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East Oregonian
Friday, June 21, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
ANDREW CUTLER
Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
JADE McDOWELL
Hermiston Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Oregon lawmakers need to take a timeout
T
here is no better example
of political failure than
the move by Republican
lawmakers to walk away from the
Oregon Legislature Thursday.
But before the usual blame
machine cranks up in an effort to
saddle GOP lawmakers with all
the responsibility, voters should
take a step back and carefully
review this most recent brush up
at the Legislature. That’s because
a careful assessment will show
there is plenty of blame to go
around.
Senate Republicans walked
away in an effort to derail Ore-
gon’s ambitious — and compli-
cated — climate change legisla-
tion. House Bill 2020 — designed
to slash the state’s carbon emis-
sions — is entirely a creature of
the Democratic super majority
and, as such, should be a big red
flag for voters.
We wrote earlier in this space
that the bill isn’t ready for prime
time and we still believe that.
The bill is a byzantine, mud-
dled example of good intentions
gone awry. What’s worse, Dem-
ocrats crafted the legislation and
then brushed off — repeatedly
EOMG File Photo
Republicans in the Oregon Senate have walked out to stall a vote on controversial
climate change legislation.
— Republican attempts to reach a
compromise on issues in the bill
they felt hurt Oregonians. Instead
of compromise, discussion and
debate — hallmarks of Democ-
racy — the majority party at the
Legislature acted in a unilateral
manner more in line with lead-
ers of a third-rate banana repub-
lic than lawmakers steeped in the
traditions of Thomas Jefferson
and James Madison.
Republicans in the Legislature
are not without fault. Let’s face
it, the GOP in Oregon has made
a number of political miscues
during this legislative session but
this time, and on this issue, they
are in the right.
With a super majority, the
Democrats have the power to
shove through whatever leg-
islation they want. Democ-
racy, though, isn’t about apply-
ing unchecked power. It is about
seeking the best solution from a
variety of different political view-
points. It is about compromise.
To make matters even worse
— which hardly seem possible
— Gov. Kate Brown delivered
on a threat to use the state police
to bring GOP lawmakers back to
the Legislature if they departed.
That means we — the state
of Oregon — have descended to
the low level of detaining elected
lawmakers, transporting them
back to Salem and shoving them
into the Senate to be present so
the Democrats can pass their leg-
islation. Such an action, while
disgusting, also isn’t Democracy.
It smacks of totalitarianism.
Oregon lawmakers need to
take a timeout, reflect on what
is at stake, and then return to
the Legislature with the goal
of seeking a compromise.
The core element of Democ-
racy is compromise. We need
more of that instead of political
grandstanding.
OTHER VIEWS
Leave bill is too
complex, too expensive
Bend Bulletin
I
CONTACT YOUR REPRESENTATIVES
U.S. PRESIDENT
GOVERNOR
Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
whitehouse.gov/contact/
Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court Street
Salem, OR 97301-4047
503-378-4582
U.S. SENATORS
Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
La Grande office: 541-962-7691
Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753
Pendleton office: 541-278-1129
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Greg Walden
185 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6730
La Grande office: 541-624-2400
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
REPRESENTATIVES
Greg Barreto, District 58
900 Court St. NE, H-38
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1458
Rep.GregBarreto@state.or.us
Greg Smith, District 57
900 Court St. NE, H-482
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1457
Rep.GregSmith@state.or.us
SENATOR
Bill Hansell, District 29
900 Court St. NE, S-423
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1729
Sen.BillHansell@state.or.us
f Oregonians are lucky, the
legislative clock will run out
before lawmakers make House
Bill 2005 law. The bill creates a
new and expensive insurance pro-
gram to provide paid family, med-
ical or “safe” leave to almost every
working person in the state. Safe
leave would be available to employ-
ees who have been victims of
harassment, stalking, domestic vio-
lence and the like or whose depen-
dents or minor children have been
victims.
Giving workers paid time off
to deal with their personal lives,
whether the problem is illness, the
appearance of a new child, or per-
sonal safety is a good idea. That
said, the decision should be left to
the employer, not mandated by the
state. Currently workers may take
unpaid family and medical leave
under both state and federal law.
This bill has all the problems
a state-run program might be
expected to have.
Among them, employers who
needed to replace workers on leave
could run into problems because
the bill makes clear workers on
leave could have their old jobs back
with no loss of seniority or other
benefits. Jobs with highly technical
work requirements might be hard to
fill on a temporary basis. That’s just
for starters.
The measure would set up a
state insurance program and trust
fund that would pay for leave, with
employees providing 60% of the
funds through a payroll tax of up
to 1% and employers providing the
remaining 40%.
In addition, the Legislative Fis-
cal Office estimates the bill would
cost the state Employment Depart-
ment more than $15.5 million in the
2019-21 biennium, and nearly $38
million in the following biennium.
Too, government at all levels would
be required to pay into the insur-
ance fund for their employees, as
would private employers with more
than 25 employees.
Cost and a complex set of rules
regarding record-keeping aside,
HB 2005 would allow the state to
obtain liens against all personal and
real property of anyone, employer
or employee, who failed to repay
too-generous benefits or missed tax
payments into the program. That, in
turn, could lead to the seizure and
sale of the employee’s or employer’s
property.
Oregon already is considered a
tough place to do business, with
high personal income taxes, a pleth-
ora of regulations on everything
from wages to time off, in addition
to some of the most restrictive land
use laws in the country. This mea-
sure would only make that reputa-
tion worse, and it should be allowed
to die.
The East Oregonian welcomes original letters of 400 words or less on public issues and public policies
for publication in the newspaper and on our website. The newspaper reserves the right to withhold
letters that address concerns about individual services and products or letters that infringe on the rights
of private citizens. Letters must be signed by the author and include the city of residence and a daytime
phone number. The phone number will not be published. Unsigned letters will not be published.
Send letters to the editor to
editor@eastoregonian.com,
or via mail to Andrew Cutler,
211 S.E. Byers Ave.
Pendleton, OR 97801