Senate GOP forces vote on 16 safe school bills

Senate Republicans Force Votes on Safe Communities
Democrats voted down the entire package
Oregon Senate Republican Office

SALEM, Ore. – On the Senate floor, Republicans attempted to withdraw sixteen pieces of legislation making our communities safer from committee to the floor for a vote. The result: Democrats voted in lock step to say ‘no’ to safer communities. This comes just after House Democrats largely rejected a ‘Safe Schools’ package following the Nashville school shooting.

“Sixteen. Today, we brought forward sixteen bills that deserved to be considered. Bills that would have cracked down on fentanyl dealing, increased the number of patrol troopers on our highways, and made necessary fixes to Ballot Measure 110. There’s no reason that can justify why they failed,” said Senator Fred Girod (R-Lyons).

“For years, Democrats have voted with criminals, not victims,” said Deputy Leader Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles), who made a motion to withdraw SB 430, a measure that would enhance sentencing for criminals whose assault causes life-changing injury. “Today, we had an opportunity to vote to strengthen our communities and provide justice for victims of crime. For reasons I can’t fathom, the majority party said no to even having a discussion.”

An article by The Oregonian Editorial Board over the weekend noted that roughly 16,000 more people left Oregon than moved in from 2021 to 2022. It cited housing unaffordability, homelessness, increasing taxation, drug addiction crisis, untreated mental illness, gun violence, traffic deaths, and educational mediocrity as reasons why. Furthermore, a recent DHM Research survey found that just 3 in 10 of Oregonians think the state is headed in the right direction.

“Process matters. We were promised a bipartisan session, yet what we’re seeing is an extreme, partisan agenda that fails to meet the needs of Oregonians we represent,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend), who made a motion to withdraw SB 664, a measure that would criminalize threatening to commit a terroristic act. “Democrats showed their hand today by rejecting reasonable measures improving community safety.”

The complete ‘Safe Communities’ Package Senate Democrats rejected can be found here.