Oregon State Senate

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Oregon State Senate

Seal of Oregon.png
General Information
Type:   Upper house
Term limits:   None
2013 session start:   February 4, 2013
Website:   Official Senate Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Peter Courtney (D)
Majority Leader:   Diane Rosenbaum (D)
Minority leader:   Ted Ferrioli (R)
Structure
Members:  30
   Democratic Party (16)
Republican Party (14)
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:   Art IV, Section 6, Oregon Constitution
Salary:   $21,936/year + per diem
Elections
Last Election:  November 6, 2012 (14 seats)
Next election:  November 4, 2014
Redistricting:  Oregon legislature has control

Contents

The Oregon State Senate is the upper house in the Oregon Legislature, the state legislature of Oregon. There are 30 state senators.

Each member represents an average of 127,702 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[1] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 114,047 residents.[2]

Oregon's senators serve without term limits for four-year terms.[3]

Article IV, Section 6, of the Oregon Constitution, states "A senatorial district shall consist of two representative districts".[4]

As of June 2013, Oregon is one of 13 Democratic state government trifectas.

Sessions

Article IV of the Oregon Constitution establishes when the Oregon State Legislature, of which the Senate is a part, is to meet. Section 10 of Article IV states that the Legislature will meet in regular session once every two years. The section goes on to establish starting dates for these sessions, but these dates have been changed by law (as the section allows).

Section 10 of Article IV also requires the presiding officers of both legislative houses to convene an emergency session of the Legislature when a majority of the members of each house request an emergency session.

2013

See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions

In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from February 4 through June 21 (estimated).

Major issues

Major issues for 2013 include in-state tuition and driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants. Both measures have been hotly debated in recent sessions but have not passed.[5] They are also expected to take up background checks for guns.[6]

2012

See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions

In 2012, the Senate was in session from February 1 through March 6.

2011

See also: Dates of 2011 state legislative sessions

In 2011, the Senate was in session from February 1 through June 30. [7]

2010

See also: Dates of 2010 state legislative sessions

In 2010, the Senate did not hold a regular session. However, the Legislature was in special session from February 1st to February 25th.[8]

Transparency

See also: Open States' Legislative Data Report Card

The Sunlight Foundation released an "Open Legislative Data Report Card" in March 2013. Oregon was given a grade of C in the report. The report card evaluated how adequate, complete and accessible legislative data is to the general public. A total of 10 states received an A -- Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington.[9]

Elections

2012

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2012

Elections for the office of Oregon State Senate will be held in Oregon on November 6, 2012. A total of 14 seats were up for election.

The signature filing deadline was March 6, 2012 and the primary date was May 15.

The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.

2010

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2010

Elections for the office of Oregon's State Senate were held in Oregon on November 2, 2010.

The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was March 9, 2010 (August 24 for independents). The primary election date was May 18, 2010.

In 2010, the candidates for state senate raised a total of $8,704,179 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [10]

Qualifications

Article 4, Section 8 of the Oregon Constitution states:

