Hayden files religious discrimination complaints on 6th day of Oregon Senate walkout – Oregon Capital Chronicle

One Republican senator filed a pair of office complaints Monday over denied requests to be excused from the Senate as a GOP walkout entered its sixth day.

Sen. Cedric Hayden, R-Fall Creek, alleged in complaints to the Bureau of Labor and Industries and to the Legislative Fairness Workplace that President Rob Wagner violated his non secular freedom by denying his requests to be excused to attend a church service on Saturday.

His grievance got here as Hayden, eight fellow Republicans and one Unbiased senator once more stayed away from the Capitol on Monday, denying Democrats within the legislative majority the chance to go payments. 

The most recent unproductive ground session featured a brief pointed prayer from Salem pastor Marilyn Williams asking for assist for all lawmakers to do the proper factor, the factor that their constituents voted for them to do. And not using a quorum, the Senate quickly adjourned with plans to attempt once more Tuesday. 

Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, once more left the room with out chatting with reporters, simply as he has declined to remark because the first day of the walkout practically every week in the past. Wagner’s spokesman, Connor Radnovich, stated Wagner has realized about Minority Chief Knopp’s complaints by way of media stories and never from Knopp himself. 

Radnovich added that Republicans appeared to be working the way in which they might with former Senate President Peter Courtney, a Salem Democrat who tried to compromise with Republicans. He stated Measure 113, a 2022 voter-approved regulation barring any lawmaker with 10 or extra unexcused absences from serving within the subsequent Legislature, modified issues.

4 senators – Hayden, Republicans Daniel Bonham of The Dalles and Dennis Linthicum of Klamath Falls and Unbiased Brian Boquist of Dallas – now have six unexcused absences and are on observe to succeed in their tenth by Friday. 

Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln Metropolis, has attended every single day because the Republican walkout started. He was joined Monday by Sen. Invoice Hansell, R-Athena.

Republicans initially insisted that their walkout was over invoice summaries being too obscure, with a state regulation requiring that they be written at round an eighth grade studying degree. Knopp, R-Bend, instructed the Capital Chronicle on Sunday that Republicans are additionally protesting about 20 payments they contemplate too partisan. 

“There’s about 20 payments which can be hyper-partisan, and should be put aside for the great of Oregonians,” he stated. “In the event that they select to do this, I believe we’ll have the ability to end the session and have the ability to end the budgets.”

Knopp stated his workplace would offer a listing of the 20 payments on Monday, however he hasn’t but shared them and a spokeswoman didn’t reply to a request Monday morning. Senate Majority Chief Kate Lieber, R-Beaverton, instructed reporters that she requested for the checklist after studying about it within the Capital Chronicle, however she hasn’t seen it. 

“The final time I checked, e-mail’s tremendous simple,” she stated. “They don’t even should be within the constructing to e-mail me the checklist in the event that they need to.”

Nevertheless, Lieber stated, Democrats aren’t going to compromise on their legislative priorities, together with gun management and making certain entry to abortion. 

“It appears like this has been a setup because the starting,” Lieber stated. “I might be blissful to speak with any of the Republicans who need to discuss tips on how to recover from the deadlock, however not solely me, however my caucus is adamant about not watering down Democratic priorities. In need of that, we’re blissful to have discussions.” 

Complaints filed 

In his complaints to the Bureau of Labor and Industries and the Senate, Hayden alleged that Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, violated legal guidelines that require non secular lodging for workers. 

Hayden, a Seventh Day Adventist, belongs to a church that worships on Saturdays, the place he additionally often preaches. Wagner had denied his request to be absent for church final Saturday, in addition to requests to be off the subsequent seven Saturdays of the legislative session.

“Different Senate absences have been excused, absences unrelated to spiritual causes,” Hayden wrote in his grievance to the bureau.

Hayden additionally complained he was denied Sunday off to handle his disabled daughter, a request that was “flatly denied.”

“In the meantime, different legislators have been handled like workers and ‘excused’ from ground classes by Wagner for obvious medical causes,” Hayden wrote within the grievance.

Hayden famous he’s not entitled to medical depart like an worker, however “requested an inexpensive non secular lodging from a spot of public lodging that gives a public service, and he was denied, with out an interactive course of or dialogue concerning the denial.”

The grievance says his spouse is the only real caregiver for his or her daughter all through the week across the clock and Hayden is required to assist in giving her a break, making Saturday excuses all of the extra essential.

Wagner’s denial additionally impacts Hayden’s potential future as a legislator if he racks up 10 absences and is disqualified from re-election. 

“The general impact is to render Wagner’s non secular discrimination in opposition to complainant all of the extra impactful, jeopardizing his service to the state,” the grievance stated.

The Senate grievance lays out the identical circumstances and seeks an order stopping Wagner from future denials. That grievance will probably be reviewed by the attorneys from Stoel Rives who’ve been dealing with office complaints because the legislative fairness workplace sits vacant.

Wagner hadn’t but learn the complaints and had no remark Monday morning, his spokesman stated.