SALEM, Ore — A political action committee has donated enough money to cover the majority of fines for each of the 11 Republican state senators in Oregon who walked out of the Capitol to kill a climate change bill in June.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Stand with Our Senators Political Action Committee on July 30 contributed $3,000 to each of the campaign committees of the 11 senators involved in the walkout, according to state campaign finance records. That's most of the $3,500 that Senate leaders, who are Democrats, fined Republicans for missing seven days of work near the end of this year's legislative session.
The fines accrued at $500 per day, per absent senator. The largest donor to the political action committee was 2018 gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler, who chipped in $5,000. Other top donors include individuals and companies in the construction and logging industries.