  • No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at the time of election is not a citizen of the United States; nor anyone who has not been for one year next preceding the election an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen. However, for purposes of the general election next following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, the person must have been an inhabitant of the district from January 1 of the year following the reapportionment to the date of the election.
  • Senators and Representatives shall be at least twenty one years of age.
  • No person shall be a Senator or Representative who has been convicted of a felony during:
    • The term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative; or
    • The period beginning on the date of the election at which the person was elected to the office of Senator or Representative and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected.
  • No person is eligible to be elected as a Senator or Representative if that person has been convicted of a felony and has not completed the sentence received for the conviction prior to the date that person would take office if elected. As used in this subsection, “sentence received for the conviction” includes a term of imprisonment, any period of probation or post-prison supervision and payment of a monetary obligation imposed as all or part of a sentence.
  • Notwithstanding sections 11 and 15, Article IV of this Constitution:
    • The office of a Senator or Representative convicted of a felony during the term to which the Senator or Representative was elected or appointed shall become vacant on the date the Senator or Representative is convicted.
    • A person elected to the office of Senator or Representative and convicted of a felony during the period beginning on the date of the election and ending on the first day of the term of office to which the person was elected shall be ineligible to take office and the office shall become vacant on the first day of the next term of office.
  • Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person who is ineligible to be a Senator or Representative under subsection (3) of this section may:
    • Be a Senator or Representative after the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible; and
    • Be a candidate for the office of Senator or Representative prior to the expiration of the term of office during which the person is ineligible.
  • No person shall be a Senator or Representative who at all times during the term of office of the person as a Senator or Representative is not an inhabitant of the district from which the Senator or Representative may be chosen or served on represent. A person shall not lose status as an inhabitant of a district if the person is absent from the district for purposes of business of the Legislative Assembly. Following the operative date of an apportionment under section 6 of this Article, until the expiration of the term of office of the person, a person may be an inhabitant of any district.

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state legislatures
How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures
NevadaMassachusettsColoradoNew MexicoWyomingArizonaMontanaCaliforniaOregonWashingtonIdahoTexasOklahomaKansasNebraskaSouth DakotaNorth DakotaMinnesotaIowaMissouriArkansasLouisianaMississippiAlabamaGeorgiaFloridaSouth CarolinaIllinoisWisconsinTennesseeNorth CarolinaIndianaOhioKentuckyPennsylvaniaNew JerseyNew YorkVermontVermontNew HampshireMaineWest VirginiaVirginiaMarylandMarylandConnecticutConnecticutDelawareDelawareRhode IslandRhode IslandMassachusettsNew HampshireMichiganMichiganAlaskaVacancy fulfillment map.png

If there is a vacancy in the Senate, the Board of County Commissioners representing the vacant seat must select a replacement. This can only be done when the Senate is in session or the vacancy happens more than 61 days before the next scheduled general election[11]. The board must select a person the political party that last held the vacant seat. Three candidates who are members of the party that last controlled the seat must be considered by the board. A replacement must be selected within 30 days of the vacancy. Persons selected to fill a Senate seat serve until the next scheduled general election[12].

Redistricting

The Oregon State Legislature is responsible for proposing and passing new legislative maps. Should a plan not be passed by the deadline, or if one is vetoed or struck down by a court, the Oregon Secretary of State then assumes responsibility. Historically, the Secretary was involved in each redistricting process in the centuty prior to 2011.

2010 census

Oregon's population increased by 12 percent from 2000-2010, exceeding the national average of 9.7 percent. Noting the even partisan split and the lack of a Legislature drawn plan in a hundred years' time, the Legislature proposed and passed a new plan quickly without major controversy. Governor John Kitzhaber (D) signed the plan into law on June 13, 2011, six days after its original proposal. This is the first time Oregon enacted a redistricting plan without the involvement of the Secretary of State in 100 years. No major litigation was filed against the plan.

Senators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries

As of 2013, members of the Oregon Legislature are paid $21,936/year during legislative sessions. Legislators receive $123/day per diem tied to the federal rate.[13]

The Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate receive twice as much salary as other legislators. These salaries have been determined by statute. [14]

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

Oregon legislators assume office the second Monday in January.

Partisan composition

See also: Partisan composition of state senates
Party As of June 2013
     Democratic Party 16
     Republican Party 14
Total 30


The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Oregon State Senate from 1992-2013.
Partisan composition of the Oregon State Senate.PNG

Leadership

The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the body.[15][16]

Current leadership

Current Leadership, Oregon State Senate
Office Representative Party
President of the Senate Peter Courtney Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate President Pro Tempore Ginny Burdick Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Majority Leader Diane Rosenbaum Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Deputy Majority Leader Alan Bates Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Mark Hass Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Majority Whip Arnie Roblan Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Floyd Prozanski Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Assistant Majority Leader Elizabeth Steiner Hayward Electiondot.png Democratic
State Senate Minority Leader Ted Ferrioli Ends.png Republican

