Oregon Democrats abandon vaccine and firearms bills in concession to Republicans

The Oregon Democrats made a major concession to striking Republicans by killing two bills – one that would have strengthened state gun laws and another aimed at strengthening the compliance of the government. vaccine during the worst measles outbreak in the country since 25 years.

The Senate Democrats dropped both bills in an attempt to bring Republicans back to the Capitol after resigning last week with a different bill, HB 3427, which would generate a $ 1 billion annual tax on businesses to fund school grants and other educational programs.

The agreement was confirmed at HuffPost by Rick Osborn, a spokesman for the Oregon Senate Democrats, and by state representative Mitch Greenlick (D), a key sponsor of the bill. on vaccines.

"I heard yesterday that these bills had been dropped as part of an agreement to get the Republicans back to work," Greenlick told HuffPost on Tuesday. "Nothing is likely to happen during this session with these two bills."

Bill 3063 would have put an end to all non-medical exemptions to vaccination requirements in schools. The Oregon chamber passed the bill last week and sent it to the Democrats led Senate for a vote.

Senate Bill 978 included a package of gun control measures that would have allowed Oregon gun retailers to refuse to serve people under the age of 21. Current legislation allows people aged 18 and over to buy rifles and shotguns.

Although they are in the minority this session, Senate Republicans who came out last week have denied Democrats the quorum to vote on a bill. They published a list of demands for Democratic senators, including the referral to committee of HB 3427 and the abandonment of HB 3063 and SB 978.

Senators approved the tax plan by a vote of 18-11 on Monday after returning Republicans striking in the building. The bill now goes to Governor Kate Brown (D) for a signature.

Republican Republican Cheri Helt, another major sponsor of the vaccine bill, called Monday's agreement "disappointing."

"This bill was aimed at saving lives, protecting children and ensuring our common immunity against dangerous and preventable diseases," Helt said in a statement posted on Facebook. "It is disappointing that once again, the strongest and most extreme voices of our politics have prevailed and that thoughtful and thoughtful policy making has been lost."

With the HB 3063, Oregon was about to join only three other states in the country – California, Mississippi and West Virginia – that do not allow religious or philosophical exemptions requirements for immunization. Washington Governor Jay Inslee (D) last week signed a bill to end philosophical exemptions, although the state still allows guardians to remove children from vaccines for religious reasons. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, twenty-nine other states and the District of Columbia also authorize religious but not philosophical exemptions.