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OREGON LEGISLATURE Oregon Senate GOP wreaks havoc with Democrat agenda Lawmakers use stalling tactics against big bills as session nears end Comment By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Feb. 26, 2016 at 8:39 PM By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Feb. 26, 2016 at 8:39 PM » Social News SALEM — With the Oregon Legislature about to enter its last week, minority Republicans are using a host of tactics in the state Senate to try to stall some of the last big policy bills that are being pushed by the majority Democrats. The Democrats — who have a majority in both chambers — have been able to pass some of their priority bills, including one that would raise the minimum wage. But the Republicans argue the Democrats loaded up the short session — which began on Feb. 1 and ends on March 6 — with too many big policy items, and GOP lawmakers have been using some maneuvers that are unusual for the Oregon Legislature to slow things down. Bills awaiting action in the Senate include proposals on renewable energy and housing affordability, as well as state budget adjustments to cover issues such as a total of roughly $8 million for costs related to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation and last year's Umpqua Community College mass shooting. The partisan clash and dwindling willingness for compromise became most visible on Wednesday when Senate Republicans were a no-show for the 5 p.m. floor session. Without a quorum, Senate President Peter Courtney adjourned the meeting, which was already backlogged with several bills — none of which controversial — that were rescheduled from previous days as a direct result of the GOP's stalling techniques. "I guess they're not coming," Courtney said. "I want to thank you for being willing to do the work. This does not make me happy. This makes me sad." Republicans in both chambers enforced a constitutional rule at the start of the session that requires each bill to be read aloud, in their entirety, before a vote — a process that takes several hours for more lengthy bills. House Republicans dropped that strategy after the passage of the minimum wage bill last week, which is headed to Gov. Kate Brown's desk for signing, but Senate Republicans have dug in their heels. One of the last big issues of the session is a controversial bill to phase out coal power in Oregon and double the state's renewable energy standards, a negotiated deal between environmentalists and the state's two largest utilities as a compromise to more aggressive energy proposals for the November ballot. House Bill 4036 was passed by the House last week. But Senate Republicans had been using techniques to try to keep it from hitting the Senate floor for a final vote. The Republicans are raising concerns about unknown costs to ratepayers and benefits to the environment, and argue a 35-day session is not the right time for such a massive overhaul to Oregon's energy policy. Democrats say the bill is a far better alternative to the more aggressive ballot proposals that would likely pass muster with the Oregon electorate. They tried to get around the GOP's delaying tactics by tacking on most of the lengthy language of HB 4036 onto a smaller bill, Senate Bill 1547, which simply clarified the definition of public utility and had already passed the Senate. The drastically changed SB 1547 passed out of a House committee Thursday evening, and Republicans complained about the Democrats using their tactics against those of the GOP. "Tonight, we witnessed another backroom deal passing out of committee with only one hour's notice," Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli said in a statement Thursday. "This is the third iteration of a sweeping energy bill, none of which have been properly vetted — no public hearings were held and no proper fiscal analysis was ever done." The coal bill now heads to the House, then to the Senate for final vote without a lengthy delay. By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press MailTribune.com By Kristena Hansen The Associated Press Posted Feb. 26, 2016 at 8:39 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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