Here’s how many votes Oregon lawmakers missed this session

(The Center Square) – Every year, Oregon lawmakers are excused for several reasons—work, family, medical appointments, and official state business. This year, COVID-19 was one of them.

Save for emergencies, the Oregon House and Senate members are expected to attend floor sessions and committee meetings. Members of the state legislature may also be excused for official business on behalf of the chamber, which can involve travel or meetings. Excused absences must be filed 48 hours in advance and are considered approved unless the presiding chair or officer says otherwise.

Based on preliminary data provided to The Center Square by legislative staff, the Oregon Legislature saw 141 unexcused absences between the House and Senate as of June 7. Sixteen were recorded in the House, while 125 were recorded in the Senate.

While the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the state capitol building to the general public, the state legislature has met in person these past six months as required under the Oregon Constitution. Multiple votes can often be scheduled for a single day. State lawmakers who are otherwise occupied can miss dozens of votes as a result.

State Rep. Gary Leif, R-Roseburg, missed 96 votes this session on the same day he had a doctor’s appointment on March 15. The two-hour drive back home to Roseburg left him with little time to get back to Salem, he said.

Republicans claimed the most excused absences this session. In the Senate, GOP lawmakers requested excused absences for 709 votes compared to Democrats who were granted such for 364 votes. In the House, Republicans were excused from 1,107 votes compared to Democrats, who were excused from 940 votes.

Between both chambers, Republican lawmakers averaged 51 excused absences per member while Democrats averaged 26.

State Sens. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, and Dallas Heard, R-Myrtle Creek, were the lone members of the Senate to be excused for more than 100 votes in 2021—143 and 174.

According to a spokesperson with Heard’s office, the Oregon GOP Chair was excused for a “number of ailments” which required him to quarantine. He was never tested for COVID, his office said, but came into contact with someone who tested positive. He remains in quarantine until his symptoms dissipated.

Heard is a vocal critic of the COVID restrictions at the Oregon Capitol and is often seen without a face mask in the building. He removed his mask during a special legislative session on Dec. 21 and spoke at an anti-vaccine rally in front of the state capitol building this month. No COVID outbreaks have been reported in the Senate this session. The House shut down twice this session in response to two COVID cases.

Thatcher did not elaborate on her excused absences in her reply to The Center Square.

State Sen. Brian Boquist, I-Dallas, was listed as absent 13 times this session and was excused for 87 votes. He told The Center Square he missed at least one day of the session while attending a memorial service. Boquist added that unexcused absences can happen for all sorts of reasons.

“If I missed a vote in the middle of the day, it’s likely because I went to the bathroom,” Boquist said. “Or, if you’re late in traffic driving to the ‘No citizens allowed Capitol,’ you are absent regardless.”

In the House, state Reps. Brian Clem, D-Salem; Bobby Levy, R-Echo; and Kim Wallan, R-Medford were all excused for more than 100 votes. Wallan’s office told The Center Square that the GOP House minority whip was out on family medical leave. Levy did not reply to The Center Square’s inquiries about her excused absences.

Clem, who has been excused from 194 votes, more than any Democrat in the House or Senate, told The Center Square many of those excused absences were due to family matters.

Other days, he said, were spent negotiating legislation in the House. For senior members, that can take up a lot of time. Clem sits on three committees and chairs the House Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery.

“[On Wednesday], I probably missed 10 votes just while negotiating a package of harvest tax,” Clem said. “When you’re a freshman, you don’t get invited to those meetings, you just vote. When you’re a speaker, you’re gone, and you have a lot of missed absences.”

Former state Rep. Mike Nearman claimed the most excused absences this session—211 in all—of any Oregon lawmaker. He was expelled earlier this month for aiding and abetting a violent right-wing mob into the Oregon capitol building on Dec. 21 by a vote of 59-1. His successor is expected to be appointed by Polk County Commissioners on Friday.

The Oregon Legislature is scheduled to wrap up on Monday, June 28.

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