Oregon GOP walkout marks 5th day, delays Democrat-led bills
May 7, 2023, 10:03 AM
Democratic state Sen. Floyd Prozanski addresses the floor during the courtesies portion of a Senate session at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., Friday, May 5, 2023. Four Republican senators and one Independent senator had unexcused absences, preventing a quorum for a third day. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — A walkout by most Republicans in the Oregon Senate aimed at delaying action on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care bills extended to a fifth day Sunday.
Senate President Rob Wagner adjourned the body until Monday morning because a quorum could not be reached.
Republicans have staged walkouts before, but this year legislators with 10 unexcused absences are disqualified for reelection, thanks to a new constitutional amendment overwhelmingly approved by voters in November.
The boycott comes as several statehouses, including in Montana and Tennessee, have become battlegrounds between conservatives and liberals. Oregon has increasingly been divided between liberal population centers like Portland and Eugene and its mostly conservative rural areas.
