May 21, 2021 10:00 a.m.

On Thursday, State Representative E. Werner Reschke made a motion for the Legislature to consider a resolution that would end Governor Brown’s COVID-19 emergency orders.

A release from the Oregon House Republican Caucus said the historically long state of emergency will soon end its 15th month, despite access to vaccines.

The release said the motion failed on party lines. House Democrats voted against the motion and instead supported continuing the Governor’s powers. That includes new mandates on businesses to verify vaccination status of employees and members of the public.

House Republican Leader Christine Drazen said, “Vaccines are prevalent and accessible. We should be easing restrictions”. She said the choice should be returned to the people and businesses so they can follow the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “…without unwarranted government mandates”.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, lawmakers in 45 states have proposed more than 300 measures this year related to legislative oversight of executive actions during the COVID-19 pandemic or other emergencies.