By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
Here are some of the latest developments of the 100 hours before lawmakers hit the hard exit deadline Sunday June 29th.
Big gas tax chaos
• $2B Gas Tax (Hb 2025) bounced from House floor back to committee. Committee members pulled.
• Three Democrat lawmakers protest removal of Senator Mark Meek from his own Committee.
• Lawmakers issue compliant against Senator Gorsek over hostile shouting during gas tax hearing
• $2B Gas Tax bill (HB 2025) to be scaled back. Likely gas tax reduced and car sales tax thrown out to make the poison more bearable.
• 11 Republican lawmakers walk-out in protest over Senator Gorsek
• Democrats split over gas tax
• Capitol rumor, that a scaled back gas tax would gain support in exchange for extending the restrictive campaign finance laws by 4 years (current date is 2027).
• Polling shows the public doesn’t want the tax
Other chaos
• The $120 million Google tax bill failed by one vote.
• The Legislature is threatening to end the runaway Multnomah preschool income tax. SB 106.
• Last minute momentum builds for HB 3940 a nicotine pouch tax to fund wildfire programs.
• Gun bill SB 243 is being delayed by one day