GOP laments Dems wiping out their bills

Below is part of a press release from the Oregon Republican Party, 5/1/07:

Democrats send Republican Proposals Down in Flames!

Yesterday was April 30 and if a bill didn’t make it out of its assigned committee in its chamber of origin by midnight last night then its off-the-table, finite, DEAD.

At the start of the 2007 legislative session Speaker Merkley and his Democrat cronies went out of their way to let the public know that they were going to set the stage for “”¦the most open, accessible session in a generation.” To guarantee the perception of bipartisanship Merkley even developed a rule that allows each lawmaker in the House of Representatives to designate two specific proposals during the session that will be guaranteed hearings and committee votes, provided that those bills have at least two sponsors from each party”¦

Have they kept their promise? Has the session been open? Has this session been less partisan? Have Republican proposals been given their due consideration? Here is a peak at SOME of the bills that the Democrats killed last night:

– A proposal allowing Oregonians to deduct the health care costs from their taxes (SB 584)
– A proposal to require drug testing for people on public assistance (SB 606)
– A bill that would requires meth dealers to pay an increased fee when they go to court (SB 845)
– A bill that would require drug testing for unemployment benefits (HB 2441)
– Tougher sentencing for property crimes, identity theft and car theft (HB 3429)
– A requirement that 65 cents of every education dollar be spent on classroom instruction (HB 3427)
– A bill that would help grow the economy and create jobs by encouraging new investment (HB 3425)

And yet the D’s moved these bills by the April 30 deadline:

– A bill that will allow the issuance of teaching, personnel service or administrative license or registration to a person convicted of misdemeanor prostitution (SB 724)
– A bill that creates a Task Force on Morale in Kindergarten through Grade 12 Education (HB 2584 — but don’t worry, it’s only a placeholder bill”¦ right Representative Buckley?)
– A proposal to put a stop to workplace bullying! (SB 1035)
– A prohibition on the “restrictive confinement of a pig” (SB 694)
…
See full report here