When 11 Oregon Senate Republicans walked out of the Capitol in June to avoid the vote on a contentious climate change bill, Democrats hit back saying they would levy $500 fines daily on each absent lawmakers.

But Democrats announced Friday they have pulled back on the plan, saying that imposing the fines would require “lengthy litigation and hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded legal fees,” given Republicans’ objections.

The decision, first reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting, was difficult, according to a statement by Sen. Ginny Burdick’s office, given that Republicans used the tactic twice during the 2019 session. Instead, the statement read, Democrats will present voters with a constitutional amendment that would prevent walkouts in the first place.

“Stopping the work of the people by denying a quorum is unconscionable and undemocratic,” Burdick’s statement read. “Senate Democrats will work to protect Oregon’s democracy by giving Oregonians and their representatives more tools to stop any future quorum denials.” Democrats deployed the same strategy in the House in 2001 in a bid to stop a Republican redistricting plan.

In mid-July, Democratic officials said they planned to send $3,500 invoices to each Republican senator. Carol McAlice Currie, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senate President Peter Courtney, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that if senators refused to pay, the bills would be sent through the regular debt collection process.

Later in July, Sen. Brian Boquist, R-Dallas, one of the senators who boycotted the Capitol, paid his fine in advance and then filed a federal lawsuit against Courtney and others arguing that the fines violated his constitutional right to due process.

Boquist also pushed back against disciplinary measures levied against him after he used threatening language against Courtney and Oregon State Police as tensions arose before the walkout.

In a June 19 floor speech, Boquist told Courtney that “If you send the state police to get me, hell is coming to visit you personally.”

Soon after, Boquist also threatened state police, saying that if they were going to haul him back to the Capitol they should “Send bachelors and come heavily armed. I’m not going to be a political prisoner in the state of Oregon. It’s just that simple.”

An independent lawyer hired by legislative leaders to address workplace issues later deemed Boquist’s comments “credible threats of violence.” Not long after, a senate committee consisting of two Democratic and two Republican senators decided that Boquist must provide 12 hours’ notice before reporting to the Capitol so officials had time to arrange for additional state troopers to ensure the safety of employees and the public.

In her announcement Friday, Burdick said she will introduce a constitutional amendment in the 2020 session that would apply the same quorum requirements as all but three other states. That rule would require a simple majority of lawmakers to be present to conduct business, meaning 16 of 30 members of the Senate, and 31 of 60 members in the House of Representatives.

The current requirement for quorum is two-thirds of members, meaning 20 senators or 40 representatives must be present to conduct business.

Burdick said aims to put her proposal before voters in the 2020 General Election.

“I hope our Republican colleagues now see that this is not a tactic that should ever be used again," Burdick wrote, "and that they will work with us to prevent either party from walking off the job.”