In a somber assessment of the state, Oregon House Republicans outlined their plan to turn things around Thursday. Despite being the minority party, they said they would do everything in their power to pass legislation that would improve the lives of the state’s 4.2 million citizens.
Their goals for the June-ending legislative session include ending homelessness, lowering the cost of housing construction by relaxing environmental regulations, opposing any legislation that they feel will increase living expenses, and promoting social change, including a ban that would replicate President Donald Trump’s executive order on Wednesday prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in female sports.
House Republican Leader Christine Drazan, R-Canby, stated that we need to increase our standards for what can, must, and should be done within this facility.
She went on to say, “I encourage our Democratic colleagues to stand with us and do everything in our power to reduce the cost of living for Oregonians and to take real tax cuts into consideration.”
Drazan, who made a comeback to the Legislature this year following a failed 2022 bid for governor, stated she is hesitant to give any agency additional funding.
“Let’s face it, those agencies are failing Oregonians right now,” she said.
Democrats have dominated the state House for the last eighteen years, which is almost as long as they have controlled the state Senate. In the November election, Democrats regained a supermajority in both chambers, allowing them to enact new taxes or raise current ones without the backing of Republicans.
However, according to Drazan, Republicans still have solid working relationships with their Democratic counterparts. According to her, Republicans would use such connections to get airtime during committee hearings to test their proposals.
That seems to be taking place. For example, a public hearing was scheduled for Thursday afternoon on a bill that was sponsored by nine Republicans and would significantly reduce the number of Oregonians whose assets are subject to the estate tax.
Democratic leaders in the House were contacted by The Oregonian/OregonLive to get their thoughts on Republicans’ legislative strategy and intentions.
Democratic House Leader Ben Bowman stated that Democrats share some of the same goals and reaffirmed the House’s commitment to working together with Republicans on both their and bipartisan initiatives.
According to an email from Bowman, Democrats are concentrating this session on enhancing affordability, ensuring Oregonians’ safety, defending their liberties and rights, and ensuring that government serves all.
Bowman went on to say that there are distinct instances in which our Republican colleagues do not align with the priorities of Oregonians. We will oppose attacks on vulnerable populations, demonization of LGBTQ+ Oregonians, and attempts to restrict access to abortion. We will not succeed if we focus on national, hyperpartisan politics.
Two-thirds of the 24 Republicans in the chamber demonstrated their power by forming a wall of 15 Republicans behind Drazan as she spoke during Thursday’s press conference. Several of them stated that the state’s ongoing homelessness is the top concern, claiming that it not only degrades cities’ livability but also has a catastrophic effect on the lives of those who are struggling with mental illness and drug addiction.
Rep. Darcey Edwards, R-St. Helens, told her tale in a moving segment of the speeches.
“This is a personal matter for me,” Edwards stated. My kid is among the 23,000 people in Oregon who are homeless, struggling with mental health issues, and struggling with addiction.
She went on: In a rare epiphany, my son decided to seek the help that my family so desperately sought for him. It took him three weeks to enter therapy, and he eventually relapsed into his addiction.
According to Edwards, the Republican caucus wants to hold individuals who refuse services accountable, provide recovery choices for addicts, and abolish outdated regulations that permit camping in parks and on streets.
Edwards went on to say that a tent is not a home. People in Oregon are angry and should be able to live in neighborhoods free of drugs. It is literally a death sentence to let our neighbors live on the streets.
The state has invested heavily in expanding Oregonians’ access to addiction treatment and mental health care under the direction of House Democratic leaders and Democratic Governor Tina Kotek. More than $85 million was most recently allotted by Oregon lawmakers to support the expansion of mental health and drug misuse programs around the state.
Similarly, one of Kotek’s few hallmark issues has been housing and homelessness. For example, in 2023, towns around Oregon utilized $155 million in emergency homelessness assistance to build 1,032 low-barrier shelter beds, assist 1,293 homeless households in finding homes, and keep 8,886 evicted households housed.
However, Drazan said that Oregon’s attempts to reduce homelessness had mostly failed, pointing to statistics that mostly came from January 2023 and showed that 23,000 Oregonians were either living in the elements or in temporary shelter. Many people believe the number understates the actual number of homeless people.
Drazan stated, “I just want to point out that this is equivalent to a town the size of Roseburg.”
On Thursday, House Republicans also used the occasion to criticize Democrats for a number of additional issues:
-
New data shows the state s elementary and middle school test scoresrank among the worst in the nation
. As a former public school teacher, principal, superintendent, I believe our public schools have simply lost their way, said
Rep. Boomer Wright, R-Reedsport
.
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In part due to regulations that are meant to prevent urban sprawl or protect the environment but that make land or home construction more costly,Rep. Vikki Breese-Iverson, R-Prineville
, said the cost
of housing in Oregon is at least 20% higher than the national average.
Because we re in a housing emergency, we need to make sure regulations aren t the reason we can t end it, Breese-Iverson said.
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Grocery prices and rents are high in Oregon. We want you and your family to keep more of what you make, saidRep. Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville
. She said the House Republican caucus wants to reduce income taxes, end taxes on workers tips and overtime, fight against new gas taxes and tolls and lower costs for elderly people by freezing property taxes.
While promoting legislation that Republicans believe will best serve the people of the state, Representative Virgle Osborne, a Republican from Roseburg, explained the necessity of collaborating with Democrats to find answers.
“We’re not here to stand by and we’re here to challenge the status quo,” Osborne stated.
This session, Aimee Green is covering the Oregon Legislature. You can contact her at [email protected] or @o_aimee, or 503-294-5119.
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