Findley

SALEM — One third of all Oregon senators are now ineligible for another term following the 13th day of a Republican walkout in the Senate.

Six more Republicans on Thursday, May 18, joined three Republicans and one conservative Independent in having at least 10 unexcused absences from Senate floor session roll calls. That triggers a new state law that bars them from another term in office.

Thursday’s roll call was emotional and had an air of resignation.

Sen. David Brock Smith, R-Port Orford, used the “courtesies” section of the agenda — usually reserved for noting dignitaries, friends, family members or others in the Senate — to offer courtesies to the senators who had walked out. He called putting their political careers possibly on the line to block the abortion and transgender medical care guarantees in House Bill 2002, along with gun controls in House Bill 2005, “selfless acts.” Both bills were nearing a vote in the Senate after approval by the House and would have then gone to Gov. Tina Kotek to sign into law.

Smith and Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, were the only Republicans on the floor. Their presence was not enough to create the two-thirds quorum required by the Oregon Constitution for lawmakers to meet. Oregon is one of just four states that require more than a simple majority.

Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, immediately after rose and, in a shaky voice broken by tears, said she had come to work with a “lump in my throat instead of a spring in my step” and was comforted by a guard on duty.

“These people are here every day doing their jobs, “ she said.

A drawn-looking Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, then called for the roll of those present. There were 18, with 10 absent and two excused. For the 13th consecutive day, there was no quorum.

At the close of the session, Wagner made an impassioned speech from the president’s podium.

“Today is another extremely challenging day for Oregon,” Wagner said. “I’ve never seen a situation like this. It is unique, it is beyond disappointing, it is troubling and, frankly, it is saddening.”

The senators who continued the walkout were showing “disrespect for democracy,” in which the will of the majority of voters takes precedence over those of the minority. He said if Oregon voters truly support the Republican policies, then the party would have a majority in the Legislature.

Wagner said the walkout “must end.”

“The people of Oregon desire it,” he said. “Democracy demands it.”

He invoked Benjamin Franklin’s famous remark at the Constitutional Convention. When the vote was finished and the delegates left the hall, a bystander asked Franklin what kind of government the new country would have.

“A Republic — if you can keep it,” Franklin said.

Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, who was not present on the floor, reiterated in a statement his stance that Democrats were igniting partisan tension while bills with common ground were left unfinished.

“While Democrats are laser-focused on the issues that do nothing but divide, we are focused on the real issues Oregonians care most about — homelessness, affordable housing, public safety, cost of living, job creation, and fully-funded education,” Knopp said.

The biggest impact is on the six no-shows who are newly barred under law from another term or running for office in the House: Knopp and Sens. Art Robinson, R-Cave Junction; Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer; Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook; Lynn Findley, R-Vale; and Bill Hansell, R-Athena. They join Sens. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls; Daniel Bonham, R-The Dalles; Cedric Hayden, R-Roseburg; and Brian Boquist, I-Dallas, who had previously hit the 10-absence mark.

Lynn Findley of Vale is one of the senators now barred from re-election after reaching 10 unexcused absences as part of a GOP-led walkout in the Oregon Senate.

He represents District 30, which includes Grant County as well as Baker, Crook, Harney, Lake, Malheur and portions of Jefferson and Deschutes counties. 

Next election: 2024

Findley issued a statement Thursday, May 18, slamming Democrats for what he said were partisan decisions on the absences and Republican claims the 1979 clarity in legislative language law required bills to be returned to committees to be rewritten.

“It seems that leadership in Oregon feels they can do no wrong and are above the law. We are in the middle of an accountability crisis, and it is time that something is done about it. By denying quorum, we have drawn attention to Democrats willfully violating the law. As a Senator, I swore an oath to uphold the laws and constitution of Oregon. My oath is sacred to me. I refuse to join a quorum of the Senate if our actions will trample on the rule of law.”

Background: Findley has moved quickly up the political ranks in Eastern Oregon. He was elected to the House in 2018 and received both the Republican and Democratic nominations, essentially running unopposed. He was then appointed to the House District 30 Senate seat in January 2020. He won election in 2020 for a full four-year term.

Findley joined with Hansell in staying in Salem and taking part in floor debates over gun control legislation whose more fervent opponents demanded Republican senators walk out to block. He also received death threats and was the target of a recall campaign that fizzled. He joined Hansell in legislation targeting fellow Republican senators Dallas Heard of Roseburg and Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls, who led a successful insurgent campaign that saw Heard become the new state Republican chair and Linthicum the party treasurer. The bill that would have barred senators from holding party executive positions became moot after Heard resigned from both the state party and the Senate. Finley’s southeast district is geographically the largest in the state, bordering Idaho, Nevada and California.