'It wasn’t happenstantial': Oregon GOP lawmakers skip work to avoid abortion law votes

Oregon Republican lawmakers skipped work Wednesday to prevent state Democrats from pushing forward legislation on abortion, gun control and gender-affirming health care, KXAN reports.

Per KXAN, the GOPers said in a press release "they were protesting over bills not being written in plain language, claiming violations of procedural rules, state law and the state constitution."

In order to make their point, the right-wing lawmakers chose to "walk away from the Capitol, denying the Senate the 20-member quorum necessary to conduct business," according to Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB).

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Democratic Senate President Rob Wagner's office, per KXAN, said 10 Republican senators and chamber's lone independent were absent, and that four of the Republicans and the independent were absent without an excuse," and "the so-called walkout prevented the state Senate from having a quorum and holding its scheduled session."

Wagner said during a press conference, "It wasn't happenstantial that when we were about to consider those bills, that was when we saw people walking off the job."

OPB reports:

Six GOP lawmakers were listed as excused on Wednesday. Two Republicans, Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, and Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, were in attendance. Five senators were marked unexcused.

Republicans could use excused absences as a rotating tactic to milk the clock, swapping out lawmakers who are nearing their 10 unexcused absence mark for lawmakers with a lower tally. Three GOP senators — Art Robinson of Cave Junction, Fred Girod of Stayton and Kim Thatcher of Keizer — are excused at least through the end of the week, public records show. Girod is excused until May 13.

According to OPB, Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber, a Democrat, said "it is 'no coincidence that Republicans are employing these embarrassing antics as the Senate is about to vote on bills that protect reproductive health freedom and establish common sense gun safety laws.'"

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KXAN reports the Republicans took the same approach "in 2020 to freeze legislation on climate change, among other things," noting this time, their "walk-out could test a new voter-approved measure that bans lawmakers who have 10 or more unexcused absences from running for re-election."

Lieber emphasized, "By walking out today, Senate Republicans are abandoning all who believe in our democracy, particularly the voters who sent them to Salem to vote on their behalf."

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KXAN News' full report is available at this link. Oregon Public Broadcasting's report is here.