senate neared a vote on Senate Bill 1599, a Democratic proposal that would move the date of a public vote on an increase to gas taxes and other transportation fees.
Republicans did not immediately offer any reason for denying quorum, and a spokeswoman said she didn’t have details about their plans. But the move immediately conjured memories of walkouts that have dominated legislative sessions in recent years.
In 2023, Republicans walked away from the Senate for six weeks, largely to block Democratic bills touching on gun laws and transgender care.
The party ultimately returned after winning significant concessions. But the 10 senators who participated in the walkout ran afoul of Measure 113, the 2022 law that says lawmakers can’t seek reelection if they have at least 10 unexcused absences.
It was not clear Wednesday how long Republicans intended to remain absent from the Capitol, Most GOP senators appeared to be away from their offices, though OPB saw Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr in the Capitol shortly after 2 p.m. He did not respond to a request for comment.
The timing of SB 1599 has been a key focal point of this year’s one-month legislative session. According to Secretary of State Tobias Read’s office, the bill needs to be passed and signed by Gov. Tina Kotek by February 25 in order to ensure election officials have time to get the gas tax vote on the May 19 primary ballot.
A signature-gathering campaign led by Republicans collected more than enough signatures to put the gas tax vote on the November ballot. The GOP has been adamantly opposed to attempts to move the election, which would ensure Democrats are not seeking reelection on the same ballot as an unpopular gas tax.
This story will be updated.
