The Liftoff: Kotek is done negotiating with Senate GOP
PLUS: GOP leader survives recall attempt; longest senate walkout in Oregon history continues; Ted Wheeler's approval rating; legislators get fined $325 per day; Nike's corporate reputation; and more!
Welcome back to The Liftoff! It’s June—or the month the legislature will “sine die”. The first 6 months of 2023 will sure go down in Oregon’s history—because a lot has happened.
Oregon has a quirky schedule where the legislature only meets every other year for a “long” session. But, this year’s session has been anything but smooth. The Senate Republicans walked out in May. The Governor declared the session at an impasse by June. And, in the midst of all of this, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned.
So, if you are a staffer, advocate or legislator, we’d love your thoughts on the 2023 legislative session with an op-ed in The Oregon Way—get in touch! Interested in advertising with us — get in touch (alex@or360.org)!
As a bonus this week for our paid subscribers, here’s a look back at some of our most popular posts from the first half of 2023:
1. The Senate Republican walkout goes national…(and other legislative news)
Here’s where things stand:
Governor Kotek released a statement Wednesday saying she had met five times with Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) and other party caucuses in both chambers over the past nine days, and she is done negotiating.
The Senate Republicans still say they will come back on June 25, or the last day of the session. The Governor said Wednesday she is working on getting budgets ready to pass but is skeptical that lawmakers could actually complete all of their outstanding budget work in a single day.
Are the Senate Republicans who have walked out getting paid? KGW says the answer is yes.
Senate Majority Leader Tim Knopp (R-Bend) and Sen. Brian Boquist (I-Dallas), whose terms end in January 2025, want acting Secretary of State Cheryl Myers to weigh in on whether they can run for reelection in 2024 (even though both Senators have hit their 10 unexcused absences threshold).
Senate Democrats announced Thursday they will fine boycotting Senate Republicans $325 a day. The Dems didn’t say how they will bill them, what would happen if they don’t pay, or where the money will go, reports OPB.
According to the Capital Chronicle, bills designed to fight opioid overdoses, provide more public defenders and give more compensation to crime victims are among the many bills that are now (most likely) dead.
From the Capital Chronicle: “Republicans file campaign finance complaints against PAC targeting GOP senators for walking out”
Questions to watch over the coming weeks and months:
Will Senate Republicans show up for the next February short session?
Will they return on the last day of the session to pass a budget?
Will Governor Kotek need to call a special session later this summer?
Oregon Goes National: Here’s the headline from Rolling Stone magazine: Oregon Republicans Are Literally Sacrificing Their Jobs to Block a Modest Abortion Bill
More legislative highlights:
From the Oregonian: The state’s largest apartment industry group (Multifamily NW) and tenants’ rights group (Stable Homes for Oregon Families) jointly asked the Oregon legislature to fund $100 million in rent assistance over the next two years.
The Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education approved a $3.67 billion budget for the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, which distributes funding to public colleges and universities. The budget is a 10% increase over what state budget experts said is needed to continue offering current programs and services, reports The Oregonian.
Last month, economists predicted Oregon’s 2024 “kicker” would grow to a record $5.5 billion. And, now some lawmakers want to ask voters to end the annual taxpayer payout. A public hearing was held Wednesday for three bills that propose to reform the kicker (SB 502, SB 774, and Senate Joint Resolution 26). The Statesman Journal has all the details.
According to the Capital Chronicle, Rep. Farrah Chaichi led a rally of 14 people protesting the failure to pass a “right to rest” bill. According to the Chronicle, Chaichi’s legislative assistant said “they learned during the past few months working in the Legislature that lawmakers are cruel and cowards.”
2. Solomon Yue recall attempt fails but creates plenty of GOP drama
Lawyers for both sides traded barbs over if the recall abided by the Oregon GOP’s state bylaws.
Yue pulled out the big guns with endorsements from David Bossie, former Deputy Campaign Manager to President Donald Trump, and conservative grassroots favorite Harmeet Dhillon, who challenged RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel for party chair.
Bossie circulated text messages and videos to influential members of the GOP backing Yue.
Republican National Committeewoman Tracy Honl came out in favor or recalling Yue in an open letter which included a number of sly digs.
The recall attempt also received write-ups from a number of national conservative publications including PJ Media and Just The News.
3. How to restore a sense of safety in Portland with District Attorney Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt is the District Attorney of Multnomah County. Before assuming the role of District Attorney, Mike was a TFA teacher in New Orleans, and then worked as a prosecutor in the District Attorney's office before staffing the Judiciary Committee, and becoming the Executive Director of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
Mike walks us through his definition of justice and the challenges that he faces as one of Oregon’s most-scrutinized prosecutors. He also provides insight on the complexity of the judicial and law enforcement system—some of which is particularly unique to Oregon. We discuss some of the criticism Mike has faced and his recommended changes to help make Portlanders feel more safe, and we talk about Schmidt’s 2024 re-election campaign.
4. Sponsored Message from Harrang Long P.C.: Harrang Long’s Government Ethics Practice
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Our deep experience with government ethics helps us evaluate issues efficiently and offer practical advice in what can often be contentious and politically charged circumstances. To learn more about Harrang Long’s government ethics practice, click here.
