How Senate Dem Majority chose homeless over housing

By Oregon Senate Republican Office,

Senate Democrats Choose Homelessness Over Housing

The Oregon Senate failed to pass House Bill 3414 B, a measure modernizing Oregon’s land use system to allow for more buildable land for needed housing. It is a necessary component to reach the Governor’s 36,000-unit annual production goal.

“Today, Senate Democrats chose homelessness over housing and politics over Oregonians. Decades of failed policy under total Democrat control created this crisis yet when presented with an opportunity to take bold action, most Democrats chose to kick the can down the road. Compassion is enacting policy that allows us to house more people at a lower cost than exists today. We cannot do that when we artificially restrict the supply of buildable land,” said Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend), who has spent 20 years in the housing industry.

“There is no doubt that we are amid a housing crisis, but once again, we have failed to address the root cause of this crisis. No bill would do more in the short term to address our housing needs, especially in rural Oregon, than House Bill 3414. I am extremely disappointed that our land use system continues to be governed by special interests instead of the needs of our communities,” said Deputy Leader Dick Anderson (R-Lincoln City), Vice-Chair of the Senate Committee on Housing.