Gov. Brown sends police to find walkout GOP senators

KGW8 ^ | June 20, 2019 | KGW Staff

[The Unknown Republican]

Salem, Ore. - Gov. Kate Brown on Thursday authorized Oregon State Police to round up GOP senators who have staged a walkout in protest of the cap-and-trade energy conservation bill.

"The Senate Republicans have decided to abandon their duty to serve their constituents and walk out," Brown said in a statement.

[BigEdLB]

Also Idaho has plenty of folks who are armed, and this would be an interesting image on National TV

[dfwgator]

Oregon Über Alles!

[rollo tomasi]

When a quorum is called, State Constitutions along with U.S. Constitution allow for Reps to be "compelled" to attend. "Compelled" has a loose interpretation.

US Constitution Article I, Sec.5, clause 1

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a Minority Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Oregon's Article IV, Section 12

Two thirds of each house shall constitute a quorum to do business, but a smaller number may meet; adjourn from day to day, and compel the attendance of absent members. A quorum being in attendance, if either house fail to effect an organization within the first five days thereafter, the members of the house so failing shall be entitled to no compensation from the end of the said five days until an organization shall have been effected.

Reps can be fined for failing to attend.

[Cold Heart]

During the debate of this bill, an Oregon legislator stated that if this bill passes, people will leave the state. Another legislator (D), said, “Let them leave”

That was probably where they got the idea.

[Vinnie]

See This?

In Oregon, where Democrats dominate both chambers, Republicans were unapologetic about their efforts to slow the state’s adoption of an emissions-reduction program by disappearing — and keeping the Democrats from having enough lawmakers present to call a vote.

Brian Boquist, one of the Republican senators who went missing, issued what sounded like a warning to any police officer who might try to arrest him. “Send bachelors and come heavily armed,” Mr. Boquist said he told Travis Hampton, superintendent of the Oregon State Police. “I’m not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It’s just that simple.”
It was the second time in six weeks that Oregon Republicans have walked out of a session to try to prevent a vote. This week, all 11 Senate Republicans left, holding the Democrats short of a 20-person quorum needed to vote on the climate change bill, fiercely opposed by Republicans.

[wastedyears]

The governor ordering police to get them reeks of a dictator.

[rollo tomasi]

They are not standing, they are fleeing and ticking off a lot of independents in the process. I would rather see a filibuster and floor speeches instead of Reps avoiding their responsibilities. Again, if they want to fight against tyranny, go back to the constituents and ransack the Capital.

The quorums cost a lot of money which is being wasted by keeping the Capital open.

Do you cheer the dems on when they do this?

BTW, the Gov. of Oregon did the same dang thing when she was a State Rep. Did not work then, and won't work now.

[rollo tomasi]

Dems in Oregon did the same thing around 15 or so years ago. Repubs will get fined, eventually come back, vote, law passes, and the fines dropped. This “dance/strategy” wastes a tremendous amount of State resources.

[rollo tomasi]

Governor can by law

2017 ORS 181A.090

Duty to enforce laws and regulations of agencies

The state police, with the approval of the Governor, may be called upon by any other branch or department of the state government to enforce criminal laws or any regulation of such branch or department.

Regs include quorum per State Constitution

[thirst4truth]

The leader of the Senate removed a Democrat from the committee for that one vote and he voted in her place and passed it out of committee to the whole floor.
They are slimy cheaters that manipulate the law to suit themselves. Dems have majorities in both chambers, they will and have passed radical bills, they cannot do that without a quorm. R’s aren’t giving it to them.

[thirst4truth]

Oregonian here, in Idaho right now checking out options!

[thirst4truth]

Did you read the article? It will really hurt business, dems already passed a half a percent gross income tax on any dollar over 1 million on business. It will hurt the poor working people with to start .22 cents to a gallon of gas.
The city of Portland voted for the dems, the rest of the state did not.

[17th Miss Regt]

“I’ll bring ‘em back in chains, just like we used to bring back escaped ni-, ... , uhh, never mind.”

[wastedyears]

Still seems dictatorial to me.

[cherry]

its high time to use rat methods......we are being outmaneuver....the rats have stolen the elections and we can’t rely strictly on them enforcing the rule of law...

[cherry]

bear in mind that except for the Portland sect and other college towns, the whole of Oregone is red, conservative....

[cherry]

Our system is based on a representative government."

I wish it was....I wish it was.....

right now, the rats have arranged elections by letting the dead and illegal vote, felons, collecting and harvesting "ballots" etc so THERE IS NO REPRESENTATIVE GOVT......

[MeganC]

“Do you cheer the dems on when they do this?”

If those are the rules then the people who created the rules probably considered this kind of thing and that’s how they wanted it to work.

So if those are the rules then those are the rules.

Amend the rules if you don’t like them.

For now, I’m happy that at least some Republicans are willing to do something to go against the tide of socialism.

[HamiltonJay]

Not really,

It was wrong when the Dems did this crap in WI and elsewhere, and its wrong from the GOP to be doing this in OR.

They take the paycheck to do the job, and doing any job means sometimes you have to do things you don’t agree with.

You are there to vote, show up and vote.. you lose you lose... but you don’t pull this crap.

For the record, yes this law is stupid, and will harm Oregon, but the GOP refusing to show up is just political theater... just like these things always are.

[The Unknown Republican]

We can debate the merits of the tactic, but the use of the State’s arrest power to coerce participation is certainly “thuggery”.