The Oregon Senate will once again delay its vote on a major transportation bill until Sept. 29.
Senators were supposed to meet Wednesday at the state Capitol in Salem to vote on the bill, which would raise $4.3 billion over the next 10 years, but at 8:20 p.m. Tuesday, Oregon Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, announced in an email that the chamber would postpone the vote because a key Democrat remains hospitalized.
Raising taxes requires support from 18 of 30 senators. Democrats hold 18 seats. That means all Democrats need to be present if Republicans remain united against the transportation bill.
Sen. Chris Gorsek, D-Gresham, underwent back surgery in August and was recovering from complications of that surgery, the Oregon Capital Chronicle previously reported. Members of Gorsek’s medical team sent a letter to Wagner this week saying it would be unsafe for Gorsek to leave the hospital by Wednesday.
“The stop-gap transportation bill before the Senate is important for all Oregonians who rely on our roads and the maintenance workers whose jobs are at risk,” Wagner said in a statement. “At the same time, we are not going to do anything that would put the health of our colleague at risk. The Senate will provide Sen. Gorsek with the time he needs to regain his health and be present for the vote on transportation policy he was instrumental in creating.”
Gov. Tina Kotek has delayed Oregon Department of Transportation layoffs twice since lawmakers failed to compromise on a transportation bill during the regular six-month legislative session. Originally slated to happen in July, then Sept. 15, agency layoffs are now set to take effect on Oct. 15.
Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, D-Portland, said he looks forward to Gorsek’s return.
“The Democratic caucus is a team, and we will eagerly welcome back Senator Gorsek when his continued recovery allows him to return to the chamber,” he said. “As soon as that happens, Senate Democrats will take the action we’ve worked toward together for more than a year: shoring up funding for our roads, bridges, and public transit.”
Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, in a statement wished Gorsek a full recovery, but said Kotek could have prevented the situation if she had worked with Republicans on a bipartisan transportation package.
“Now, we find ourselves stuck in a never-ending special session because the Governor refused to build consensus and insisted on ramming through a tax hike that working Oregonians are pleading for us to stop,” Starr said. “Whenever this vote takes place, our caucus remains united in rejecting this tax hike, leaving no doubt about who is advocating for Oregon families — and who is not.”
Republicans during the regular legislative session proposed an alternative package that avoided tax hikes and instead would have redirected funding from climate initiatives, public transit and passenger rail services, bicycle programs and payroll tax allocations. It had no way of generating new revenue for ODOT aside from using money from the state’s Emergency Board, a legislative group that allocates money in emergencies.
The transportation bill senators will consider in the special session would raise the gas tax by 6 cents, increase vehicle title and registration fees and temporarily raise a statewide payroll tax for transit from 0.1% to 0.2%.
This story originally appeared in the Oregon Capital Chronicle and is republished here under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. Read more stories at oregoncapitalchronicle.com.
