SALEM, Ore. — Senate Republicans ended a weeklong walkout Monday and returned to the Oregon Capitol after the governor and Democratic leadership agreed to major concessions on some of the most high-profile bills this session.
Democrats scrapped bills on gun control and vaccines in exchange for Republicans’ return to Senate.
Republicans returned to the Senate and the chamber was able to approve a $1 billion per year school funding tax by an 18-11 vote. It previously passed the House and now heads to Gov. Kate Brown for her signature. It would raise $1 billion per year through a half a percent tax on Oregon’s wealthiest businesses via a .057 percent tax on gross receipts for businesses with $1 million or more in sales.
The agreement to move forward with the education tax vote marks a huge win for the Republican minority, which has remained largely powerless this session against a Democratic governor and legislative supermajority.
The vaccine measure, which was already approved by the House, would have ended families’ ability to opt-out of school vaccination requirements for personal, philosophical or religious reasons. If passed, Oregon would have had one of the strongest vaccine laws in the country at a time when the national measles count has hit its highest in decades.
“This bill was about saving lives, protecting children and ensuring our shared immunity from dangerous and preventable diseases,” said Rep. Cheri Helt, the Republican from Bend behind the vaccine bill. “It’s disappointing that once again the loudest, most extreme voices in our politics prevailed and the sensible-center and thoughtful policy-making lost.”
Senate Majority Leader Ginny Burdick confirmed that Gov. Kate Brown was behind the agreement, which will also squash a gun control package that would have allowed businesses to raise the purchasing age to 21 and require gun owners to safely store their weapons. Burdick, who sponsored the proposal, said the trade-off “was the right thing to do, but it was not my idea.”
