Oregon Governor: No Special Session To Fix Death Penalty Bill
Portland, Ore. — In a press release issued minutes before 5:00 p.m., Oregon Governor Kate Brown said she will not be calling the legislature into a special session to fix Senate Bill 1013 before the law goes into effect.
“While it is clear there is a misunderstanding regarding the intent of the words in Senate Bill 1013, it is also clear there is not sufficient support for a special session to pass a fix. When announcing my support for a special session, I said that it was conditional on stakeholders and legislators crafting bill language that had the votes to pass. That has not been achieved. I cannot justify the additional cost and time a special session requires without that support, and I will not be calling the legislature into a special session this month before the law goes into effect.“
Last month the Governor said “Given the seriousness of the issues that we’re dealing with and the impact on victims and their families, I think it’s critically important that there be clarity about the law.”
New Oregon House Minority Leader Christine Drazen made the following statement on Twitter:
I am disappointed the Governor did not take the opportunity to call lawmakers into session to fix the bungled death penalty bill. This was a lost opportunity to protect victims’ families, achieve a bipartisan solution and uphold the will of the voters.
— Christine Drazan (@ChristineDrazan) September 18, 2019