Political Coffee 2-24-2020

March 5, 2020 10

Republicans walk out of the short session tonight: the carbon energy sales tax moves out of ways and means committee today and that triggers the walkout. https://katu.com/news/local/cap-and-trade-progresses-amid-controversy

Sen Knopp tells his caucus he isn’t walking out with them because he thinks its the only way to keep the seat in his Republican hands. He is ignoring the devastating Legislative Revenue report that says they cannot figure out how much cap and tax will cost the state. He also refuses to defend his walking out by reporting that Australia repealed their carbon tax because it dramatically raised the cost of living. https://www.oregonlegislature.gov/senaterepublicans/SiteAssets/HB%204167%20Revenue%20Statement.pdf

Hotel tax increase passes the House with a bunch of R’s voting yes even with revelation that the agency that gets most of that money pays its CEO nearly 400k per year: it’s so bad that even the Dem speaker Kotek and a bunch of Dems voted no because she knows that this vote could be used very effectively against her vulnerable members in swing districts. Add this to Crazy Bernie’s unstoppable momentum after winning the Nevada caucus with big numbers and Oregon can absolutely move back to the center, but only if R’s stand firm and walk out. https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/02/tourism-tax-to-benefit-world-track-meet-in-eugene-greenlit-by-oregon-house.html