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Oregon News
Knight family gives another $75 million to Providence
The Oregonian | By Matthew Kish
Phil and Penny Knight have given $75 million to cardiac care at Providence Heart Institute and Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, the hospital system announced Thursday.
POLITICS
Senate Republicans return after walkout over bill to move gas tax vote
Statesman Journal | By Anastasia Mason, Dianne Lugo
After denying quorum Feb. 18, Oregon Senate Republicans returned to the floor Feb. 19 ahead of a vote to advance a bill that would move the gas tax referendum from the November election to May.
Democrats are under pressure to pass Senate Bill 1599 by Feb. 25 to allow time to get it on the May 19 ballot.
Senators agreed to a motion to push Senate Bill 1599 to their Feb. 20 agenda.
"I appreciate the conversations that occurred yesterday and I appreciate this motion," Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, said.
Controversial bill would move Oregon gas tax referendum date to May primary
Republican lawmakers and thousands of members of the public have spoken out against SB 1599.
Many of them are the same people who signed onto the referendum petition in droves, seeking to stop increases to the gas tax, payroll tax and title and registration fees.
The petitions signed by supporters of the gas tax referendum listed Nov. 3 as the potential election date. Supporters of the referendum say it should remain that way. Republicans have also cited lower turnout in the primary and argued the move is purely political, alleging Democrats are afraid of being listed on the same ballot as the extremely unpopular gas hikes.
Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, acknowledged that argument, telling press ahead of the session "Is it political? For sure. I don't think people want to see this on a November ballot." His office later sought to walk back the statement, saying Wagner had not finished his thought.
"Bad bills, partisan bills, do not have to move forward," Sen. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, said on the floor Feb. 19. She repeated criticisms of SB 1599, saying it countered the will of 250,000 petition supporters.
The Oregon Constitution gives the legislature the power to move the referendum date. The bill would require only a simple majority vote.
Republicans are a no-show in Oregon Senate as contentious bill vote nears
OPB | By Dirk VanderHart
The quorum denial appears connected to transportation funding, an issue that has dominated the Capitol for the last year. The maneuver came as the Senate neared a vote on Senate Bill 1599, a Democratic proposal that would move the date of a public vote on an increase to gas taxes and other transportation fees.
Republicans are adamantly opposed to moving that vote from the November general election to the May primary.
On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr, R-Dundee, and House Minority Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, sent a letter to Secretary of State Tobias Read that suggested such a move would be illegal.
“You, as the Secretary of State entrusted by the people of Oregon with the integrity of elections, have a choice: comply with the letter and spirit of the law ... or join the blatant partisanship and violation of law embodied in Senate Bill 1599,” that letter read.
Starr, who remained in the Capitol on Wednesday despite being absent from the Senate chamber, told OPB his members are waiting for a response.
“We’re looking for an answer from them, and at that point we’ll have the opportunity to have further conversation,” Starr said. “This is not unusual. The minority is hitting a pause button so we can have conversations with the majority.”
Read, a Democrat who was elected to the statewide position in 2024, issued a brief response on Wednesday, after Republicans launched their boycott.
“I received and carefully reviewed your letter dated February 16, 2026,” Read said, adding: “I took an oath to uphold the Oregon Constitution and the laws passed by the state legislature. I intend to keep it.”
Speculation has run rampant during the session about what tactics Republicans could use to delay the passage of SB 1599. But the bill is not the only controversial proposal that the majority Democrats are proposing.
Democratic bills that touch on gun control laws and abortion access are adamantly opposed by Republicans. With the tight timelines of the five-week legislative session, those bills’ fates — along with many others — would be in question if Republicans in one or both chambers choose to block legislative action.
“It’s not just about 1599,” Starr said. He declined to say whether his members were considering boycotting the Senate for nine days, the maximum allowed before penalties kick in.
No Republican senators received an unexcused absence on Wednesday, because the party attended an earlier floor session. Republicans in the House were present for a floor session on Wednesday afternoon.
Senate Republicans deny quorum ahead of Oregon gas tax referendum vote
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo, Anastasia Mason
In an email later that afternoon, spokesperson Ashley Kuenzi said: “Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the Majority and the Minority.”
