SALEM — Oregon Senate Republicans have staged a walkout to deny the chamber a quorum to do any business.

Only 18 senators were present when Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, called the 30-member Senate to order Wednesday, May 3, at 10:30 a.m.

The roll call fell two short of the 20 senators needed to create a quorum to do any business. Oregon is the rare state where a simple majority is not enough to meet.

Wagner sent out the sergeant of arms to find the missing senators. When the officers reported back that they had not been able to locate the lawmakers in the building, Wagner adjourned the Senate until Thursday morning.

House Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, was on the floor, a role he has played before as a monitor of the Democratic majority’s activity.

Even with his presence, the 16 Democrats were not enough to make up for lawmakers who were absent either with permission or unexcused.

Along with Knopp, Sen. Dick Anderson, R-Lincoln City, was on the floor and recorded as present.

Six Republicans, including Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, and Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, had been excused from the session by Wagner.

Under a law approved by voters in 2022, lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences during session are barred from seeking reelection.

Republicans have used the walkout to halt consideration of bills in past sessions. The 2020 short session ended with just a handful of bills passed before the 35-day constitutional deadline automatically ended the session and hundreds of bills died.

In 2019, a Republican Senate walkout over a carbon cap bill led to a last minute compromise that brought lawmakers back for a whirlwind weekend session to get the budget passed prior to the constitutional deadline to adjourn after 160 days.

Currently, the Legislature must adjourn by June 25.