STATE
6A — THE OBSERVER
TUESDAY, MAY 4, 2021
After 100 days, time crush looms larger in state Capitol
Oregon Capitol Bureau
SALEM — It’s a new month,
but same headaches for Oregon’s
Legislature.
The 2021 session of the Leg-
islature hit the 100-day mark on
Thursday, April 29. The constitu-
tion gives the House and Senate
160 days in even-numbered years
to initiate, bloviate and legislate
before being forced to gavel the
session closed.
When lawmakers return to the
Capitol on May 3, they’ll have 56
days left — no matter what. The
Oregon constitution requires the
Legislature to fi nish by June 28.
In legislative parlance, the
House and Senate must “Sine
Die” — a Latin word twist that
roughly translates to adjourn
without a future date to meet in
2021.
The clock started Jan. 19 and
doesn’t stop for nights, week-
ends, holidays, COVID-19 shut-
downs, Senate walkouts or House
slowdowns.
And when it is over, it’s over.
All bills left are dead. Ideas can
come back the next session, but
have to start over again.
Wrong way repeat?
Encore, Encore!
How fat a wallet?
Sept. 20 is the start date for the
special session of the Legislature
to deal with overdue redistricting
maps. Lawmakers received a
letter from leadership last week.
Oregonians voted yes in
November on Measure 107,
closing a court-imposed loophole
that campaign contributions were
protected activity under Oregon’s
expansive freedom of speech
guarantees in the state constitu-
tion. Two bills were introduced
this session to put numbers on the
limits. House Bills 2680 and 3343
are both parked in Rules with no
additional action scheduled. The
diff erences between the two bills
come down to the size of the big-
gest donation allowed. The Legis-
lature may punt on the issue and
send it as a referendum on the
2022 ballot. After saying “yes”
to limits, voters would be asked
“how much is too much?”
EO Media Group, File
committees were culled by ear-
lier deadlines. The next witching
hour is May 14 when bills must
be scheduled for a fi nal com-
mittee vote in the second chamber
(House bills in the Senate, and
vice versa). There are a few “safe
harbors” for legislation. Bills in
Rules, Revenue and joint (House-
Senate) committees are exempt
from the deadlines.
Legislation Resurrection
The Legislature has its own
automatic Spring cleaning with
four “witching hours” during the
session that kill off bills stalled
in committees. House Speaker
Tina Kotek, D-Portland, esti-
mated early in the session that up
to 4,000 bills and resolutions were
introduced.
Hundreds of bills stuck in
the maze of the Legislature’s 43
When legislative leaders
reverse themselves and want one
of the dead bills to move forward
after all, the job is done with a
“gut and stuff ” move. A bill that
has moved forward can be sent to
the Rules or another deadline-ex-
empt committee where its entire
contents are removed (gut) and an
amendment becomes the entire
text of the bill. Look for the move
STATE NEWS BRIEFS
PORTLAND —
Crews rescued four
people who got stuck on
the side of a cliff while
exploring canyons in the
Columbia River Gorge,
authorities said.
The Multnomah
County Sheriff ’s Offi ce
received a report about
12:30 a.m. Friday, April
30, that the group had
been stranded for about
10 hours and needed to
be rescued, The Ore-
gonian/OregonLive
reported.
The sheriff ’s offi ce
said the group, who had
proper safety equipment
and were dressed appro-
priately, started at the
Wahclella Falls Trailhead
east of Multnomah Falls.
The group had taken
the Gorge 400 Trail and
reached a steep canyon
that features several cas-
cading waterfalls.
One canyoneer
became separated from
the rest of the group
when a rope became
stuck during a descent,
the sheriff ’s offi ce said.
The canyoneer was
stranded between two
waterfalls, and their com-
panions were not able to
get them out of the area
safely.
The canyoneers
called for help after sev-
eral hours. Four Port-
land Mountain Rescue
crew members reached
as the Legislature scrambles when
the end of the session gets close.
The revenue forecasts are a
best educated guess — and some-
times prove wrong. The June 2020
report forecast a sharp recession
that would require major cuts by
the state. By the next report in
September 2020, the fi scal storm
had disappeared as strong tax reve-
nues from higher earning residents
came in. Aided by a major infusion
of federal aid, the state has been
swimming in cash so far this year.
The 2021 session of the Legislature hit the 100-day mark on Thursday, April 29. The Ore-
gon Constitution gives the House and Senate 160 days in even-numbered years to initi-
ate, bloviate and legislate before being forced to gavel the session closed.
Third witching hour
Four rescued after
becoming stranded in
Columbia River Gorge
Empty executive offi ce pending
sent to key government plan-
ners. The report won’t be made
public until May 19. But an early
version was sent to the Gover-
nor’s Council of Economic Advi-
sors and the state Department
of Administrative Services. The
quarterly reports measure how
much money the state is taking in
and spending.
By GARY A. WARNER
the stranded canyoneers,
lowered three of them
down the side of a
50-foot (15-meter) water-
fall and helped the person
who was stuck.
The rescuers then
helped the group cross a
stream and a rocky slope
before they all hiked
back to the trailhead.
The sheriff ’s offi ce
said canyoneering is
becoming more popular.
The agency urged can-
yoneers to research and
scout their objectives,
take extra gear and create
an emergency plan before
leaving a trailhead.
Two who shielded
$3.8M in income in tax
evasion case sentenced
PORTLAND — An
Oregon City couple who
shielded more than $3.8
million in income in a
tax evasion case will
serve more than three
years of probation.
Karl Brady, 59, and
Laura Brady, 60, failed to
pay $1.4 million in taxes
from 2008 through 2015,
and must pay that amount
in restitution, The Ore-
gonian/OregonLive
reported.
