Positive media wave follows end of GOP walk-out

By Oregon Campaign Watch,

The Oregonian Editorial Board, “Democrats made the right call to compromise on abortion and gun-safety bills in order to address the numerous emergencies facing Oregonians. Oregon is already among the most liberal states in the country on ensuring abortion access and has adopted several laws in recent years that help reduce gun violence…Predictably, Democratic and Republican legislative leaders all declared victory for their side and for Oregonians as a whole. But they are correct. A failed session would have been a disaster for all. It is a reflection of legislators’ commitment to public service – which is far from an easy career path – that they ultimately set aside animosity to find a path forward…Democratic Sen. Kathleen Taylor, who has developed a friendship with Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp over previous bipartisan efforts, played a key role in breaking the impasse. Trust, relationships and a focus on unifying priorities matter – and can make all the difference between a successful or failed session.Legislative leaders should take these lessons to heart for the next session and beyond.”

Breitbart reported, “Oregon Senate Republicans successfully pushed state Democrats into eliminating a portion of a proposed bill that would have allowed minors to obtain abortions without parental consent. …Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp (R) told reporters that he thinks “the Democrat majority yielded a lot” and that “essentially…everybody got some of what they wanted, and everybody got some of what they didn’t want.”  “Senate Republicans and Independents stood firm as the last line of defense for parental rights and the rule of law. I am incredibly proud of their steadfast determination to give their constituents a long over-due seat at the table,” Knopp said in a statement.“We have said from the very beginning that we cannot allow the Senate to operate in an unlawful, uncompromising, and unconstitutional manner. We repeatedly urged Democrat leaders to put the critical needs of all Oregonians first instead of prioritizing an extreme agenda that does nothing but divide us,” he continued. “I am pleased to say that we were able to hold the Democrat Majority accountable and accomplish all these things. We achieved constitutional, lawful bipartisanship. And parental right were restored.” 

Oregon Right to Life stated, “PRO-LIFE SENATORS SECURE SUBSTANTIAL CONCESSIONS. … Democrats agreed to a number of concessions on key legislation. Initiated in response to unconstitutional bills, the walkout put pressure on pro-abortion legislators to amend controversial bills, including House Bill 2002.“At the beginning of May, HB 2002 was on track to glide through the Oregon Senate without any meaningful debate, let alone amendments,” said Oregon Right to Life executive director Lois Anderson. “Because pro-life senators walked out, courageously putting their political careers on the line, HB 2002 was reined in. Though the amendments do not resolve all our concerns, the changes to HB 2002 retain protections for parents and children–born and unborn–that would have been removed.” The concessions eliminate significant provisions in House Bill 2002, such as the withholding of information from parents about abortions and the repeal of the crime of “concealing the death of an infant.” The deal also included a commitment to keep Senate Judicial Resolution 33 from a floor vote.”

KPTV News: “The compromise reached with Democrats Thursday means 80 budget bills will now get consideration. He expects a budget for k-12 schools to pass soon as well as bills for health care, public safety. The walk-out by Republicans delayed Legislation votes by six weeks. (State Senator Knopp quote) ‘This makes a big difference because now about 350 bills will now end up passing. There is a lot of great bills in there. Representative Kropf has a bill in there on early learning literacy. Representative Emerson Levy has an Alyssa law that is critical to pass. Both of those things we all support.’ Senator Knopp said a budget bill for State Police passed today.”

Central Oregon Daily reports, “Knopp said the walkout was a win for Oregonians.“Of course, we believed the principles that we stood for, which is a lawful constitutional session with bipartisanship and making sure that parental rights were restored were principles that were worth the risk. So we believe that Oregonians won through this walkout,” said Knopp.   Knopp also said the Senate addressed the issue of the readability of the bills — which is what launched the walkout. The 1979 law specifically requires bill summaries to have an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level — measured by a score of at least 60 on something called the Flesch readability test.”

CBS News “Knopp said both sides ultimately decided to yield.”The credit is both sides were willing to yield in some way as opposed to everybody goes off a cliff together which really meant that Oregonians were going to be hurt in a pretty substantial way,” he said.”