OREGON
A8 — THE OBSERVER
THuRSday, FEBRuaRy 24, 2022
OREGON LEGISLATURE
Democrats dangle $ 100M for GOP rural districts
Majority Democrats
say money has no
strings attached
policy, one where we can all
communicate together.’ It’s
refreshing.”
There’s also no guar-
antee the move will salve
the fierce partisanship
By DIRK VANDERHART
that has ruled in Salem
Oregon Public Broadcasting
in recent sessions. Smith
said his fellow Republi-
SALEM — As Oregon
cans were at first opposed
lawmakers begin the final
to the spending proposal,
two weeks of this
fearing it was a Dem-
ocratic ploy. The
year’s legislative
party is still furious
session, they are
that former House
about to unveil their
Speaker Tina Kotek,
approach to a unique
D-Portland, broke a
puzzle: How to spend
deal to grant Repub-
more than $2.5 bil-
licans an equal say
lion in surging rev-
Smith
enue unplanned for
on new congressional
when they passed the
maps last year.
state budget last year.
“Initially, there
The answer
was a perception that
involves hun-
this was some sort
dreds of millions
of buy off,” Smith
for housing, cli-
said of a meeting last
Rayfield
mate change, mental
week in which House
health, job training
and Senate Repub-
licans discussed the idea.
and other pressing needs.
But majority Democrats are “After initial conversations
and once folks had a chance
also rolling the dice on an
to better understand what
eye-popping olive branch:
this approach was about,
They are going to give
I think more folks came
minority Republicans $100
million to spend essentially along.”
In the days since, GOP
as they see fit in their rural
members and one rural
Oregon districts.
In a move with little
Democrat have whit-
precedent, House Speaker
tled down a list of proj-
ects most sorely needed in
Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis,
their districts. Smith led
alerted Republican leaders
that effort with three other
last week that Democrats
lawmakers — Rep. Mark
were prepared to reserve a
Owens, R-Crane, Rep.
notable slice of the state’s
David Gomberg, D-Otis,
budgetary bounty for GOP
and Senate Minority Leader
priorities. Part politics and
Tim Knopp, R-Bend.
part pragmatism, the offer
The package they
would give the minority
have arrived at encom-
party far more influence
over which projects make it passes dozens of projects
stretching from Eastern
through the crucible of the
Oregon to the coast.
budgeting process.
“I’ve seen both parties
Smith, for instance, said
be pretty contentious with
he would request $1 mil-
lion to improve each of the
one another,” said state
seven fairgrounds located
Rep. Greg Smith, R-Hep-
pner, one of four lawmakers in his Northeastern Oregon
tasked with creating a plan
district. A full list of pro-
posed projects had not been
for the money. “I believe
released as of the morning
the speaker of the House is
of Feb. 21.
saying, ‘Let’s see if there’s
“We’re all committed
a better approach to public
abigail dollins/The Associated Press, File
Lawmakers meet in the Oregon House of Representatives on June 23, 2021, at the Oregon State Capitol
in Salem. House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, alerted Republican leaders in mid-February 2022 that
Democrats were prepared to reserve a notable slice of the state’s budgetary bounty for GOP priorities.
Part politics and part pragmatism, the offer would give the minority party far more influence over which
projects make it through the crucible of the budgeting process.
to make sure that rural
Oregon has the things it
needs to progress,” said
state Sen. Elizabeth Steiner
Hayward, D-Portland, one
of the state’s top budget
writers, when asked about
the package Monday. “I’ll
be honest with you. I think
we’re making investments
that are more than $100
million.”
Though atypical, the
approach by Rayfield isn’t
entirely novel. Flush with
federal relief money during
last year’s session, legisla-
tive leaders made the deci-
sion — controversial in
some circles — to grant
each lawmaker millions of
dollars to spend in their dis-
trict as they saw fit.
Lawmakers contacted
by OPB all made the case
that the new package is a
sensible investment to help
small communities that
often lack the resources to
tackle big-ticket infrastruc-
ture projects.
“This was a unique
opportunity for members
to collaborate in order to
bring lasting change to
the very heart and soul of
our state,” Gomberg and
Knopp wrote last week in a
letter addressed to Rayfield
and Senate President Peter
Courtney, D-Salem.
But it’s also hard to
ignore the possible polit-
ical implications in a Cap-
itol that has seen bruising
battles over the last three
years.
Once again this year,
Republicans in both cham-
bers are reserving their
right to require that bills be
read in full before a final
vote. That reading require-
ment is laid out in the state
Constitution, but the parties
routinely agreed to waive it
in the interest of efficiency
until it became a popular
bargaining chip for Repub-
licans in 2016.
The House hasn’t even
attempted a vote to waive
the rule this year, meaning
each bill is read — either
by computer or a clerk —
before a vote, eating up pre-
cious time in a session that
must adjourn by March
7. Republicans have also
rarely missed an oppor-
tunity to accuse Demo-
crats of overreach that will
harm their districts, most
often in regard to a bill that
would grant overtime pay to
farmworkers.
Rayfield’s approach to
the tactics suggests a poten-
tial shift in sparring at the
Capitol. House Democrats
under Kotek often accused
Republicans of unwarranted
obstruction when they
forced bill reading. Ray-
field, who’s been in the job
for less than a month, has
instead said the strategy is
understandable. His party
has held off on caustic
media releases.
“I don’t necessarily see it
as being obstructionist,” the
speaker said in a meeting
with reporters earlier this
month. “It’s their ability to
protest.”
But Rayfield has also
suggested that Democrats
will be able to move their
agenda within this session’s
tight time frame regardless
of bill reading. The $100
million allotment for rural
projects was presented as a
token of good faith, Smith
said, rather than a way to
purchase GOP cooperation.
“There’s absolutely no
strings attached,” Rayfield
said Feb. 21. “This is not an
exchange for anything. This
is about making meaningful
change in communities
across this state.”
If the spending oppor-
tunity is being viewed that
way by the House Repub-
lican caucus at large, it’s
not saying. A spokes-
person for the caucus,
Andrew Fromm, denied in
an email that the party was
being offered any special
influence.
“House Republicans do
not have free rein on any
spending,” he wrote. “The
caucus is aware of pro-
posals submitted by mul-
tiple legislators from both
parties that would benefit
rural Oregon districts.”
Smith, the House Repub-
lican budget lead, said this
is an approach unlike any
he’s seen. He’s just not sure
it will help heal relation-
ships in Salem.
“I would hope it moves
us a step closer,” he said,
adding: “You’re always
going to have folks who are
skeptical.”
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