Karl Brady also
pleaded guilty to con-
spiracy to defraud the
United States and con-
spiracy to commit bank
fraud.
The plea agreement
called for each of them to
plead guilty, according to
court records.
East meets West
Sept. 20 is also the 30th anni-
versary of East Germany and
West Germany voting to unify
into one nation. Getting western
Oregon and eastern Oregon to
unify might be harder. The Cas-
cades make for a much prettier
wall than the one that stood in
Berlin.
Feeling for an economic pulse
On April 30, the preliminary
June state revenue forecast was
Karl Brady was one
of three owners and vice
president of accounting
for Northwest Behav-
ioral Healthcare Inc., a
Gladstone-based residen-
tial mental health treat-
ment center for adoles-
cents. The trio concealed
income from the center
for more than a decade,
between 2002 and 2015,
according to court
documents.
The owners in 2002
started to pay a promoter
of an illegal tax scheme
to help them hide their
income from the Internal
Revenue Service. They
each paid the promoter
about $20,000, according
to court documents. Each
created other companies
and accounts and fun-
neled their money into
them.
They would meet
weekly or monthly to
divide money from
Northwest Behavioral
Healthcare and direct
the bookkeeper to issue
checks to the other com-
panies to to keep the
funds off the radar of the
IRS, according to federal
prosecutors.
Co-defendants Daniel
Mahler, president and
chief executive offi cer of
the mental health care
provider, and Lyndon
Fischer, vice president
of marketing, were sen-
tenced to fi ve years of
home detention, allowed
out only for work with no
luxuries allowed.
— Associated Press
With Gov. Kate Brown
unable to run because of term
limits, the 2022 governor’s
race will be the fi rst since 2010
without an incumbent on the
ballot. Democrats have won
every election for the state’s
stop job since 1986. It’s not sur-
prising that “every Democrat
who can fog a glass,” as one
wag recently put it, is rumored
as eyeing the May 2022 pri-
mary. Candidates can’t offi cially
fi le for offi ce until Sept. 9, and
can wait to jump in as late as
March 8, 2022.
GOP for governor
Speculation of which Republi-
cans might join what recent his-
tory has shown as a quixotic run
for governor has started early.
Bud Pierce, the GOP nominee in
the 2016 special election for gov-
ernor won by Kate Brown, has
announced he plans to run.
Oregon Catalyst, a pop-
ular conservative website,
recently posted an online poll
asking readers to pick from
among fi ve names getting some
early buzz as possible GOP
standard-bearers.
Sandy Mayor Stan Pul-
liam came out on top. Others
included Pierce, Sen. Dallas
Heard, R-Roseburg (who is also
the Oregon Republican Party
chair), Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer,
and Clackamas County Commis-
sioner Tootie Smith. Candidates
can’t offi cially fi le for offi ce until
Sept. 9, but expect more straw
polls across the political spec-
trum over the summer.
Rep. Nearman charged in breach
BY ANDREW SELSKY
Associated Press
SALEM — Prosecu-
tors leveled two crim-
inal charges Friday, April
30, against a Republican
member of the Oregon
House of Representatives
who let rioters into the state
Capitol in December.
Rep. Mike Nearman,
R-Indepen-
dence, was
charged with
fi rst-degree
offi cial mis-
conduct and
Nearman
second-degree
criminal trespass. Oregon
State Police struggled to
force the rioters back out
of the Capitol, which was
closed to the public, on Dec.
21 as lawmakers met in
emergency session to deal
with economic fallout from
the coronavirus pandemic.
Marion County Deputy
District Attorney Matthew
Kemmy told Nearman’s
attorney, Jason Short, in
a letter April 30 his client
must appear in court on
May 11 or face arrest.
Short was out of his
offi ce April 30 and not
available for comment.
Nearman did not respond to
phone and email messages
seeking comment.
Nearman had been seen
on security cameras let-
ting violent protesters into
the Oregon Capitol. They
attacked authorities with
bear spray. Outside the
building, some of the pro-
testers assaulted reporters
and broke glass doors on
Andrew Selsky/AP Photo, File
Pro-Trump and anti-mask demonstrators rally outside the Oregon State
Capitol on Dec. 21, 2020, as legislators meet in Salem. Prosecutors leveled
two criminal charges Friday, April 30, 2021, against a Republican member
of the Oregon House of Representatives who let rioters into the Capitol
that day. Rep. Mike Nearman was charged with fi rst-degree offi cial mis-
conduct and second-degree criminal trespass.
the Capitol. State police
investigated the case.
In January, after Near-
man’s role became clear
from the security footage,
House Speaker Tina Kotek
called for his resignation
and stripped him of his
committee assignments.
“Rep. Nearman put
every person in the Capitol
in serious danger,” Kotek
said on Jan. 11.
She referred to the
deadly storming of the
U.S. Capitol that had
occurred just days before,
on Jan. 6, by supporters
of then President Donald
Trump: “As we tragically
saw last week during the
insurrection at the United
States Capitol, the conse-
quences (here) could have
been much worse had law
enforcement not stepped in
so quickly,” Kotek said.
According to court
records, the misconduct
charge alleges Nearman,
who is from the town of
Independence west of
Salem, “did unlawfully and
knowingly perform an act
... with intent to obtain a
benefi t or to harm another.”
The charge is a Class A
misdemeanor, punishable
by a maximum 364 days in
prison and a $6,250 fi ne.
The trespass charge
accused him of unlawfully
letting others into the Cap-
itol. It is a Class C misde-
meanor, punishable by a
maximum of 30 days in jail
and a $1,250 fi ne.
Oregon Public Broad-
casting was fi rst to report
Nearman being charged,
later announced by
the offi ce of Marion
County District Attorney
Paige Clarkson.
LESS STRESS
MORE FUN!
PROTECTING our
Residents during
this Pandemic
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