Senators trade views on tax policy as staff testimony and public input stacks cited

Senator Bonham told the Senate he had stacks of printed testimony from Oregonians who had weighed in on a proposed tax, showing both 'oppose' and 'support' piles. "This is testimony from people from throughout Oregon that said no to this particular tax," he said and invited colleagues to review the pages at his desk.

Bonham characterized most submitters as everyday neighbors struggling with cost-of-living pressures: "Most of these folks are just, our neighbors ... I can't afford to live here. They're retired and they're saying the cost of living is too great." He said staff helped categorize submissions as support or oppose and that members could view the material.

Senator McLean used his remonstrance to assert that private-sector jobs are leaving Oregon because of majority-party policies and cited '184 jobs left Prineville' as an example; he warned that the government 'wants to tax your tips' and referenced 'HR 1' as a contrast to previous positions. Senator Golden responded that focusing only on taxes on tips and overtime is a selective reading of HR 1 and invited a fuller discussion of the bill's larger revenue impacts.

The floor exchange recorded senators' assertions and rebuttals but contained no formal motion or committee referral related to the taxed measure in this session transcript.