Oregon’s Constitution requires that the state Legislature meet in Salem. So what would happen if disaster struck Oregon and lawmakers needed to urgently approve relief funds in a capital city they couldn’t reach?
The state House took up that question recently, approving a measure asking voters to give the governor and the Legislature emergency authority in the case of a major catastrophe. The debate comes in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan that left governments around the world pondering disaster preparedness.
“We’re not talking about small-scale emergencies here. We’re talking about a catastrophic event” said Rep. Jean Cowan, a Democrat from coastal Newburg who said a major tsunami would likely destroy much of her community.
The House voted 50-9 to send HJR7 to the Senate. It would ask voters whether the governor should have the authority to move money between state agencies in the case of a major catastrophe. If voters approve, the measure would also allow the Legislature to convene outside of Salem and to approve spending with a smaller quorum if many lawmakers couldn’t be located.
Current rules require two-thirds of all lawmakers to be present to vote on state business.
Oregon’s geography makes it particularly tough to reach Salem in a disaster. Dozens of lawmakers need to cross rivers and mountains to reach the Capitol — a potentially difficult task if a powerful earthquake took out bridges over the Willamette River.
Many faults run through the state, and the Cascadia fault off the Pacific coast is similar to the ones that caused massive quakes in Japan and Chile, said Vicki McConnell, the state geologist. A 1993 earthquake caused damage in Salem, including to the state Capitol.
The proposed changes would allow lawmakers to vote by ham radio or satellite phone if they cannot reach the place where the Legislature convened.
Opponents said they were concerned about the Legislature trying to get involved in managing a major disaster, instead of leaving the response to experts.
The measure would apply only when the governor has declared a catastrophic disaster for an event that causes”extraordinary levels of death, injury, property damage or disruption of daily life in this stat” and”severely affects the population, infrastructure, environment, economy or government functioning of this state”
A constitutional revision is needed because the governor can’t move money appropriated for one purpose to be used for another without consent from lawmakers, said Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, who backs the change.
The debate forced lawmakers to confront uncomfortable questions about their own mortality.
“This painful conversation is evidence of why we need to do this” said Rep. Mike Schaufler, D-Happy Valley.”We may not be able to convene. We may not be able to establish a work group or a blue ribbon panel and make people fill out applications so we can study it and discuss it to death, because many of us may be dead”
State officials have been forced to rely on radio communication before, when floods isolated Vernonia in 2007 and made roads, landlines and cellular phones unusable.
Oregon has a 10 to 15 percent chance of facing a 9.0-magnitude earthquake in the next 50 years, McConnell said.”In these types of geologic settings, it really isn’t if, it’s when it will occur”
Topics Catastrophe Legislation Oregon
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