Oregon’s Transportation Bill Heads Into a High-Stakes Vote Tomorrow After Days of Walkouts and Delays

Tactics by Republicans in the Oregon Senate have once again delayed the state’s much-maligned transportation funding bill, which has a deadline for signature by Governor Tina Kotek this Wednesday, February 25. Voting is scheduled for tomorrow (Monday).

Boycotts and Delaying Tactics by Republican Lawmakers

On Thursday, 12 Republican senators boycotted the afternoon session, once again delaying a vote on the transportation bill that will release much-needed funds to Oregon’s financially-strapped Department of Transportation (ODOT).

Voting on Senate Bill 1599 was then moved forward to Friday’s legislative session, but Republicans again used delaying tactics until Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, adjourned proceedings until Monday.

This was the third time in a week that lawmakers managed to postpone voting on the bill, which will raise transportation gas taxes and vehicle fees to fund a multi-million-dollar ODOT transportation budget shortfall.

According to the state constitution, lawmakers can hold floor sessions and committee hearings over the weekend, and that is exactly what they were expected to do.

It is Unclear if the Democrats Will Have the 16 Votes Needed

At this stage, it is unclear if the 18 Democratic members in the Senate will have the 16 votes needed to pass the bill tomorrow (Monday). Democratic Sen. Mark Meek opposes the bill, and on Friday, Sen. Janeen Sollman was absent. It is unclear whether she will attend tomorrow’s session.

Voting on SB 1599 has continually been side-stepped by Republican lawmakers who believe the bill will place too great an additional financial burden on residents of the state. They succeeded in sidelining the bill for voting by public ballot.

The Continuous Tug-of-War Comes Down to the Primaries

However, the continuous tug-of-war between politicians comes down to the pros and cons of being associated with the controversial transportation bill so close to the primaries on May 19.

Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a May referendum, as that will give them more leeway to devise a plan to resolve ODOT’s ongoing financial crisis. Republicans, however, argue that a May referendum will sideline 250,000 people who supported the No Tax Oregon petition opposing the increases proposed in the bill.

If lawmakers miss Wednesday’s deadline to pass the bill, the transportation tax-and-fee package will remain frozen pending a November vote, while ODOT and local governments will have to budget around a $242 million gap in the current biennium.

This is the calendar lawmakers are trying to beat: