Senate Minority Leader says you won't see Republican senators 'anytime soon'

"I don't think you're going to see us anytime soon."

That's what Herman Baertschiger Jr., the Oregon Senate Minority Leader, told KATU News reporter Dan McCarthy in a phone interview Saturday evening regarding the 11 Republican senators who walked out in defiance of House Bill 2020, the cap-and-trade bill.

He has, however, been in contact with Senate President Peter Courtney. He wouldn't divulge specifics to KATU News, but he said there were general conversations. He said even if they came to an agreement with Democrats, it would still take a couple days to get everybody back to Salem. The two spoke to each other Saturday.

He also addressed the GoFundMe account set up to help the senators cover the $500 per session missed fine they are incurring and other expenses. It has raised over $36,000 in two days, but Baertschiger said they can't use any of it. Per state ethics laws, all political donations must be tracked through ORESTAR, the Secretary of State's campaign finance accounting system. None of the GoFundMe donations can be tracked through the system.