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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (June 29, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, JuNE 29, 2019 State Senate Republicans return to Salem A scramble to pass bills by Sunday By AUBREY WIEBER, MARK MILLER and CLAIRE WITHYCOMBE Oregon Capital Bureau SALEM — Enough Ore- gon Republican senators will return to the Capitol for the chamber to do business. The Senate will convene at 9 a.m. Saturday, and will have until 11:59 p.m. Sun- day to work through as many bills as possible. There are around 120 stacked up wait- ing for action. Not all 12 Republican senators will return, but only two are needed to pro- vide a quorum so the body can operate. State Sen- ate Minority Leader Her- man Baertschiger Jr. said the majority of them will show up. Republicans walked out last week to stop a vote on a sweeping environmen- tal proposal that has been in their crosshairs since the first day of session. “For the next few days, I had nothing but threats — threats from the major- ity leader, threats from the governor and the speaker,” Baertschiger, R-Grants Pass, said Friday. “I had no threats from the Senate pres- ident. Yes, the Senate presi- dent was upset that we left, reminded me that we had an agreement from the last time we walked, and I reminded him in part of that agree- ment, that cap and trade would have a reset, and that Senator (Cliff) Bentz, who has worked so hard on this legislation, would actually have a place at the table.” The terms of the reset were not worked out in detail — something Baertschiger said he now regrets. “It’s one of those things, when you’re in the room, that we all probably had a little bit different definition of ‘reset,’” he said. Democrats were not the only ones making threats. Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dal- las, made national news last week when he threatened state troopers with lethal violence. Boquist warned Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, about sending the police after him if he walks out. “If you send the state police to get me, hell’s com- ing to visit you personally,” Boquist said on the Senate floor. When a reporter asked him about it later, Boquist, always fiery, was not at a loss for words. “Send bachelors and come heavily armed,” he said he’d advised the state police. Baertschiger refused to condemn Boquist’s words. “I don’t know what threats you’re talking about,” he said when a reporter asked about the comments. “I know what Senator Boquist said. You got to remember, at that time, there was — a lot of Photos by Claire Withycombe/Oregon Capital Bureau LEFT: State Senate Minority Leader Herman Baertschiger Jr. at Friday’s press conference in Salem. RIGHT: State Senate President Peter Courtney addressing reporters on Friday. ‘THE SITuATION IS SO FRAGILE ANd dELICATE THAT I CAN’T TAKE A CHANCE THAT ANyTHING APPEARS IN PRINT, OR ON TV OR RAdIO ... COuLd IN SOME WAyS dISRuPT A SITuATION THAT IS JuST HANGING ON. I AM JuST HANGING ON By My FINGERNAILS.’ Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem tempers were flaring. Obvi- ously, his statement was not helpful. “I’m going to say it was definitely not helpful. There has been a lot of things said by a lot of senators on both sides of the aisle when the tempers were flaring. So it definitely was not helpful.” Courtney spoke to report- ers Friday for the first time in over a week, but refused to answer substantive ques- tions about the negotiations. “The situation is so frag- ile and delicate that I can’t take a chance that any- thing appears in print, or on TV or radio ... could in some ways disrupt a situa- tion that is just hanging on,” the Salem Democrat said. “I am just hanging on by my fingernails.” Courtney said there is a limited amount of time to get about 120 bills through. “It’s been a very difficult time,” Courtney said. “And it’s been very, very diffi- cult. And there’s no trust, lack of trust, there is feelings of betrayal, etc., etc., all of these things are at work with human beings, and that is a tough situation to be in.” Walking out a second time, severing a deal secured to end a May walkout, was the nuclear option for Senate Republicans. Baertschiger said he at first was against the idea, but he was the only one. He said he had to be talked into walking out by his fellow Republicans. “My fear is that it could be abused very easily, that every time you don’t get your way, you just walk out,” Baertschiger said of the tac- tic to deny the Senate a quo- rum. “I think that would be abuse of that. I think our caucus carefully looked at these situations and said our districts had said adamantly they could not survive cap and trade. They were very adamant, and I think you’ve seen that yesterday. So I think that is why the caucus made that decision.” Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-On- tario, said it’s a bit more complicated than that. In the weeks leading up to the walkout, no one was in favor, he said. “It’s absolutely fake to say everyone wanted to walk out,” he said. But, once House Bill 2020 came closer to a final vote, it became clear Repub- licans had to do something. “At that point, we really had no choice,” he said. The caucus was united, Bentz said, but Baertschiger was “not enthusiastic” about giving the nod to a sec- ond walkout. He eventually came around, and Republi- cans got the desired result, though Democrats say it’s not because they left the building. During the walkout, Courtney announced that he didn’t even have the 16 votes from the 18 Democratic sen- ators needed to pass the bill. Baertschiger declared victory anyway. “Our mission of walk- ing out of this building was to kill cap and trade,” he said. “That’s what our con- stituents said yesterday. And that’s what we did.” However, Courtney declared the bill dead Tues- day, and Republicans won’t be back on the Senate floor until Saturday. They said they didn’t trust that the bill was dead, and they were concerned over some other policy bills. Baertschiger said he trusts Courtney will play the final two days straight, so Gov. Kate Brown doesn’t have to call a special session during the summer to pass budgets. “We have a constitu- tional duty to pass all the budget bills, and I hope that the Senate president brings them forth first so we can get that done,” Baertschiger said. “After the budget bills, we have some policy bills left. Some of those are good. I would say most of them are good bills, to be honest with you. “There are a handful of bills that we are having a conversation about, but I think a lot of those need an up-and-down vote. I’m con- fident that we can pass the budget, all the budgets, and we can work through all those policy bills and be out of here by midnight on Sun- day. My caucus has told me they are dedicated (to) work- ing through that agenda and having those conversations.” The tension will be over what remaining legisla- tion get consideration first. Republicans would like to take up budget bills as they are not controversial and bring money back to their districts. But Democrats know if they stack the calendar with budget bills, Republicans could walk out before policy bills are taken up. There are several controversial items in the queue. Chief among them is Senate Bill 116. That proposal would push a potential referendum on a business tax package to fund education to a special election in January, rather than the regular election in November 2020. Republicans think the tax package on the ballot would energize their base, boost- ing their candidates up for reelection. The Oregon Capital Bureau is a collaboration between EO Media Group, Pamplin Media Group and Salem Reporter. Cannon Beach Library Annual Fourth of July Book Sale July 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th Thursday-Sunday, 10am-5pm 1000’s of Books at Bargain Prices! 131 N. Hemlock Cannon Beach 503.436.1391 info@cannonbeachlibrary.org More than just Antiques! 50+ Vendors Antiques • Nautical Items Glassware • Vintage Decor Thousands protest climate bills at state Capitol Farmers, loggers take a stand By SIERRA DAWN McCLAIN Capital Press SALEM — Oregonians brought more than 2,000 trucks, tractors and other vehicles to the state Cap- itol on Thursday morn- ing to protest climate bills and other legislation they say will threaten their livelihoods. Trucks circled the Cap- itol, honking. The Capitol steps, mall and surround- ing streets were thick with protesters. Farmers, ranchers, log- gers and others whose jobs are dependent on natural resources say the legisla- tion — House Bill 2020, also known as cap and trade — will increase their fuel and energy costs while hav- 892 Marine Drive, Astoria • (503) 338-0101 Sierra Dawn McClain/Capital Press From left, Donna Nelson, Steve Nelson and their daughter, Ellie Eliger, protest a cap-and-trade bill in Salem. ing a minimal impact on the climate. “We’ve got climate prob- lems to deal with, obvi- ously,” said Mary Hewitt, 19, waving her sign among a group of other young protesters. Hewitt comes from a family of truckers, fish- ermen and other work- ing-class people. “So many of my peers have come out supporting these bills,” she said. “They think they’re fighting for the environ- ment, and I get it. But this is not the way to help the earth. Ride a bike to work. Walk more. Recycle. But don’t crush me and my fam- ily. We’re people, too.”
