$325 daily fines begin as walkout continues in Oregon Senate

Oregon Republican senators were not deterred by the threat of $325 daily fines announced Thursday, denying quorum again Monday morning as the fines were set to begin.

There was a minor change, however, with the return of Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, who has been excused from the legislative session since March for medical reasons. Gorsek was welcomed back by his colleagues Monday and he extended courtesies to lawmakers and his medical team for their well-wishes and support.

"As you can imagine, this was not a planned event. No one would plan to be out for essentially three months in the middle of the session," Gorsek said. "Sometimes your body does things you can't really control."

With Gorsek's return, the Oregon Senate will likely now be only one person short of conducting legislative business. They've been unable to do so since May 3 when Republicans and an Independent first began their walkout.

Oregon senators begin receiving fines for walkout

Nine Republicans will receive $325 fines for their absence Monday. Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas, was excused after a water main break at his house, according to the office of Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego.

The decision to fine absent senators was made Thursday when Senate Majority Leader Sen. Kate Lieber, D-Portland, made the request to compel lawmakers to return. The request cited Article IV, Section 12 of the Oregon Constitution, which says a "smaller number may meet" and "compel the attendance of absent members."

Senators who accumulate fines will receive an invoice at the end of the legislative session from the Legislative Assembly.

This is not the first time senators faced fines during a walkout.

History of walkouts: Oregon Republicans regularly use walkouts as leverage. Here's what it has accomplished

In 2019, Senate Republicans faced $3,500 in fines after walking out for a second time in one session. Senate leadership abandoned the plan and never sent the invoices, claiming that doing so would have led to "lengthy litigation and hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded legal fees.”

On Thursday, Senate Republican leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, called the move retaliatory and suggested Wagner pay the fines himself.

Absent senators will be fined $325 each for every day a quorum is not reached. The number represents the daily rate of salary, per diem and benefits, according to Wagner's office.

Oregon House running out of things to do

Over in the Oregon House, representatives are quickly running out of things to do.

The House convened Monday morning but Rep. David Gomberg, D-Lincoln City, presided over an empty chamber simply to open and adjourn until Wednesday. Several bills are scheduled for second readings Wednesday. Last week, the chamber moved forward several other bills.

House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, has said members of the House are "keeping our heads down" and continuing their work to pass legislation. He called the walkout "unacceptable."

Bills stall as Oregon Senate walkout continues

More than a hundred bills await consideration in the Senate.

The bills include House Bill 2002, which clarifies state law to allow minors under the age of 15 to have an abortion without parental consent, requires insurance to cover gender-affirming care and adds protections to healthcare providers who perform abortions.

But other bills now sitting include an overhaul of Measure 110, the option to bring ranked choice voting to the state, the requirement for schools to notify staff and parents about threats, and updates to Oregon's Death With Dignity Act.

The legislative session is set to end on June 25, leaving lawmakers fewer than three weeks to pass the legislation and vote on a new budget.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature for the Statesman Journal. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter at @diannelugo

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Oregon Senate walkout: Quorum not reached despite daily fines