5. Oregon’s massive fentanyl problem
A few stories that caught our attention:
Open-air drug use is at an all-time high in Portland. The Oregonian asks, did voter-approved Measure 110 amplify the problem? “Statewide, 567 people died after taking multiple drugs in 2021 and fentanyl was detected in more than half of those cases.”
Meth, fentanyl pose new problems for overwhelmed detox providers, with thousands of Oregonians being turned away, reports The Lund Report. “The spread of powerful and deadly synthetic opioids and stimulants in Oregon’s illicit drug supply has made fixing deficiencies in the state’s addiction care system increasingly urgent.”
Fueled by fentanyl: OPB’s Conrad Wilson looked at Oregon’s fentanyl problem, writing “the number of overdose deaths in Oregon has soared since 2019. And while the surge in overdoses is part of a national problem, the state’s underfunded treatment system is struggling to provide local solutions.”
6. Portland City Council’s very long day (and other politics news)
More than 100 Portlanders shared testimony with the Portland City Council on Wednesday about Mayor Wheeler’s proposed camping ban, which would ban camping on public property from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. OPB’s Alex Zielinski has all the details of the marathon counsel meeting.
In related news, a new poll from People for Portland shows that 75% of Portlanders would label homelessness in the city as “an out-of-control disaster”.
The same poll found that Mayor Ted Wheeler’s approval rating stands at 19%, with 73% disapproving.
Check out this excerpt from a Willamette Week article recommended by a Liftoff reader: “A perplexing and previously unreported decision by DOJ lawyers has halted the state’s aggressive investment in subsidized housing, throwing the most precarious part of the housing sector into turmoil.”
The Clackamas County Board of Commissioners “will consider defunding its six-figure budget for diversity, equity and inclusion after Commissioner Mark Shull – who drew scrutiny in 2021 for comparing vaccine passports to Jim Crow laws and COVID-19 restrictions to the Holocaust – moved to strike funding for the programs in the upcoming fiscal year,” reports The Oregonian.
Oregon's Congressional delegation split its vote on the debt ceiling bill—but not along party lines. Oregon's four Democratic House members evenly split their votes (two for and two against). The two Republican House members both voted yes. And Oregon's two Senate Democrats votes yes and no.
7. Business survival rate in Portland neighborhoods
Thanks to our friends at ECONorthwest for this week’s graphic and write-up.
The COVID pandemic introduced a period of economic instability that proved particularly challenging for small and local businesses. Nearly one third of these enterprises nationwide permanently closed their doors, and even larger national chains faced significant obstacles amidst stay-at-home orders. While the economy has been gradually recovering since 2020, recovery has been far from easy or predictable.
One key metric of COVID recovery is business survival. Portland, which was hit harder by pandemic-related economic issues than its peer cities, lost many of its vibrant local establishments. New analysis from ECONorthwest provides survival data for each corridor in Portland, revealing a wide range of business survival rates across different areas of the city.
In certain resilient pockets of the city, more than 75% of the businesses that were operating in 2019 managed to weather the storm and continue their operations as of late 2022. However, in other areas, just over half of businesses survived the challenges posed by the pandemic. This data underline the importance of local support while also emphasizing the need for targeted assistance in areas that continue to face greater difficulties.
8. News Roundup: Nike’s reputation, Measure 114 in court, and the mental hospital waitlist
Nike scored a "very good" in this year's Axios Harris Poll ranking of corporate reputations, moving up significantly and landing in the top 25 of 100 highly visible brands, reports Axios.
Oregon’s voter-passed gun laws (Measure 114) gets its day in federal court this week. The 5-day trial starts today. OPB’s Think Out Loud host Dave Miller sat down with Attorney General Rosenblum’s General Counsel to discuss the state’s position.
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About the Authors
Ben Bowman is the state representative for Oregon House District 25 (Tigard, Metzger, and South Beaverton) and a member of the Tigard-Tualatin School Board. In his day job, he works as an administrator for a public school district. Previously, he worked as a legislative aide for former Reps. Margaret Doherty and Val Hoyle. He also co-hosts The Oregon Bridge podcast. In the newsletter and podcast, he speaks only for himself.
Alex Titus is a small business owner and consultant to businesses, nonprofits, and associations. Previously, he served as an Advisor in the Trump Administration and as a Policy Advisor to President Trump’s Super PAC. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News, The Hill, RealClearPolitics, and other publications.
Kristina Edmunson has been everything from press assistant for Governor Kulongoski, media advance associate for Vice President Biden, and communications director for Attorney General Rosenblum. Born and raised in Eugene, she has been involved in some of the biggest policy and legal decisions in Oregon over the last decade. Today, she runs her own communications practice. She speaks only for herself in her contributions to The Liftoff.
$3.67 Billion for colleges and universities that are already charging kids out the wazoo while simultaneously mis-educating them with nonsense and propaganda. Thats so crazy, universities need less money not more. All they do is endlessly hire more and more administrators.