Oregon Measure 116, Independent Public Service Compensation Commission Amendment (2024)

Oregon Measure 116
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic Salaries of government officials
Status d Defeated
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Oregon Measure 116, the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission Amendment, was on the ballot in Oregon as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024. The ballot measure was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported this constitutional amendment to establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to determine certain public officials' salaries.

A "no" vote opposed this constitutional amendment to establish the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to determine certain public officials' salaries.

Election results

Oregon Measure 116
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		981,715	47.54%
No		1,083,451	52.46%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

How would Measure 116 have changed how certain state office compensation is determined?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment would have created the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to set salaries for the governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, Bureau of Labor and Industries Commissioner, supreme court judges and other judges governed by the Oregon Judicial Department, district attorneys, state senators, and state representatives. The amendment would have authorized the commission to establish different classes of salaries for officials holding positions within those state offices.

The amendment would have authorized the Oregon State Legislature to pass laws to establish the number of members and classes of individuals ineligible for commission membership. It would have prohibited the following individuals from serving on the commission:

• an officer or employee of the state;
• an individual required to register with any state agency as a lobbyist; and
• an immediate family member of individuals described in the first two points.

Additionally, the amendment would have prohibited the compensation of judges from being diminished during their terms.

Has Oregon had a compensation commission in the past?

See also: Oregon Public Officials Compensation Commission

Oregon previously had a Oregon Public Officials Compensation Commission that was created in 1983 via legislation. After becoming inactive, it was re-established in 2007. The commission had 11 members appointed by elected officials tasked with making salary recommendations for the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Labor and Industries, members of the state legislature (including the majority and minority leadership positions), judges of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeals, and judges of the Tax and Circuit courts. The commission did not receive funding to operate after 2008 and was eliminated in 2017.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

Amends Constitution: Establishes "Independent Public Service Compensation Commission" to determine salaries for specified officials; eliminates legislative authority to set such salaries Result of 'Yes' Vote: 'Yes' vote amends Oregon Constitution to establish a commission to determine salaries paid by state to specified officials, replacing current practice of establishing such salaries by legislation; provides that determinations of the commission are automatically funded. Result of 'No' Vote: 'No' vote retains current law whereby salaries paid by state to specified officials are established by legislation.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

“

Under current law, the salaries paid by the state to many public officials are set by statute and can be changed only through legislation. This measure authorizes establishment of a body named the Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to determine salaries paid by the state to the Governor, the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, the Attorney General, the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries, judges of the Supreme Court, judges of other courts under the administration of the judicial branch of state government, state Senators, state Representatives and district attorneys. Determinations of the commission would not be subject to review or modification by the Legislative Assembly, the Governor or any other official. The measure provides that the membership of the commission is to be established by law, except that the following classes of individuals are ineligible for membership: officers and employees of the state, lobbyists, and immediate family members of such officers, employees and lobbyists. The measure provides that moneys sufficient to pay for the commission's salary determinations are automatically appropriated from the General Fund without the need for a further appropriation by law.

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article XIII, Oregon Constitution

The ballot measure would have added a Section 2 to Article XIII of the Oregon Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added:

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

(1) The Independent Public Service Compensation Commission is to be established in the manner provided by law.

(2) None of the following may be a member of the commission:

(a) An officer or employee of the State of Oregon;

(b) An individual required by law to register with any state agency as a lobbyist; or

(c) An immediate family member of an individual described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this subsection.

(3) The Legislative Assembly may, by law, establish classes of individuals ineligible for membership on the commission in addition to those specified in subsection (2) of this section.

(4)(a) Once established, the commission shall determine the amounts of the salaries to be paid to the officials specified in subsection (5) of this section, notwithstanding section 29, Article IV, and section 1, Article VII (Amended) of this Constitution. The determinations of the commission constitute the salaries to be paid by the state to the specified officials.

(b) The commission shall make its determinations before January 30 of each odd-numbered year to be effective for the biennium beginning July 1 of that year.

(5) The commission shall establish salaries for the following officials:

(a) Governor;

(b) Secretary of State;

(c) State Treasurer;

(d) Attorney General;

(e) Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries or any successor agency;

(f) Judges of the Supreme Court;

(g) Judges of other courts under the administration of the judicial branch of state government;

(h) State Senator;

(i) State Representative; and

(j) District attorneys.

(6) The commission may establish different salaries for different classes of officials within the categories described in paragraphs (f) to (j) of subsection (5) of this section.

(7) The compensation of a judge shall not be diminished during the term for which the judge is elected.

