The Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore. on Monday, Feb 2, 2026.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
A Portland lawmaker says her Democratic colleague from Bend “created a hostile working environment” when his legislative committee voted on a firearm bill this week.
Democratic Rep. Thủy Trần’s comments about Rep. Jason Kropf came two days after a tense moment in the House Committee on Judiciary. The committee ultimately passed a bill that seeks to lay out how Oregon would implement Measure 114, the voter-approved gun control law awaiting an Oregon Supreme Court ruling.
Following the exchange, Trần changed her vote on the bill from no to yes, breaking a potential tie and allowing it to advance to the chamber floor. That has since drawn suspicion in Salem and a formal complaint from a gun rights advocate who said he witnessed Kropf, who is a chief sponsor of the bill, “verbally abuse and intimidate” Trần outside the committee room.
“I have a great deal of respect for Chair Kropf, yet his management of events did create confusion, suspicion, and distrust in the Democratic process,” said Trần, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Oregon National Guard who runs an optometry clinic in Northeast Portland.
“Upon reflection, it created a hostile working environment to me, staff, advocates, and the public,” she added.
In Monday’s meeting, Trần voiced concerns about a provision of House Bill 4145 around supplying fingerprints to the FBI for background checks. She noted that lawmakers have proposed bills this session to curb the overreach of the federal government, a priority for Democrats seeking to respond to the Trump administration and notably its immigration crackdown.
“Someone once said if you give someone an ice cream, they’re not going to give it back,” said Trần, who noted during the hearing that she is a gun owner. “They might just enjoy it. I think we’re very contradictory in what our intents are to protect the state of Oregon.”
She added, “I am skeptical that our information won’t be used at the federal level in a way that won’t harm Oregonians.”
When Trần initially voted no on an amendment to the bill, Kropf inhaled into the microphone and called a recess, a video shows. Lawmakers returned to vote again a short while later. Despite being briefly confused around what lawmakers were voting on, Trần changed her vote to a yes. She clarified her position before voting in favor of advancing the bill later in the hearing.
“During the break, it was brought to my attention that in the FBI regulation, that when you submit your information for background checks, fingerprinting, the information is destroyed after 24 hours,” she said, adding: “I hope we all scrutinize to make sure that it ends up saving lives and all the boxes are checked and it is not put together at the last minute with a lot of loopholes and unintended consequences.”
It’s unclear precisely what happened before the vote. Derek LeBlanc, a firearms instructor who filed the complaint with the Legislative Equity Office, says Kropf “called Trần outside and threatened her for what seemed to be over 10 minutes.” He said she was “visibly shaken” when she returned.
In a statement to OPB, Kropf said: “It’s natural that tensions run high in this building: we’re doing important, detailed work that will affect all of our fellow Oregonians for years to come, and we’re doing it on a very public stage.”
“That is particularly true when navigating a weighty issue like preventing gun tragedy,” he said. “While I won’t comment on an open complaint with the Legislative Equity Office, I can say that I have known Rep. Tran to be an incredibly thoughtful legislator and I hold deep respect for her as a colleague.”
The vote came as the short session nears the halfway mark and lawmakers try to push through a slew of bills to meet legislative deadlines. In a text to OPB, Trần acknowledged it’s “an extremely stressful time, for chairs most of all. As a committee chair myself, I know the tremendous pressure placed on Chair Kropf’s shoulders.”
“Especially in a short session, it is critical that chairs connect with committee members early and often to avoid the need to make consequential and complex decisions on the fly,” she said. “When stakes are high, confusion and frustration can surface if expectations are not communicated beforehand. Tuesday’s meeting caused stress for many in the room, not just me.”
Asked about the incident on Tuesday, House Speaker Julie Fahey, a Democrat from Eugene, said “deadline day can be hectic,” and said it’s normal for lawmakers to lobby over bills.
“I have not had conversations with either of them about that,” Fahey said.
The gun bill has not yet been scheduled for a floor vote.
