You’d expect that with a trifecta in Oregon — control of both houses of the legislature and the governorship — the Democratic party here could run things as they saw fit. Especially since there is no real conservative faction in the Democratic party here, and there are some real moderate Republicans still around. (Of course, by “moderate” I mean they aren’t either straight-out nutjobs or reactionaries.) The state could slow how this part of the US has been falling behind the rest of world, and maybe even catch up. After all, we have a decent environmental record, state law requires employers to provide some sick time to all employees, and the local police forces haven’t been caught in one scandal or another in almost a year.
But like rust, the Republican party never rests.
The Oregon Senate had this bill before it, which includes a 0.57% tax on businesses that have more than a million dollars in Oregon sales. However, this tax falls only on receipts above $1 million, and deductions are available for capital or labor costs. It also includes a cut to personal income tax rates, since it’s expected to increase prices somewhat. About half of the money would go to improve local schools, 20% to early education programs, and 30% to career-technical education programs, free meals at school for low-income students, and some other things. The House had passed it on a party-line vote, and with a Democratic majority it was expected to pass in the Senate.
The Republican members didn’t like this bill. Officially, they complained that the money this bill raised would be used to bail out the public employee pension fund — which is in trouble, although not as bad as many states. (IIRC, only 2 or 3 states have fully funded their public employee pension funds, but that is a subject for another diary by someone more informed than yours truly.) Of course, their solution for “fixing” the problem is to break the contract with the public employees & reduce the promised payouts — which state courts have rules can’t be done. However, the Republicans had a trick up their sleeve.
The state Senate has 30 members, and a quorum of 20 are required to conduct business; it comprises 18 Democrats and 11 Republicans. So the Republicans decided not to show up for work, preventing this bill from being passed.
Their strike made the news. One Portland television station reported how they were a no-show when tens of thousands of teachers marched in support of the bill. It seemed odd that these public servants would take a stand against providing money that news reports showed was needed.
Yesterday, this matter was at last settled. The Republicans finally showed up for work, the bill passed 18-11 — all Republican state Senators voting against it — and Oregon schools were promised about $2 billion in badly needed funds.
On the other hand, two other important bills Democrats were pushing were allowed to die: Senate Bill 978, which would strengthen state gun laws and House Bill 3063, which would eliminate non-medical exemptions for families who choose not to vaccinate their children. Despite their victory, Republicans were not happy. “This is not good for our state,” said Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, predicting that businesses would be less likely to come to Oregon. “This does not make us more competitive than Idaho. This makes people want to flee Oregon into Idaho.”
It’s clear that Republicans in Oregon have their priorities, different from Democrats here.