Oregon Republicans boycott floor session, delaying action on transportation tax referendum move
Oregon Senate Republicans on Wednesday boycotted an afternoon floor session — successfully blocking action on a Democrat-backed bill to move up a statewide vote on a controversial transportation tax from November to May.
Nearly half an hour after the chamber’s 30 members were scheduled to show up for a series of votes at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, none of the 12 Republicans had joined their Democratic colleagues on the floor, prompting Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, to call off any floor action until Thursday morning.
The incident marks the first caucus-wide boycott by Oregon Republicans since 2023, when they did not attend floor sessions for six weeks in an attempt to kill various policies put forward by Democrats — including proposals to expand access to abortions and transgender health care and regulate gun use.
Lawmakers who rack up 10 or more unexcused absences are banned from running for reelection, making an extended walkout a risky tactic. But Democrats have just one week to get the tax referendum bill through both chambers and onto Gov. Tina Kotek’s desk in time to move the vote, meaning that Republicans could boycott several sessions to kill the bill without fear of running afoul of that law.
It’s unclear whether Republicans’ absences Wednesday will be considered unexcused absences under that law, Measure 113.
It’s also unclear if the boycott will extend beyond Wednesday. Spokespeople for Wagner and Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, a Portland Democrat, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a brief interview Wednesday afternoon, Ashley Kuenzi, a spokesperson for Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee, said she hadn’t been told the specific reason the caucus walked out nor if they would remain away beyond Wednesday.
“Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the majority and the minority,” she said in a text.
The Senate had convened Wednesday morning prepared to vote on about a dozen bills throughout the day. They voted on two bills earlier in the day before recessing until 1:30 p.m.
Most Democratic senators showed up to the afternoon session, chatting with their colleagues and waiting for their Republican counterparts. While Democrats have enough members to approve most policies along party lines, they need some Republicans present to provide a quorum necessary for any votes.
Democrats waited for about 25 minutes before calling it.
Votes on nearly a dozen bills from Wednesday’s agenda in the Senate will now be delayed until at least Thursday, including the contentious bill to move a series of tax hikes to the May ballot.
Over in the House chamber, most Republicans also did not attend a Wednesday afternoon floor session. But Democrats, joined by at least four Republicans, maintained a quorum and passed several bills before adjourning.
The tax hikes, passed by Democratic lawmakers last fall, were set to go into effect last month but were put on hold after a group of Republican opponents gathered enough signatures through a referendum campaign to give voters the final say.
Democrats have said they want to move the election date in order to get clarity sooner on the state’s available transportation funding. Republicans have slammed the effort, calling it a political move that would violate the intention of the thousands of individuals who signed the referendum to place the tax hikes on the November ballot.
By law, Kotek must sign the bill by Feb. 25 to get the measure on the May ballot, meaning Democrats are running short on time to get it through both chambers and onto her desk.
The boycott comes two days after top Republican leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Tobias Read asserting that lawmakers could not legally move the referendum date. The bill establishes special procedures for finalizing the ballot title and related information in time for the May election, which Republicans argue would bypass the process required by law.
“You, as the secretary of state entrusted by the people of Oregon with the integrity of elections, have a choice: comply with the letter and spirit of the law and keep the vote” in November “or join the blatant partisanship and violation of law embodied in Senate Bill 1599,” wrote Starr and House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer of McMinnville.
Read responded Wednesday with a short memo, indicating that he plans to comply with any required actions approved by lawmakers.
“I took an oath to uphold the Oregon Constitution and the laws passed by the state legislature,” Read wrote. “I intend to keep it.”
Regardless of the election date, lawmakers of both parties have said they expect voters will defeat the tax hikes. Voters will decide whether to double the state’s 0.1% payroll tax for public transit, raise the state’s 40 cents per gallon gas tax by 6 cents and increase car title and registration fees. The gas tax and DMV fees fund road and bridge maintenance.
Staff reporter Betsy Hammond contributed to this report.