Senate Bill 1599 goes against state law detailing how a voter pamphlet explanatory statement for the referendum must be prepared, Starr and House Minority Leader Lucetta Elmer, R-McMinnville, wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Tobias Read dated Feb. 16.
Read must choose between keeping the vote in November "or join(ing) the blatant partisanship and violation of law embodied in Senate Bill 1599," the Republican leaders wrote.
In a brief response, Read said he had "carefully reviewed" it and said he appreciated "the perspective."
"I took an oath to uphold the Oregon Constitution and the laws passed by the state legislature. I intend to keep it," Read wrote.
Oregon Republicans boycott floor session, delaying action on transportation tax referendum move
The Oregonian | By Carlos Fuentes
It’s also unclear if the boycott will extend beyond Wednesday. Spokespeople for Wagner and Senate Majority Leader Kayse Jama, a Portland Democrat, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a brief interview Wednesday afternoon, Ashley Kuenzi, a spokesperson for Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr of Dundee, said she hadn’t been told the specific reason the caucus walked out nor if they would remain away beyond Wednesday.
“Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the majority and the minority,” she said in a text.
By law, Kotek must sign the bill by Feb. 25 to get the measure on the May ballot, meaning Democrats are running short on time to get it through both chambers and onto her desk.
The boycott comes two days after top Republican leaders sent a letter to Secretary of State Tobias Read asserting that lawmakers could not legally move the referendum date. The bill establishes special procedures for finalizing the ballot title and related information in time for the May election, which Republicans argue would bypass the process required by law.
“You, as the secretary of state entrusted by the people of Oregon with the integrity of elections, have a choice: comply with the letter and spirit of the law and keep the vote” in November “or join the blatant partisanship and violation of law embodied in Senate Bill 1599,” wrote Starr and House Republican Leader Lucetta Elmer of McMinnville.
Read responded Wednesday with a short memo, indicating that he plans to comply with any required actions approved by lawmakers.
Oregon GOP senators stage walkout ahead of referendum vote
KPTV | By Leslie Dominique
In a statement, Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr said, “Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the majority and the minority.”
When FOX 12 requested an interview with Starr, Senate Republican Office Communications Director Ashley Kuenzi said he was unavailable for an interview, noting that he was engaged in those discussions.
Political observers say the no-show likely centers on transportation funding. The walkout came ahead of a scheduled vote on a Democrat-backed bill, SB 1599, that would move a referendum on an increase in the gas tax and other vehicle fees from the November general election to the May primary.
“I don’t know with certainty, but I’m sure that they’ve planned it for this moment to be able to try to kill that bill and to be able to hold the referendum in November,” said John Horvick, senior vice president at DHM Research.
Horvick went on to say that the move is purely political, centered around the upcoming gubernatorial race.
“Republicans feel like it’s to their advantage to have this on the ballot at the same time Tina Kotek is up for re-election and a Republican is challenging her, because that would weaken a Democrat in that election,” Horvick said. “Democrats want the reverse.”
This winter, the Republican-backed campaign “No Tax Oregon” said it submitted a quarter-million signatures to the Secretary of State’s office, triggering the referendum on Gov. Tina Kotek’s 2025 transportation package, which was aimed at funding ODOT.
But Republicans expected that vote to happen in November.
Nick Stark, executive director of the Oregon Freedom Coalition, says the GOP’s walkout shows support for voters who signed the petition.
“If Republicans choose to walk out over everything, then it’s not effective. But in this instance, I think because there was overwhelming support behind them, it was a good move,” Stark said.
Oregon Republicans walk out of Senate ahead of vote on transportation referendum
Oregon Capital Chronicle | By Mia Maldonado
A spokesperson for Wagner did not immediately offer any comment, and Senate Republicans did not specifically attribute their absence to the transportation vote.
“Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the majority and the minority,” Ashley Kuenzi, a spokesperson for Senate Republicans, wrote in an email.
Oregon Republicans stage walkout over Democrat-led transportation package
KOIN 6 | By Aimee Plante, Anthony Kustura
According to Senate Minority Leader Bruce Starr (R-Rural Polk & Yamhill Counties), the party “paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the Majority and the Minority.”
