(TotalConservative.com) – Republicans in Oregon are protesting radical Democratic legislation by denying the Democrats a quorum, or enough legislators to hold a vote. The Democrats have the majority, but without Republicans present, they can’t hold a legal vote to pass their agenda items. On Wednesday, several refused to show up for work, along with one independent, denying them the bare minimum of 20 people present to hold the vote.
A trio of legislation on items like medicalized gender-bending of minors, abortion for minors without parental consent, and new restrictions on gun ownership spurred the conservatives into action. They found a 1979 law that requires the bills’ summaries to be written in plainly understood English at an 8th or 9th-grade reading level which they argue is being ignored by the legislature.
They’ve asked for the bills to be rewritten and the Democrats are refusing which led to the current protest debacle. The battle in Oregon echoes similar controversies happening around the nation in states like Tennessee and Montana, where the issue of allowing minors to engage in medicalized gender-bending has been hotly contested.
Florida has outlawed any instruction for minors having to do with gender ideology or adult behaviors.
State Senate President Rob Wagner announced the absence of 10 Republicans and 1 independent on Wednesday, which effectively canceled the session. Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp told reporters that their boycott is based on a 1979 law that prohibits legislation from having complicated summaries, it must have a score of 60 or more on the Flesch readability test.
When asked if their boycott was specifically related to the bills on abortion, gun control, and gender-bending he replied that it was “about every bill,” while elaborating that those bills also do not meet the requirements under the law and that the Democrats are refusing to correct them. Democrats argue they’re delaying the vote as they expect to lose.
A new referendum passed in Oregon will block legislators from running from office if they have more than 10 unexcused absences, which may factor into the length of this protest. Knopp argued that the Senate can’t pick and choose which rules it’s going to follow.
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