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2021 Oregon legislative session

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2021 Oregon legislative session
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General information
Session start:    January 21, 2021

Session end:    June 26, 2021

Leadership
Senate President
Peter Courtney (D)

House Speaker
Tina Kotek (D)
Majority Leader
Senate: Rob Wagner (D)
House: Barbara Smith Warner (D)
Minority Leader
Senate: Fred Girod (R)
House: Christine Drazan (R)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2021 legislative sessions

In 2021, the Oregon State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 21 and adjourn on June 26.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Democrats won a 18-12 majority in the Senate and a 37-23 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Democratic state government trifecta. At the start of the 2021 session, Oregon was one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

The Oregon State Legislature is responsible for redistricting following each census. Legislators were expected to address redistricting as part of the 2021 legislative session. As of the 2020 Census, Oregon was one of 37 states where legislators were responsible for redistricting.

At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session:
  • Democrats held a majority in the Oregon state House and state Senate.
  • Oregon was one of 15 Democratic state government trifectas.
  • Oregon's governor was Democrat Kate Brown.

    • Leadership in 2021

    Oregon State Senate

    Oregon House of Representatives

    Selection of speaker

    In a Democratic caucus meeting on November 16, 2020, Oregon House Speaker Tina Kotek (D) came short of receiving the 31 vote pledges needed to secure her re-election as Oregon's house speaker ahead of the official vote. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D) announced she would also be seeking the position. Bynum said in a statement ahead of the caucus vote: "In this moment of shattering norms and elevating often unheard voices, I feel called to run and would be honored to serve."[1] Kotek released a statement before the caucus vote saying, "We have a huge amount of work to do on behalf of Oregonians, and I am ready to bring my experience to bear and get things done."[2]

    On January 4, Bynum rescinded her bid for the speakership. In a statement, she said: "My fervent hope is to lead the Oregon House of Representatives as speaker, and I look forward to the day in the near future where Oregon state representatives are able to vote with pride and unity to elect me to lead the chamber. Until that day comes, I will continue to lead with dignity, a sense of fairness, an eye for our collective economic prosperity, and a deep, unbridled love for the children of this state." Kotek released a joint statement with House Majority Leader Barbara Smith Warner (D) that day saying, "[Bynum]—along with other members of the BIPOC Caucus and other community leaders—has continually pointed out structural problems big and small that conspire to exclude diverse voices in the Legislature. We are deeply grateful for their work to make clear the moral urgency for action, and we are redoubling our efforts to tear down these barriers swiftly and completely."[3]

    A candidate for the speakership needed to receive 31 of Oregon's 60 house votes in the official speaker election to win the position.[4] After the 2020 elections, Democrats maintained a majority in the chamber.

    Partisan control in 2021

    See also: State government trifectas

    Oregon was one of 15 Democratic state government trifectas at the start of 2021 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Oregon was also one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Oregon State Legislature in the 2021 legislative session.

    Oregon State Senate

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 18
         Republican Party 12
    Total 30

    Oregon House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2021
         Democratic Party 37
         Republican Party 23
    Total 60

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2021 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2021. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Redistricting

    See also: Redistricting in Oregon after the 2020 census

    Redistricting is the process of enacting new district boundaries for elected offices, particularly for offices in the U.S. House of Representatives and state legislatures.

    To learn more about the redistricting process in Oregon after the 2020 census, click here.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Oregon state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2021 legislative session, there were 30 standing committees' in Oregon's state government, including seven joint legislative committees, 10 state Senate committees, and 13 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    Senate committees

    House committees

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Oregon Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Section 1, Article IV, and Article XII of the Oregon Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Oregon
    Cover of the 1857 Oregon Constitution

    The Oregon Constitution lays out four different paths, in two different articles, for how to go about changing the state's constitution.

    • An initiated amendment must be proposed "by a petition signed by a number of qualified voters equal to eight percent of the total number of votes cast for all candidates for Governor at the election at which a Governor was elected for a term of four years next preceding the filing of the petition."
    • The petition must include the full text of the proposed amendment.
    • The signatures must be filed "not less than four months before the election at which the proposed...amendment to the Constitution is to be voted upon."
    • Article IV contains several restrictions on the initiative process such as Section 1b, which prohibits pay-per-signature.
    • Amendments can be proposed in either house of the state legislature.
    • To earn a spot on the ballot, a "majority of all the members elected to each of the two houses" must vote in favor of a proposed amendment.
    • The Legislature can put any such referred amendments on a special election ballot.
    • If more than one amendment is proposed by the legislature, they must be voted on separately.
    • The constitution does not define how such a referendum is to be put before voters.
    • Possible ways might include a citizen-initiated question or a vote of the legislature.