Republican lawmakers led a petition against the bill, and the referendum was set to be on the November ballot before Democrats began pushing for the bill to coincide with the May Primary Election under Senate Bill 1599.
Democrats say they want to let Oregonians vote as soon as possible so that groups waiting on the funding (such as ODOT) know what they can expect this funding cycle. However, the state’s top Republicans have been blasting the move as just politics, arguing voters who signed the referendum expected a November election.
Oregon Senate Republicans deny quorum to 'pause the process'
KATU
“Senate Republicans paused the process so there could be more meaningful discussions between the Majority and the Minority,” Senate Republican Leader Bruce Starr said in a statement.
Change Oregon kicker distribution? Democrats want voters to weigh in
Statesman Journal | By Dianne Lugo
Some Oregon Democrats are proposing to ask voters to change the state's kicker to funnel some additional revenue to wildfire prevention and schools.
Members of the public testifying against the proposal at a Feb. 18 hearing spoke of struggling to afford the cost of living. They criticized the state's low education scores, despite growing investment in schools.
"Oregonians deserve integrity and budgeting transparency and fiscal decisions in adherence to the Constitution," said Emily Soules with the Oregon Small Business Association. "They've already spoken and wanted this in the constitution for a reason. Surplus revenue belongs to the people who earned it."
Oregon Business and Industry also testified against SJR201. Derek Sangston, the association's policy director, said the bill would remove an important check on the growth of Oregon's general fund. He also referred to the kicker as an effective offset to the state's high tax rates and its complex tax system. Sangston said the state's general fund has grown 77% from the 2015-2017 biennium to the 2023-2025 biennium.
"By removing a key check on the growth of Oregon's general fund spending, SJR201 would only exacerbate the structural budget problems that have led to the state's unsustainable growth," Sangston said.
Oregon Senate advances bill to remedy wrongful convictions
KOIN 6 | By Michaela Bourgeois
On Tuesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 1515, which would also ensure timely compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
“Today’s vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee brings us another step closer to strengthening protections for Oregonians who have been wrongfully convicted,” said Senator Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer).
Lawmakers acknowledge their rewrite of Oregon public meetings law may undermine transparency, pass it anyway
The Oregonian | By Betsy Hammond
A bill to update and clarify Oregon’s public meeting law, while important and almost certain to pass, may need to be adjusted down the line because deep concerns raised by journalists may be legitimate, House Majority Leader Ben Bowman signaled Thursday.
Two other lawmakers, one a Democrat and one a Republican, said largely the same thing before voting to advance House Bill 4177. The bill, which journalists and the state’s government ethics chief warned could lead to secret meetings of local governments, got unanimous support from the House Rules Committee.
But it could be subject to future redos, three lawmakers said ahead of their vote.
Paperwork for State-Funded, $125 Million Shelter Program to Stay Hidden
Willamette Week | By Anthony Effinger
The Oregon Community Foundation may keep applications to the $125 million Project Turnkey housing program out of public view, the Oregon Department of Justice ruled earlier this month.
WW has been seeking the paperwork to see what applicants promised about their track records and what they pledged to do with the taxpayer money, granted to the program by the Oregon Legislature.
Gov. Tina Kotek directs state agencies to coordinate efforts to support Oregon immigrants and refugees
OPB | By Sheraz Sadiq
Gov. Kotek joined OPB’s “Think Out Loud” to discuss the Interagency Council for Immigrant and Refugee Coordination.
Radical Oregon animal rights initiative moving closer to qualifying for ballot
The Oregonian | By Joel Odom
Animal rights advocates are moving closer to getting a radical initiative onto Oregon’s November ballot that would criminalize almost all activities that injure or kill animals.
Salem Health, Santiam Hospital await state approval on proposed merger
KOIN 6 | By Jashayla Pettigrew
Two Oregon hospital systems are awaiting regulatory approval on a proposed merger.
Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics and Santiam Hospital & Clinics submitted their merger application to the Oregon Health Authority on Feb. 11, Salem Health spokesperson Lisa Wood confirmed to KOIN 6. The filing launches the Health Care Market Oversight process in which officials will determine whether the deal would hinder patients, employees and the industry overall.
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