PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On Wednesday, following the walkout in the Oregon Senate, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means heard testimony from dozens of Oregonians, but three of the people on the committee were some of those absent or excused from the Senate floor.
While all of this was going on, many were outside the Capitol urging lawmakers to show up and take action on the biggest issues the state is facing.
As two partisan bills came to the Senate floor Wednesday — focusing on access to abortions and gender-affirming care, as well as gun regulations — more than a third of state senators were absent or excused from the Senate floor in what some are calling a walkout.
“When you’re in the minority, we allow people to protest under the set of circumstances to make sure their voices are heard,” said House Speaker Dan Rayfield.
Ten were Republicans, one was a Democrat, and one was Independent, though it’s unclear how many out of the dozen were gone because they were participating in the walkout. On Tuesday, some involved in the protest made procedural arguments that bills violated statutes when it comes to reading levels.
“An equivalent of an eighth-grade reading level or below,” Republican Sen. Lynn Findley said to the floor on Tuesday, describing the current requirements. “I believe the summary for what I just read does not do that.”
“In every procedural argument, they’re made, especially in a building where folks are trying to protest these bigger issues, specifically to make our communities safer, we run those by legislative lawyers to make sure we’re always following the appropriate procedures moving forward and that is indeed what our legislative lawyers said,” Rayfield told KOIN 6 on Wednesday.
Republican State Sen. Cedric Hayden, one of those absent Wednesday, tells KOIN 6 News that he put in a formal request to be excused and was denied by Sen. Rob Wagner, adding in a statement, “I didn’t walk out, I made a request as it relates to my ability to exercise my 1st Amendment right and it was denied in an arbitrary and capricious manner by the Senate President.”
Independent State Sen. Brian Boquist sent a copy of his absence form request to KOIN 6, telling President Wagner that he may have the “flu or worse” and would “plan based on court timelines to be back on the floor on Monday if not still sick or contagious.”
Meanwhile, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means convened at the Capitol on Wednesday night, and more than 300 Oregonians signed up to testify on various topics with lawmakers. Three of the committee members, Senators Findley, Girod, and Hansell, were also absent or excused from the Senate floor earlier in the day, and while it’s unclear if they were also absent from the meeting, KOIN 6 did spot empty seats.
Outside the Capitol, unions and advocacy groups from across the state held an “Oregon Can’t Wait” rally, urging legislators to take action on key bills, while also calling on those who walked out.
“We’re not backing down. Whether or not the Senate Republicans want to show up and come to work does not change the fact that Oregonians need investments in these key priorities like childcare, housing, behavioral health,” said Courtney Graham, political director at SEIU Local 503.
KOIN 6 reached out to all 12 members of the Senate who were either excused or absent today, regarding the walkout and whether they were participating in it or not. Only a few responded.