Special Session falling apart. House Speaker Tina Kotek is the new Dr. No
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By Taxpayer Association of Oregon [2]
Last minute negotiations over the weekend indicate that many of the PERS reform and tax ideas have failed to generate support. It looks like the only thing expected to happen is a very modest PERS change. That means no tax bills, GMO bills, etc. There is also last minute rumors of the school mascot bill being revived to overturn the governor’s veto.
Some would call the expected agreed upon PERS bill to be PERS ultra-lite, less filling, tastes bad. It will likely be a “face saving” measure as opposed to “money saving” measure that would have made a significant difference to the $14 billion public pension PERS crisis.
The greatest obstacle to Oregon balancing it’s books and fixing the PERS crisis has been House Speaker Tina Kotek. She opposed changes from the beginning of the year and has stood against needed measures despite their support from fellow Democrats governor Kitzhaber and Senate President Peter Courtney over the year. Kotek’s defiance to listen to others and work towards balance is a tragic playbook we have seen played out with Kitzhaber during the 90’s where he earned the nickname Dr. No. This is why House Speaker Tina Kotek is the new “Dr. No” — or should we say Speaker No-tek?