Oregon GOP Senators Flee State Capitol

For the second consecutive legislative session, Oregon Senate Republicans have walked out of the Capitol to block passage of a greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade bill, the Statesman Journal reports.

“Democrats hold a supermajority of 18 members, but a walkout denies the Senate a two-thirds quorum of 20 needed to conduct any business on the floor. Senate Republicans deployed this tactic twice during the 2019 session — first in protest of a multibillion dollar education revenue package and then against House Bill 2020, the previous cap-and-trade bill.”

“The biggest difference between this session and 2019 is that the bill has enough support to pass the full Senate.”