At issue: House Bill 3298, which would block two destination resorts discussed for the Metolius River Basin, is deadlocked.
What’s next: Supporters of the bill are negotiating with opponents to secure one more “yes” vote to break the deadlock. That would lead to another vote on the bill as early as Friday.
SALEM — With the Capitol crowd counting the days before the 2009 Oregon Legislature adjourns, supporters of the stalled Metolius destination resort ban bill are trying to find a 31st vote to break a House of Representatives deadlock.
On Tuesday, a bill spearheaded by Rep. Brian Clem, D-Salem, fell a single vote short of the majority it needed in the 60-member House. One representative, Betty Komp, D-Woodburn, was absent due to illness, helping lead to a 30-29 outcome.
Now, the bill is essentially on hold while efforts go on behind the scenes to revive it. It’s unclear when Komp will return, and many suspect she opposes the resort ban anyway.
“We need another vote,” said Erik Kancler of Central Oregon LandWatch. “We’re trying to get a vote to flip. It’s as simple as that.”
In December, Gov. Ted Kulongoski asked the Department of Land Conservation and Development to pursue a proposed law that would block plans for two resorts in and around the basin that were being discussed by developers.
But the bill has faced a fierce opposition campaign waged by Jefferson County, which says it would lose needed property tax revenue, as well as the would-be developers of the 630-unit Metolian “eco-resort,” which is proposed for the heart of the basin.
Backers shocked
The vote on Tuesday shocked supporters of the bill, many of whom had expressed confidence that it would pass, as it did in the Senate earlier this month.
To try and overcome the Metolian’s opposition, environmentalists on Wednesday entered into negotiations with Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co., which had proposed another destination resort for the eastern edge of the Metolius River Basin. The company is officially neutral on the bill, but environmentalists hope that if the company switches to full support, it will tip the balance.
Already, Ponderosa, which had contemplated a 2,500-unit resort, is being offered the rights to build 100 homes and a 20-unit lodge as sort of a consolation prize if the resort ban becomes law. But under the negotiations with environmentalists, the company could receive substantially more units.
Meanwhile, the five Democrats who voted “no” on the bill are under extreme pressure. Not only are some of them being targeted for a mass e-mail campaign by supporters, but two Democrats who voted “no” saw their priority bills on Wednesday suddenly stall in the state Senate, where Metolius supporters have a strong majority.
Legislative observers said the bills’ fates were linked to how their champions voted on the Metolius.
Political fallout?
For instance, one Democratic “no” vote on the Metolius resort ban, Rep. Greg Matthews, D-Gresham, had spearheaded House Bill 2831, which would strengthen unions’ ability to recruit public employees and bargain over contracts.
However, despite having won a strong majority in the House, the bill was held over on Wednesday, which supporters said was no coincidence.
Bryan DeLashmutt, a lobbyist for several unions, said the Metolius bill’s fate contributed to HB 2831’s sputtering to a halt.
“It’s caught up in a whole bunch of negotiations on a whole bunch of other bills,” he said.
And another Democrat who voted “no” on the Metolius bill, Rep. Brent Barton, D-Clackamas, had spearheaded House Bill 2802, a bill backed by trial lawyers and some Republicans, which would have significantly increased the statutory limit on how much money could be awarded in wrongful death lawsuits.
Rather than passing the bill, as expected, the Senate on Wednesday voted to send the bill to the Senate Rules Committee, where some believe it is dead.
Sen. Ginny Burdick, D-Portland, said the vote on HB 2802 was in part based on tensions over Barton’s Metolius vote — although she said concerns about the bill’s substance also were a factor.
Clem said supporters will attempt to schedule another vote for the resort ban bill as early as Friday.
Mike Carrier, a Kulongoski adviser, said the governor has essentially decided to leave the matter to lawmakers to work out.
“It really at this point looks like a legislative conversation,” he said.
Nick Budnick can be reached at 503-566-2839 or at nbudnick@bendbulletin.com.