List of current members

Current members, Oregon State Senate
District Senator Party Assumed office
1 Jeff Kruse Ends.png Republican 2005
2 Herman Baertschiger, Jr. Ends.png Republican 2013
3 Alan Bates Electiondot.png Democratic 2005
4 Floyd Prozanski Electiondot.png Democratic 2003
5 Arnie Roblan Electiondot.png Democratic 2005
6 Lee Beyer Electiondot.png Democratic 2011
7 Chris Edwards Electiondot.png Democratic 2009
8 Betsy Close Ends.png Republican 2012
9 Fred Girod Ends.png Republican 2008
10 Jackie Winters Ends.png Republican 2003
11 Peter Courtney Electiondot.png Democratic 1999
12 Brian Boquist Ends.png Republican 2009
13 Larry George Ends.png Republican 2007
14 Mark Hass Electiondot.png Democratic 2007
15 Bruce Starr Ends.png Republican 1999
16 Betsy Johnson Electiondot.png Democratic 2005
17 Elizabeth Steiner Hayward Electiondot.png Democratic 2012
18 Ginny Burdick Electiondot.png Democratic 1997
19 Richard Devlin Electiondot.png Democratic 2003
20 Alan Olsen Ends.png Republican 2011
21 Diane Rosenbaum Electiondot.png Democratic 2009
22 Chip Shields Electiondot.png Democratic 2009
23 Jackie Dingfelder Electiondot.png Democratic 2009
24 Rod Monroe Electiondot.png Democratic 2007
25 Laurie Monnes Anderson Electiondot.png Democratic 2005
26 Chuck Thomsen Ends.png Republican 2011
27 Tim Knopp Ends.png Republican 2013
28 Doug Whitsett Ends.png Republican 2005
29 Bill Hansell Ends.png Republican 2013
30 Ted Ferrioli Ends.png Republican 1997

Senate Committees

The Oregon Senate has 10 standing committees:

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

Who Runs the States Project
See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Oregon’’
Partisan breakdown of the Oregon legislature from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Oregon State Senate for 12 years while the Republicans were the majority for eight years. Oregon was under a Democratic trifecta the final year of the study.

Across the country, there were 541 Democratic and 517 Republican state senates from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Oregon, the Oregon State Senate and the Oregon House of Representatives from 1992-2013. Partisan composition of Oregon state government(1992-2013).PNG

External links

References

  1. ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
  2. ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
  3. ↑ List of state legislative term limits
  4. ↑ Oregon Constitution, Article 4, Section 4
  5. ↑ Statesman Journal, "Immigration issues back in spotlight at Oregon Legislature," January 27, 2013
  6. ↑ Daily Tidings, "Immigration issues on agenda for Ore. Legislature," February 1, 2013
  7. ↑ 2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar, NCSL
  8. ↑ 2010 session dates for Oregon Legislature
  9. ↑ Sunlight Foundation Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information, accessed June 16, 2013
  10. ↑ Follow the Money: "Oregon Senate 2010 Campaign Contributions"
  11. ↑ OregonLaws "Oregon Election Law(Referenced Statute 171.051, (1) (a)-(c))
  12. ↑ OregonLaws "Oregon Election Law(Referenced Statute 171.051, (2)-(6))
  13. ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
  14. ↑ "Oregon State Legislature: Frequently Asked Questions," 2011
  15. ↑ Oregon State Senate Leadership
  16. ↑ Oregon State Senate Democratic Leadership
v • d • e
Democrat majority Current members of the Oregon State Senate
Senate President: Peter Courtney (D) • Senate Majority Leader: Diane Rosenbaum (D) • Senate Minority Leader: Ted Ferrioli (R)
Democratic (16) • Republican (14) • Oregon State Senate • Oregon House of Representatives
v • d • e
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