Blocked by Republicans, Oregon Bill to Limit National Guard Use May Live On by Executive Order

The chief sponsor of a bill that Republican lawmakers squashed at the end of the legislative session last Friday could still emerge the victor if the Governor heeds his plea to issue an executive order that could prevent the federal government from using the Oregon National Guard.

Rep. Paul Evans, a Democrat from Monmouth, has requested that Governor Tina Kotek issue an executive order stipulating when the Oregon National Guard can be mobilized. He also wants her to include exceptions when she can veto their mobilization during state emergencies.

He says, apart from state emergencies such as wildfires, the National Guard can assist at short-staffed courthouses and with prison logistics when correction officers need help.

Republicans Tied Up the House Bill in Red Tape

The bill was killed by Republicans who ensured that it would never emerge for discussion by tying it up in red tape. A vote on the bill was blocked by Republicans Daniel Bonham of The Dalles and Cedric Hayden of Fall Creek.

House Bill 3954 was an attempt by Evans to ensure that President Donald Trump, or any future president, could not call upon the National Guard to enforce the law as he did last month at a protest in Los Angeles.

Evans did not want presidents to use the National Guard for law or immigration enforcement. It also called on the Oregon National Guard’s adjutant general to override such orders if troops were needed for emergencies in the state.

The bill was passed by the House last month and proceeded to the Senate Rules Committee, where Hayden and Bonham vetoed its further advancement, saying they would file an alternative measure through a minority report.

This was a procedural tactic that stymied the bill’s progress before the legislative session ended.