(8) Upon the commission’s adoption of its determinations, moneys sufficient to pay the salaries determined by the commission are deemed to be appropriated from the General Fund for the biennium in which the determinations are effective, notwithstanding section 4, Article IX of this Constitution.

(9) Nothing in this section creates or requires the creation of any state office.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2024

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The attorney general wrote the ballot language for this measure.

The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 17, and the FRE is 5. The word count for the ballot title is 82.

The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 21, and the FRE is 9. The word count for the ballot summary is 187.

Support

The People’s Independent Commission, also known as Yes on 116, led the campaign supporting the ballot measure.

Supporters

Officials

• Chief Justice Meagan A. Flynn (Nonpartisan)
• Democratic Party of Oregon

Political Parties

• Working Families Party of Oregon

Unions

• American Federation of Teachers - Oregon
• Oregon Nurses Association

Organizations

• APANO
• East County Rising
• Family Forward Action
• Latino Network
• Latino Network Action Fund
• Oregon District Attorneys Association
• Oregon League of Conservation Voters
• Oregon State Voice
• PCUN
• Partnership for Safety and Justice
• SEIU Oregon
• Tribal Democracy Project
• UFCW 555
• Urban League of Portland
• Women's Foundation of Oregon

Arguments

• Meagan Flynn, chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court: "In all branches of government, we have seen the consequences of our failure as a state to set salaries for our elected officials that reflect the responsibilities of the job and that help ensure that we can attract and retain highly qualified people to those offices of public service. A similar commission is in place in the State of Washington, and I understand that it has worked well to identify appropriate salaries through an objective, independent process that includes human resource professionals and is removed from the unpredictability of the political process."
• Robin Ye is the political and strategy director for East County Rising: "It's about fairness and accountability and transparency in our government, which I think will add faith to our government. It's a common sense solution to give power back to Oregonians and to protect our democracy."

Opposition

Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.

Arguments

• Noah Robinson (R), candidate for Oregon State Senate: "Arguments are being made that an independent commission is needed so that experts will decide on salaries because the legislature isn’t qualified to do so. This is nothing but political speak. The legislature spends hundreds of billions of dollars in tax money. If they aren’t qualified to set their salaries, how can they be qualified to spend far larger quantities of tax money? Don’t let the legislators hide behind a commission to raise their own salaries. The legislature will almost certainly be involved in choosing the commission and setting its members’ salary. It’s a Salem-type political game we should not allow them to play."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Oregon ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through December 31, 2024.

People's Independent Commission registered as a political action committee to support Measure 116. Three additional PACs registered to advocate for multiple measures, two supporting Measure 116 and one opposing the measure.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$1,689,100.00	$44,912.70	$1,734,012.70	$1,620,223.21	$1,665,135.91
Oppose	$12,735.00	$0.00	$12,735.00	$16,202.10	$16,202.10
Total	$1,701,835.00	$44,912.70	$1,746,747.70	$1,636,425.31	$1,681,338.01

Support

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in support of the ballot measure.

Committees in support of Measure 116
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
2024 Our Oregon Voter Guide	$1,001,000.00	$20,857.00	$1,021,857.00	$976,995.60	$997,852.60
People's Independent Commission	$368,100.00	$20,814.55	$388,914.55	$329,771.15	$350,585.70
Mobilize Oregon Voters	$320,000.00	$3,241.15	$323,241.15	$313,456.46	$316,697.61
Total	$1,689,100.00	$44,912.70	$1,734,012.70	$1,620,223.21	$1,665,135.91

Donors

The following table shows the top donors to the committee registered in support of the ballot measure.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Our Oregon	$475,000.00	$20,857.00	$495,857.00
Building Power for Communities of Color	$250,000.00	$0.00	$250,000.00
SEIU Local 503	$230,000.00	$0.00	$230,000.00
East County Rising Action Fund	$108,556.14	$5,171.50	$113,727.64
Oregon Education Association	$100,000.00	$0.00	$100,000.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the ballot measure.

Committees in opposition to Measure 116
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Advance Liberty	$12,735.00	$0.00	$12,735.00	$16,202.10	$16,202.10
Total	$12,735.00	$0.00	$12,735.00	$16,202.10	$16,202.10

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Media editorials

See also: 2024 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

The following media editorial boards published an editorial supporting the ballot measure:

• The News-Register Editorial Board: "One incentive for Fagan to accept money from wealthy agency supplicants was taking a big pay cut from what she was pulling down from her high-profile law practice. Oregon has the governor at $98,600, secretary of state at $77,000, attorney general at $82,220, and treasurer and labor commissioner at $77,000 — all at or near national lows. This clangs in a state where 9,899 state employees earn more than $100,000, 90 more than $200,000, and nine over $300,000. The measure would create an independent non-partisan commission to set pay levels going forward. That would presumably mean big bumps the first year, but modest increases thereafter."

