Oregon legislature adjourns sine die this evening. It signifies the legislative body has concluded its meeting without setting a day or time to reconvene. It literally means to adjourn “without a day.” For lawmakers, it signifies "time to go home." A sine die adjournment has significant ramifications for the life of legislation. It means that all active bills not yet enacted die with it and would need to be reintroduced in the next legislative session and start the entire legislative process over. It is the hope of many that we never see a legislative session like this again, and hope voters remember the effects of what has transpired the past five months.

House Speaker Julie Fahey (D-Eugene) and Senate President Rob Wagner (D-Lake Oswego) released the following statements: "This session, we focused on practical, bipartisan solutions to the challenges Oregonians face every day — from lowering the cost of living to expanding access to health care, housing, and public safety. We protected core services in a tough budget year, found common ground on complex issues, and made sure the work happening inside the Capitol reflected the values and priorities of people across the state," Speaker Fahey said. "It wasn’t always easy — but we stayed focused, we stayed collaborative, and by in large, we delivered."

Most Oregonians recognize that this statement would not pass fact checking. They adjourned early because Democrat leadership was loosing their constituents and they couldn't afford to push their agenda any further. Left on the table was HB 3390, which would have allowed the legislature to write their own ballot titles. If Fahey's statement is an example of a ballot title, it has mal-information written all over it.

Most importantly, HB 2025, the billion dollar tax bill was left on the table for a special session. They didn't have the votes from the majority to pass it, and Fahey calls that bipartisan solutions, with zero Republicans support.

To finish the session, Democrats passed the very controversial gun bill, SB 243 that leaves all gun owners wondering where and if they can legally carry. Never mind cartel residents, they live by their own rules. Out of 2,390 testimonies 206 supported the bill. That's 2,184 opposed. That's Fahey's idea of finding common ground. This was not an outlier. It was the norm for all the controversial bills.

What they call as making Oregon more affordable is HB 3940, taxing nicotine products to fund fire protection, or HB 2803, increasing water fees. They extended three taxes on forest products in HB 2072, and SB 916 will put schools in a bind to pay unemployment benefits to striking employees. This is only a taste of what Fahey refers to as their successful delivery.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

President Wagner said, "We did a lot to help the people of Oregon this session and we did it by seeking common solutions to the challenges we face. I'm proud of my fellow legislators and I look forward to continuing our work that remains unfinished." He is referring to a special session after they convince their colleges to pass the transportation billion dollar tax bill. Will they consider the House Republicans' bill, HB 3982, which preserves operations and maintenance that are key to core functions of ODOT, especially in rural Oregon, such as plowing roads and filling potholes. The bill stabilizes ODOT and avoids raising taxes and the cost of living.

Watch for "unfinished business" that was left on the table such as: a swipe at the kicker, passing a statewide property tax, increase on income tax, raising taxes based on inflation, and they won't quite pursuing stricter rules on owning guns until there are no rights. And then there is the I-5 bridge. The short session will be very intense.

House Republican Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby) said of the session “House Republicans have relentlessly focused on addressing the needs of everyday Oregonians and their families who are overwhelmed by the cost of living and frustrated by never-ending tax hikes. Forcing families to pay one of the largest tax hikes in history when they can barely get by was a cruel policy from the start. While our work represents a major victory for working-class, low-income, and rural communities, House Republicans will continue to listen to and fight on behalf of Oregonians against any future taxes that raise the cost of living. We welcome House Democrats to join us.”

Basing the whole session on a final hour win is all Republicans have to show. It's big, but they put aside strategy that would have saved Oregonians from a lot other taxing bills plus protecting gun rights. It isn't that Republicans won, the Democrats lost their own party votes. Republicans seemed to be floundering for leadership the whole session leaving Republicans without direction.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-07-04 13:37:21

Last Update: 2025-07-05 00:24:32