Oregon Democrats decry legislative slowdown during COVID

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s House of Representatives returned to the Capitol this week after floor sessions had been cancelled due to multiple COVID-19 cases, but Republicans continue to use a stalling tactic that Democrats say are putting lawmakers’ health at risk. It’s the latest partisan flashpoint in a state where Democrats hold strong majorities in both the House and Senate in the Legislature but where the GOP has often used extreme means to thwart legislation it doesn’t like. For the past two years Republican state senators staged walkouts to deny the chamber a quorum. But this year Democrats say a slow-down strategy is dangerous because it prolongs people’s possible exposure to COVID-19.