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I wanted to make sure that you heard directly from me that the 2020 legislative session is functionally over. The 11-day Republican walkout has made it impossible for us to complete the business of the legislature before the session’s constitutional deadline on Sunday. We have, quite simply, run out of time to complete our backlog of work in a way that upholds the transparent democratic process that's necessary for final votes to occur. The Republicans’ actions have left critical policies and important funding allocations on the table – from homelessness to wildfire prevention to mental health to foster care, the issues we were tackling this session matter to every Oregonian.
House Speaker Tina Kotek wrapped up the session yesterday with a powerful speech on the House floor. I hope you will watch what she had to say before gaveling out the session – you can also read the full text of her speech here. The Oregonian Editorial Board also published a sharply-worded editorial this morning that’s well worth the read – in their words, “the arrogance with which Republicans have held up the session and blocked bills providing aid and support to Oregonians across the state should not be rewarded.”
As a legislator who came to work every single day this session, I strongly believe that if elected officials don’t like a bill, they should show up and work to improve the bill or they should fulfill their constitutional duty and vote against it. They should participate in the process and make their voices heard, rather than shutting down the government. When all is said and done, between the House and Senate Republican walkouts in the last 10 months, the Republicans will have been gone for 30 days of session, nearly a month. That has cost all of us as taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, just on legislator salaries and per diem alone – all while they are not fulfilling what is our sole duty under the constitution as legislators: to show up to the legislature and vote.
But the cost in dollars doesn’t even begin to take into account the harm that has been done to the institution of the legislature and to the confidence of Oregonians in the work that we do here. By dividing people with misinformation and then walking out, the absent legislators have wrought enormous damage to our democratic institutions and to democracy itself.
Every legislator takes an oath when they are sworn in to office that they will support the Constitution and faithfully discharge their duties as a legislator, and I take that oath incredibly seriously. But the Republican legislators who walked out violated their oath of office and showed a complete lack of respect for the rule of law.
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Every legislator takes an oath when they are sworn in to office that they will support the Constitution and faithfully discharge their duties as a legislator, and I take that oath incredibly seriously. But the Republican legislators who walked out violated their oath of office and showed a complete lack of respect for the rule of law.
Truth be told, in 2017 when I first held up my hand to take my oath of office, I thought…that’s it? Just holding up my hand and repeating a few words suddenly invests us with the power to make laws and govern? At the time, it felt like democracy was the ultimate example of the Tinkerbell Effect – it only works because everyone believes that it works. That seems only more true now, after three years of our democratic norms crumbling at the federal level and a year of repeated Republican walkouts here in Oregon.
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Our representative democracy hinges on our elected leaders abiding by the set of laws and rules that we’ve all agreed will govern our lawmaking process. The truth is, we have very limited options to truly compel our Republican colleagues to come to work. Our system of government depends upon our leaders believing in the words of their oath of office and in the words of our Constitution – it depends on the honor of those who are elected to this body and on Oregonians’ fundamental belief in democracy.
“The absence of the power of a legislative body to compel the attendance of all members at all times would destroy its ability to function as a legislative body."
- Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, the official parliamentary authority of most state legislatures (including Oregon), first published in 1935
It is truly an honor to serve as your state representative and to represent our community in the Oregon House of Representatives. But today, I am disheartened and disappointed. I sincerely hope that we can find a way forward from this situation.
Sincerely,
 Capitol Phone: 503-986-1414
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-474, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.JulieFahey@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/fahey
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