Sen. Rob Wagner, Oregon State Senate president, pushed off a vote on Senate Bill 1599 on Friday.
Saskia Hatvany / OPB
Oregon Democrats’ attempt to reschedule a vote on a controversial gas tax increase appeared in jeopardy Friday, as the Senate backed off of a planned vote on the proposal.
Senate Bill 1599, the bill that would move the gas tax vote from November to May, was near the top of the Senate’s schedule when lawmakers gaveled in Friday morning. But Democrats repeatedly delayed that vote in order to take up less controversial bills, as chamber leaders appeared to scramble to hash out a deal.
In the end, Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, announced a vote would be put off until Monday.
The delay comes with potentially serious repercussions for Democrats’ ambitions to move up the gas tax vote. State elections officials have said SB 1599 should be passed by both legislative chambers and signed by Gov. Tina Kotek by Feb. 25 in order to ensure there’s enough time to land the question on the May primary ballot. It’s not clear what would happen if the bill passes later.
The gas tax fight — along with the larger question of how to fund transportation projects — has bedeviled legislative Democrats for more than a year. The party tried and failed to pass an ambitious road-funding bill during last year’s session, then met in special session to approve a more modest proposal.
That package included a six-cent increase to the state’s 40-cent-per-gallon gas tax, sizable hikes to vehicle registration and titling fees, and a temporary doubling of a payroll tax that helps fund public transit statewide.
But a GOP-led campaign quickly blocked those increases, collecting enough signatures to ask voters to approve or reject them in the November general election.
Democrats have argued that moving the decision to May will give lawmakers more certainty as they work to address a broader transportation funding crisis. But Republicans say the party is simply trying to avoid running for reelection on the same November ballot that contains an unpopular gas tax.
Wagner acknowledged last month that politics were part of his party’s calculus, telling reporters: “I don’t think people want to see this on a November ballot.” Wagner’s office later sought to downplay his remarks.
Democrats had little margin for error coming into Friday. The party holds 18 of the Senate’s 30 seats, but was missing Sen. Janeen Sollman, D-Hillsboro, who was reportedly ill. Another Democrat, Sen. Mark Meek of Oregon City, has made clear he would not support the bill.
“SB 1599 takes us in the wrong direction,” Meek wrote on social media. “It risks pulling attention away from the work we should be doing this legislative session: Rebuilding public trust and finding a bipartisan path forward on transportation that Oregonians can support.”
The party could only afford to lose one more vote in order to pass the bill. It was not immediately clear Friday afternoon which other Democrat had refused to support the bill.
Senate Republicans vehemently oppose SB 1599. All 12 GOP members refused to show up to the Senate chamber on Wednesday afternoon, blocking legislative business as a vote on the bill neared.
Friday’s inaction suggests they needn’t have worried.
