SALEM, Ore. — The Oregon Senate has postponed a key vote on Governor Tina Kotek’s $4.3 billion transportation package, further delaying action on one of the most contentious pieces of legislation this session.
The Senate was originally scheduled to convene today, Wednesday, to take up the bill. That session has now been pushed to September 29.
The delay comes as Democratic State Senator Chris Gorsek remains hospitalized, leaving the party just short of the three-fifths supermajority needed to pass the measure without Republican support.
The bill, which narrowly cleared the House on Labor Day by a single vote, proposes increases in gas taxes and vehicle registration fees, among other revenue-generating changes aimed at shoring up Oregon’s transportation infrastructure…