Opposition

The following media editorial boards published an editorial opposing the ballot measure:

• The Oregonian Editorial Board: "The proposed constitutional amendment would create a commission of appointees to set salaries for hundreds of elected officials with no way for legislators, the courts or the public to modify its decisions. Instead, the salaries set by the 'Independent Public Service Compensation Committee' for the five statewide elected officials, 90 state legislators, 202 state-paid judges and 36 district attorneys would be 'automatically appropriated' from the state’s General Fund, regardless of the state’s economic position. While Oregonians should support higher salaries through the regular legislative process, they should vote 'no' on Measure 116′s flawed constitutional proposal."

Background

Oregon Public Officials Compensation Commission

The Oregon Public Officials Compensation Commission was created in 1983 via legislation. After becoming inactive, it was re-established in 2007. The commission had 11 members appointed by elected officials tasked with making salary recommendations for the governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Labor and Industries, members of the state legislature (including the majority and minority leadership positions), judges of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeals, and judges of the Tax and Circuit courts.

In 2008, the state legislature passed a law to have the commissioners appointed in the following manner:

• two members appointed by the governor,
• one member appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,
• one member appointed by the president of the senate,
• one member appointed by the speaker of the house, and
• six members appointed by the secretary of state chosen by lot from voter registration records—one from each congressional district and one statewide.

The commission was required to consider the following when making salary recommendations:

• comparable positions in neighboring states,
• qualifications and skills necessary for each office,
• level of responsibility for each office,
• cost of living,
• budget limitations, and
• any other factors the Commission may consider reasonable, appropriate, and in the public interest.

The commission did not receive funding to operate after 2008 and was eliminated in 2017.

Gubernatorial salaries by state

Gubernatorial salaries are typically determined either by a state's constitution or by law. Most often, the salary portion of a governor's compensation is defined by law, but additional benefits (insurance, official residence, and other work-related equipment) may be established by state agencies, custom, or other factors.

In 2022, the five states with the highest and lowest gubernatorial salaries were:

1. New York ($250,000)
2. California ($218,556)
3. Pennsylvania ($213,026)
4. Tennessee ($204,336)
5. Vermont ($191,734)

50. Maine ($70,000)
49. Colorado ($90,000)
48. Arizona ($95,000)
47. Oregon ($98,600)
46. Nebraska ($105,000)

The average gubernatorial salary across all states was $148,939 in 2022, a 1.1% increase over the average gubernatorial salary in 2021.

Legislative salaries by state

As of 2022, 21 states use commissions to make recommendations and set state legislative salaries, 19 states require legislation or a legislatively referred ballot measure approved by voters, and 10 states use external factors (other state employee's salaries, state median income, or the cost of living) according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Oregon Constitution

A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Oregon State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 31 votes in the Oregon House of Representatives and 16 votes in the Oregon State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

This amendment was introduced as Senate Joint Resolution 34 on June 15, 2023. On June 21, the state Senate passed SJR 34 in a vote of 21-4, with five absent. On June 24, the House passed SJR 34 in a vote of 47-3, with 10 absent.

Vote in the Oregon State Senate June 21, 2023
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 16  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	21	4	5
Total percent	70.0%	13.3%	16.7%
Democrat	17	0	0
Republican	4	4	4
Independent	0	0	1

Vote in the Oregon House of Representatives June 24, 2023
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 31  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	47	3	10
Total percent	78.3%	5%	16.6%
Democrat	34	0	1
Republican	13	3	9

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Oregon

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Oregon.

How to vote in Oregon

Poll times

Oregon is an all-mail voting state. Each county provides privacy booths that voters can use to mark their ballot. County clerks' offices are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. local time on Election Day. Oregon is divided between the Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To register to vote in Oregon, one must be a resident of Oregon, a United States citizen, and at least 16 years old. Voters must be at least 18 years old by the day of the election in order to receive a ballot. Potential voters can register online or by mailing in a voter registration form to your county election office. The deadline to register is 21 days before the election.

Automatic registration

Oregon implemented automatic voter registration in 2016. For more information, click here.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Oregon has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Oregon does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Oregon, you must be a resident of the state.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Oregon does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who knowingly falsely registers "can be fined up to $125,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 5 years."

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.

Voter ID requirements

Oregon is an all-mail voting state. When registering to vote, voters must provide their driver's license number or state ID card number. If voters can not provide this information, they can print and sign a online voter registration form and mail it to their county election office to complete their registration.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Salaries of government officials on the ballot

Oregon

• Oregon ballot measures
• Oregon ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Full text