Senate GOP protest made front page national news

By Taxpayer Association of Oregon,
OregonWatchdog.com

The Oregon Senate Republican walk-out protest over the Carbon Tax bill has made the front page news in the Wall Street Journal print edition today. The Oregon Republican Senators are demanding a public vote on this expansive and expensive ($700m) Carbon Tax also known as HB 2020.

The article pointed out the long bi-partisan history of State Legislator walk-outs;

“The Oregon’s Senate Republicans have joined a long tradition of American legislators who flee their states as a last resort to stop legislation. In recent years, as Republicans have taken control of a majority of legislatures across the country, the lawmakers on the lam have more often been Democrats.

In 2011, Democrats from both Wisconsin and Indiana ran to Illinois to stop legislatures in their states from passing bills that limited public-sector unions and collective-bargaining rights. Democrats fled Texas for Oklahoma in 2003, hoping to stop redistricting legislation.

In 2001, Oregon’s Democratic state senators went into hiding to stop a Republican redistricting plan—a history members of the current minority party invoke when defending their own unauthorized vacations.”

It however missed this gem of the time when Governor Kate Brown herself, as State Senator, was involved in walk-out in 2001.

Senate Democratic Leader Kate Brown, D-Portland, called the House Democrats’ actions “very appropriate under the circumstances.”

“Under certain circumstances, it’s fair to say we would use all tools available to us, and stage a similar boycott,” she said.
AP, June 25, 2001

You can read more about Governor Kate Brown’s walk-out on a recent article on Oregon Catalyst here (Flashback: Then Senator Kate Brown supported a walkout in 2001).

We hope the Senate President and Governor Brown will let the voters have a vote on HB 2020 Carbon Tax which is proving to be one of the biggest, most far-reaching, most expensive pieces of legislation Oregon has ever considered. The public demands a vote.

Please read why this tax debate is bigger than you think and is igniting a full-blown movement: 5 signs of Oregon’s tax revolt.

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