PORTLAND — A bill to end courts’ ability to revoke Oregonians’ driving privileges for failure to pay a fine passed the House largely along party lines Thursday.
All House Democrats voted yes. Thirteen of 20 House Republicans who were present voted no. The most prominent exception was House Republican Leader Christine Drazan of Canby.
The bill now heads to the Senate for a vote as early as Friday.
The House heard no testimony Thursday on House Bill 4210. During a committee hearing Wednesday, there was heated testimony on both sides. Most of those in favor said the law disproportionately affects low-income and people of color, both of whom are disproportionately stopped and cited by law enforcement.
The bill, which was most recently introduced in the 2020 regular session as House Bill 4065, originally had bipartisan support.
But most Republican House members voted no Thursday. During committee debate Wednesday, lawmakers in opposition cited concerns about declining revenue for local courts and an abbreviated window to read the bill during the special session, although it is identical to the text of House Bill 4065.
House Bill 4210 does not forgive debt owed from fines and does still allow courts to suspend the license of drivers who fail to appear in court.
The other Republicans who voted yes were Cheri Helt of Bend, Cedric Hayden of Roseburg, Ron Noble of McMinnville, David Brock Smith of Port Orford, Duane Stark of Grants Pass and Jack Zika of Redmond.
All other House Republicans voted no with Rep. Sherrie Sprenger, R-Scio, and Rep. Greg Barreto, R-Cove, absent.
Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, gave a floor speech highlighting the increased burden placed on Oregonians of color by license suspension. Gorsek noted that Oregon State Police officials testified in February that there is a direct throughline from the law to driving while suspended charges being levied disproportionately against Black and Native American Oregonians.
Gorsek became emotional with a final plea to lawmakers to support the bill, as it will be the last bill he expects to carry on the House floor. Gorsek decided to step down from his House seat to seek a Senate seat and won the Democratic nomination in May.
