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2022 Oregon legislative session

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2022 Oregon legislative session
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General information
Session start:    February 1, 2022

Session end:    March 4, 2022

Leadership
Senate President
Peter Courtney (D)

House Speaker
Dan Rayfield (D)
Majority Leader
Senate: Rob Wagner (D)
House: Julie Fahey (D)
Minority Leader
Senate: Tim Knopp (R)
House: Vikki Breese-Iverson (R)

Elections
Next Election:    November 8, 2022

Last Election:    November 3, 2020

Previous legislative sessions
2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018
Other 2022 legislative sessions


In 2022, the Oregon State Legislature was scheduled to convene on February 1, 2022, and adjourn on March 7, 2022. The Legislature adjourned three days early on March 4, 2022.[1]

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2020 elections. Democrats won a 18-11 majority in the Senate and a 35-23 majority in the House. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Democrat state government trifecta. At the start of the 2022 session, Oregon was one of 26 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

At the beginning of the 2022 legislative session:
  • Democrats held a majority in the Oregon state House and state Senate.
  • Oregon was one of 14 Democrat state government trifectas.
  • Oregon's governor was Democrat Kate Brown.

    • Leadership in 2022

    Oregon State Senate

    Oregon House of Representatives

    Partisan control in 2022

    See also: State government trifectas

    Oregon was one of 14 Democrat state government trifectas at the start of 2022 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 26 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 2022 legislative session.

    Oregon State Senate

    Party As of January 2022
         Democratic Party 18
         Republican Party 11
         Independent 1
    Total 30

    Oregon House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2022
         Democratic Party 35
         Republican Party 23
         Vacanices 2
    Total 60

    Regular session

    The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2022 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 2022. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    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 2022 legislative session, there were 41 standing committees in Oregon's state government, including 10 joint legislative committees, 13 state Senate committees, and 18 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    • Joint Conduct Committee
    • Joint Information Management and Technology Committee
    • Joint Interstate 5 Bridge Committee
    • Joint Legislative Administration Committee
    • Joint Legislative Audits Committee
    • Joint Legislative Counsel Committee
    • Joint Legislative Policy and Research Committee
    • Joint Tax Expenditures Committee
    • Joint Transportation Committee
    • Joint Ways and Means Committee

    Senate committees

    • Finance and Revenue Committee
    • Housing and Development Committee
    • Human Services, Mental Health and Recovery Committee
    • Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation Committee
    • Labor and Business Committee
    • Natural Resources and Wildlife Recovery Committee
    • Senate Conduct Committee
    • Senate Education Committee
    • Senate Energy and Environment Committee
    • Senate Health Care Committee
    • Senate Redistricting Committee
    • Senate Rules Committee
    • Veterans and Emergency Preparedness Committee

    House committees

    • Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
    • Behavioral Health Committee
    • Business and Labor Committee
    • Early Childhood Committee
    • Economic Recovery and Prosperity Committee
    • General Government Committee
    • House Conduct Committee
    • House Education Committee
    • House Energy and Environment Committee
    • House Health Care Committee
    • House Housing Committee
    • House Redistricting Committee
    • House Rules Committee
    • Human Services Committee
    • Judiciary Committee
    • Revenue Committee
    • Veterans and Emergency Management Committee
    • Water Committee

    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.


    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. ↑ kgw.com, "Oregon short session ends with millions of dollars allocated to housing, education, workers," March 7, 2022
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