State lawmakers should be required to put their name on bills they’re pushing, Oregon House Republicans say.
On Wednesday, the minority caucus proposed a formal amendment to House rules to prohibit the introduction of bills that don’t carry the name of a sponsor.
Their proposal comes after Republicans balked at two anonymously sponsored tax bills introduced this month:one to tax coffee and another to charge owners of older cars a $1,000 fee.
Current House rules allows for the introduction of bills with the name of the committee, rather than a specific lawmaker, listed as sponsor.
The Republicans’ proposed amendment will head to the House Rules Committee. The committee is chaired by House Majority Leader Rep. Jennifer Williamson, D-Portland, who said she plans to hold a hearing on the amendment.
In a statement, Williamson said the practice of introducing bills as a committee allows for non-partisanship discussion.
“Members of both parties have voted to introduce committee bills,” she said. “This is the very first time we’re hearing that anyone has an issue with the process. That said, I’m happy to have a bipartisan conversation about this process in the Rules committee.
— Anna Marum
amarum@oregonian.com
503-294-5911
@annamarum
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