GOP says Senate is in session illegally
By Terry Murry on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
SALEM – Senate Republicans are protesting the behavior of Senate President Rob Wagner. They say he is “knowingly and willfully violating Senate Rules, Oregon statute, and the Oregon Constitution.”
GOP senators are staging a constitutional protest as they walk out of the capitol and call for a vote to remove Wagner from his role as senate president.
Earlier this week, when the Republicans raised their objection to bills that they feel are not written in easy-to-understand language, Wagner recessed the session. When he returned he ruled that the legislation did, in his eyes, comply with the law.
“He failed to provide any reasoning to substantiate the ruling despite many objections,” a news release from the GOP senators stated. “Republicans have attempted to appeal the ruling several times.”
Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) called Wagner’s ruling inappropriate, unjustified, and unlawful.
“We will not sit by and allow these actions without consequence,” he said. “Laws are to be plainly written and easy to understand. When the majority of bill summaries written demand a post-graduate degree to understand what the bills do, we disenfranchise Oregonians across the state and violate the law in the process.”
Republicans say to comply with state law, every bill must be returned to its original sponsor so that all bill summaries can be redrafted. The bill must then be sent back through the committees before being heard on the floors of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
