Sen. Boquist: Re-cap of 2023 Legislature

By Oregon State Senator Brian Boquist:

— The Legislative session officially ended on June 25 in the late afternoon. Republicans and Independents denied quorum for weeks, protesting corruption and unconstitutional bills and actions, only for a deal to be concocted (more on that here). The changes some minority caucus members got to HB 2002, one of the most extreme bills in the country, are not good enough. Embedded in the Democrat party is a disdain for parents and the nuclear family. They want the government to have an active role in child development.

— Do not forget that Democrats are the ones who set the agenda because they are the ones in power. They chose to push the most controversial bills first, holding the budgetary bills hostage. Legislators should work for Oregonians and not the government.

— 2 GOP house officers step down from their leadership roles.

— 40 cent cellphone tax passes.

— Voters will have the chance to approve a constitutional amendment in 2024 ‘to give the Oregon House the power to impeach statewide elected officials and the Senate the power to hold a trial and remove them from office.’

— Oregon Capital Chronicle reports, “Many Oregon tenants will see rent hikes capped at 10% in high-inflation years.”

— The Providence nurse strike has ended, but the fight over health care working conditions roars on. More on hospital issues beginning back in 2020 here and here.

— Multnomah County with its $3.32 billion dollar budget in 2023, up 17% from 2022, is suing 17 fossil fuel companies over a deadly 2021 heatwave that killed over 70 people for their ‘role in fueling the climate crisis’. The Guardian reports: “The suit seeks $50m in damages for the 2021 heat dome’s consequences and $1.5bn for future climate damages. And it demands the defendants spend an additional $50bn on a county plan to upgrade public healthcare services and infrastructure to protect residents from coming extreme heat events and other climate disasters.”

— Oregon heatwave victims were older and isolated. Gov. Brown was winetasting when the heatwave struck, sending Oregon into triple digit temperatures. In 2022, the legislature responded by making it possible for renters’ to have a ‘right’ to AC, but Vox has an article indicating that air conditioners pose another direct problem to the climate. It is frustrating that the “little guy” or everyday American is made to feel bad about their AC units, sometimes needed for survival, yet the elite are given a free pass to water their acres of grass, fly private jets, and heat and cool their mansions.This is beyond laughable and embarrassing and encroaching on the territory of unhinged. It is clearly a moneygrab under the guise of the “environment”, the leftists’ favorite special interest. The people who thought this lawsuit was a good idea clearly didn’t play many team sports or participate in band otherwise they would understand their actions and foolish lawsuits impact the entire reputation of the state.

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