May 5, 2021 3:20 a.m.

A GOP attempt to give the Oregon State Legislature oversight on the Governor’s emergency powers failed on Tuesday.

A release from the Oregon House Republican Caucus said they moved to pull House Bill 2243 out of committee directly to the House floor for a vote.

The release said all the GOP members voted in favor of making the Governor accountable to the Legislature. 28 Democrats voted against the motion, maintaining the Governor’s sole authority over COVID-19 and her “…unchecked ability to shut down businesses”.

The release said the decision is in response to the Governor’s announcement last week to unilaterally extend her own emergency powers again, granting her the ability to issue shutdowns without involving another governing body.

Republicans said that county commissioners have repeatedly asked the Governor to be more targeted in her decisions. The release said that currently the statewide threshold for “extreme risk” designations disregards the fact that hospital cases of COVID-19 are decreasing in some counties where businesses must now close.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazan said, “Oregonians deserve a balance of power between their separate branches of government again”.