    Historical context:

    • A total of 187 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Oregon from 1995 to 2020.
    • Through all years, odd and even, between 1995 and 2020, the approval rate for measures appearing on Oregon's ballot (all types) was 48.66% (91 of 187).
    • From 1995 to 2020, the number of measures on statewide ballots during even-numbered years ranged from four to 32.
    • Between 1995 and 2020, an average of 14 measures appeared on the ballot in Oregon during even-numbered election years.
    • Between 1995 and 2020, about 46.43% (78 of 168) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and about 53.57% (90 of 168) were defeated.


    Noteworthy events

    February 25, 2021: Republican senators leave chamber over state's COVID-19 policies

    See also: Noteworthy state legislative walkouts

    On Feb. 25, 2021, all 11 members of the Republican Senate caucus were absent from the legislative session and sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown (D) saying the governor had ignored their proposals related to COVID-19. "Our previous efforts to bring these issues to your attention have gone unacknowledged. Thus, we are protesting today’s floor session. In this show of solidarity with Oregonians who are being failed by the current direction of your policies, we hope this action conveys the importance of these issues," the group wrote. The Oregonian reported that Republicans wanted Brown to reopen schools and increase vaccine availability to older residents in more rural areas.[5]

    The walkout ended on March 2, 2021. Senate Minority Leader Fred Girod (R) said that the walkout accomplished his goals of highlighting the issues of school reopenings and vaccinations.[6]

    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Oregon.

    Oregon Party Control: 1992-2025
    Seventeen years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    Senate D D D R R R R R R R R S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D S S D D D D D D D D D D D D D

    Historical Senate control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Oregon State Senate passed from a Democratic majority to a Republican one, then switched back. The table below shows the partisan history of the Oregon State Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Oregon State Senate election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 16 11 10 12 14 15 18 17 18 16 16 18 17 18 18
    Republicans 14 19 20 18 16 15 12 11 12 14 14 12 13 12 12

    The shifts in partisan balance in the state Senate were gradual between 1992 and 2020, with three major changes to control of the chamber in that time. As a result of the 1994 elections, Republicans gained five seats and took control of the chamber with a 19-11 majority. Republicans would maintain control of the chamber until 2002, when the partisan balance moved to a 15-15 split. Democrats gained three seats in 2004, moving the chamber to an 18-12 Democratic majority. As a result of the 2020 elections, Democrats held an 18-12 majority.

    Historical House control

    Between 1992 and 2020, partisan control of the Oregon House of Representatives shifted in favor of the Democratic Party. The table below shows the partisan history of the Oregon House of Representatives following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Oregon House of Representatives election results: 1992-2020

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20
    Democrats 28 26 29 25 27 25 27 31 36 30 34 35 35 38 37
    Republicans 32 34 31 34 33 35 33 29 24 30 26 25 25 22 23

    Changes in the partisan balance of the state House were generally gradual between 1992 and 2020. Between 1992 and 2004, Republican majorities remained relatively steady, with the party's strongest majority resulting from the 2002 elections. At that point, Republicans had a 10-seat advantage with a 35-25 majority. Democrats gained four seats in the 2006 elections, moving the chamber to a 31-29 Democratic majority. That majority held until 2010, when Republicans gained six seats to split the chamber at a 30-30 balance. Democrats regained their majority after 2012, and have expanded their control since that election.


    See also

    Elections Oregon State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Willamette Week, "Statement from Rep. Janelle Bynum," November 9, 2020
    2. ↑ Associated Press, "Kotek faces challenge from fellow Dem for House speaker," November 17, 2020
    3. ↑ Willamette Week, "Kotek Survives House Leadership Challenge From Bynum, Pledges Equity Reforms to Address BIPOC Concerns," January 4, 2020
    4. ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon House Democrats divided on whether to keep Tina Kotek as speaker, as Janelle Bynum vies to be first House leader of color," November 17, 2020
    5. ↑ The Oregonian, "Oregon Senate Republicans walk out for 3rd straight year, citing governor’s COVID-19 restrictions," February 25, 2021
    6. ↑ The Center Square, "Oregon Senate Republicans to resume floor work after walkout protest," March 2, 2021
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