K-12 education funding has been a major legislative priority for Rep. Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, who is elated about the multibillion-dollar tax plan that will boost schools in Oregon.
“If I do nothing else in my legislative career,” she said, “having been involved with that is really spectacular.”
But gun control is also one of Smith Warner's priorities. And she didn’t find out the political cost of education funding until she showed up at her office this week.
“I was enraged,” she said. “It's hard to say which is worse, the gun safety or vaccinations.”
Republicans staged a walkout last week which denied the Senate a quorum and prevented the tax bill from coming up for a vote.
Brown helped negotiate an end to the walkout by getting Democrats to ditch the guns and vaccine bills.
Smith Warner said her push for stricter gun laws in the state is far from over. She hopes to revive a bill on gun control this session or in the February short session.
Copyright 2019 Oregon Public Broadcasting
