“Oregon Senate Republicans plan to return to the state Capitol and resume voting on bills Saturday morning,” the Oregonian reports.

Caucus leader Herman Baertschiger (R) said lawmakers “have an obligation to pass budget bills, and he believes lawmakers can complete that work by the midnight Sunday deadline for lawmakers to adjourn. Democrats have a slate of other policy bills they also want to pass, and Baertschiger would not say whether Republicans would waive procedural rules to allow votes on that legislation in the waning hours of the legislative session.”

“Republicans have shut down the Oregon Senate for more than a week, by walking out and denying Democrats the 20-member quorum they need to conduct business.”

“A legislation-stalling walkout by the 11 Republicans in the Oregon Senate continued Monday, with no end in sight,” the Oregonian reports.

“Rumors of reported sightings of the absent lawmakers abounded over the weekend, but no credible accounts surfaced by the time the Oregon Capitol opened for business Monday morning.”

The Wall Street Journal has a good piece on the fugitive Republicans, including details on them using “burner phones” in an attempt to avoid detection.

Oregonian: “If the state Senate approves the landmark plan, Oregon would join seven other states with paid family or medical leave, Williamson said. That seemed likelihood, given House Bill 2005 was negotiated by businesses and paid leave advocates.”

“But it was thrown into doubt this week when Senate Republicans staged their second walkout this session, this time to block a scheduled vote on a climate change bill.”

“Republicans’ absence could kill not only that carbon-capping plan, House Bill 2020, but also paid family medical leave and a slew of other policy proposals, since any bills that have not passed both chambers would be wiped out after the June 30 state constitutional deadline for the Legislature to adjourn.”

“Oregon’s Democratic governor, Kate Brown, has dispatched state troopers to find missing Republican senators and bring them back to Salem to legislate,” the Oregonian reports.

“All 11 Republican senators are in hiding, at least some of them out of state, in order to prevent the Senate from having the quorum it needs to operate. They can’t abide the Democrat-backed carbon cap and spend bill that is up for a Senate vote today.”

Oregon state Sen. Jeff Kruse (R) said that he was resigning after an investigation “determined he had harassed women in the Capitol building with prolonged hugging, groping and other unwelcome physical contact,” the AP reports.