Oregon Public Broadcasting

Now that 2700 Oregon National Guard troops are training before departing for Iraq, an effort to limit Guard deployments from Oregon is getting new energy in Salem.

It comes from an unusual collaboration between a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican. Salem correspondent Chris Lehman reports.

Democrat Chip Shields and Republican Dennis Richardson are behind a bill that would potentially limit the ways the Oregon National Guard can be used.  

The two have questioned the constitutional right of the President to send Oregon Guard soldiers into battle without a Congressional declaration of war.  

Leah Bolger of the group Veterans for Peace says even though the current mission is underway, she’s lobbying lawmakers to allow the Governor to reject future deployments of the Guard.

Leah Bolger:  “Actually, we think he already has this power, this authority.  But we want to re-affirm that by passing this legislation.”

Governor Ted Kulongoski has said he doesn’t think he can stop federally ordered deployments.  

Supporters of this measure had hoped to prevent the recent National Guard deployment.  

Now that it’s underway, they say momentum is building to pass the bill to force the question into court.

Online:

 Oregon House Bill 2556