A debate over a relatively minor rule change resulted in a brief shouting match this week.
Discussion over a relatively minor change to Oregon House rules became uncommonly tense Tuesday, as Democrats and Republicans differed on how they want to approach possible expulsion proceedings against state Rep. Mike Nearman over his role in the Dec. 12 incursion by far-right protesters at the Oregon Capitol building.
At issue in the House Rules Committee was a tweak that would allow a new special committee created to handle the Nearman case to hold work sessions on an expulsion resolution. Under internal House rules, deadlines for such hearings have passed for the majority of legislative committees.
Bradley W. Parks
Originally published on April 14, 2021 1:27 pm
Oregon House Democrats are preparing to ramp up the intensity of an already punishing schedule, pausing many legislative committee hearings in coming days in order to pass bills as Republican lawmakers use delay tactics.
“Starting Thursday we’re canceling committees,” House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner, D-Portland, said Tuesday. “We’ll just do 8 to 10 hours of floor a day and just keep doing it.”
According to the most recent published schedules, the House will meet for much of the day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Few House committees are scheduled in that time frame, though committee schedules were already expected to slacken a bit following the Legislature’s first major bill deadline Tuesday.
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Oregon Legislature resumes virtual meetings, as 120,000 households still lack power in Clackamas and Marion counties oregonlive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oregonlive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.