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Oregon State Legislature

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Oregon State Legislature

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General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 21, 2025
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:   Rob Wagner (D)
House Speaker:  Julie Fahey (D)
Majority Leader:   Senate: Kayse Jama (D)
House: Ben Bowman (D)
Minority Leader:   Senate: Bruce Starr (R)
House: Lucetta Elmer (R)
Structure
Members:  30 (Senate), 60 (House)
Length of term:   4 years (Senate), 2 years (House)
Authority:   Art IV, Oregon Constitution
Salary:   $23,568/year + per diem
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2024
Next election:  November 3, 2026
Redistricting:  Oregon Legislature has control

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is a bicameral consisting of an upper house, the Oregon State Senate, and a lower house, the Oregon House of Representatives. There are no term limits for either house in the Legislative Assembly.

The legislature is a citizens' assembly (meaning that most legislators have other jobs.)

Oregon has a Democratic state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers. As of October 8, 2025, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 14 Democratic trifectas, and 13 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

In the 2020 election, Republicans had a net gain of two trifectas and two states under divided government became trifectas. Prior to that election, Oregon had a Democratic trifecta. There were 21 Republican trifectas, 15 Democratic trifectas, and 14 divided governments.

See also: Oregon House of Representatives, Oregon State Senate, Oregon Governor

Elections

2020

See also: Oregon State Senate elections, 2020 and Oregon House of Representatives elections, 2020

Elections for the office of Oregon State Senate took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for May 19, 2020. The filing deadline was March 10, 2020.

Elections for the office of Oregon House of Representatives took place in 2020. The general election was held on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for May 19, 2020. The filing deadline was March 10, 2020.

Sessions

Article IV of the Oregon Constitution establishes when the Legislature 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). Under current law, sessions convene on the second Monday in January of all odd years.[1]

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.

2025

See also: 2025 Oregon legislative session and Dates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 21, 2025, and adjourn on June 27, 2025.


Role in state budget

See also: Oregon state budget and finances
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The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:[8]

  1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in March.
  2. State agencies submit their budget requests to the governor in September.
  3. Agency hearings are held between September and November.
  4. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the state legislature by December 1. For new governors, the deadline is the first day the legislature convenes.
  5. The legislature adopts a budget between February and June. A simple majority is required to pass a budget. The biennium begins July 1.

Oregon is one of 44 states in which the governor has line item veto authority.[8][9]

The governor is constitutionally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature is required to pass a balanced budget.[8]

Cost-benefit analyses

See also: Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative Cost-Benefit Study
Map showing results of the Pew-MacArthur cost-benefit study

The Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative is a joint project of the Pew Charitable Trusts and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that works to partner with states in implementing cost-benefit analysis models.[10]. The initiative released a report in July 2013 concluding that cost-benefit analysis in policymaking led to more effective uses of public funds. Looking at data from 2008 through 2011, the study's authors found that some states were more likely to use cost-benefit analysis, while others were facing challenges and lagging behind the rest of the nation. The challenges states faced included a lack of time, money, and technical skills needed to conduct comprehensive cost-benefit analyses. Oregon was one of 29 states with mixed results regarding the frequency and effectiveness of its use of cost-benefit analysis.[11]

Ethics and transparency

Following the Money report

See also: "Following the Money" report, 2015

The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer-focused nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., released its annual report on state transparency websites in March 2015. The report, entitled "Following the Money," measured how transparent and accountable state websites were with regard to state government spending.[12] According to the report, Oregon received a grade of A and a numerical score of 96.5, indicating that Oregon was "Leading" in terms of transparency regarding state spending.[12]

Open States 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 was 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.[13]

Dual employment and financial disclosure requirements

State ethics regulations regarding dual public employment and income disclosure for legislators vary across the United States. A January 2015 report by the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) concluded that legislators in 33 states are not permitted to maintain additional paid government employment during their terms in office.[14] The NCSL published a report in June 2014 that counted 47 states with disclosure requirements for outside income, business associations, and property holdings. The exceptions to these disclosure categories were Idaho, Michigan, and Vermont.[15] Click show on the right side of the table below to compare state policies:

Senate

The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state. Each member represented an average of 127,702 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[16] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 114,047.[17] Each Senate district is composed of exactly two House districts: Senate District 1 contains House Districts 1 and 2, SD 2 contains HD 3 and HD 4, and so on.

Oregon State Senators serve four year terms without term limits. In 2002, the Oregon Supreme Court struck down the decade-old law, Oregon Ballot Measure 3 (1992), that had restricted State Senators to two terms (eight years) on procedural grounds.

Like certain other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the State Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies.

Oregon, along with Arizona, Maine and Wyoming, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, a position which for most upper houses of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress (with the Vice President) is the head of the legislative body. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the Oregonian executive branch.

Fifteen of the Senate's 30 seats were open for election in 2006. The Democratic Party retained their majority, with no loss or gain of seats for any party. Shortly after the 2006 election, Senator Ben Westlund, whose seat was not up for election in 2006, announced his party change from Independent to the Democratic Party. His switch resulted in the partisan balance of 18 Democrats, 11 Republicans and 1 Independent in 2006.

Current partisan balance

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 18
     Republican Party 11
     Independent 0
     Independent Party of Oregon 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 30

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

House of Representatives

The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state. Each member represented an average of 63,851 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[16] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 57,023.[17]

Current partisan balance

Party As of October 2025
     Democratic Party 37
     Republican Party 23
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 60

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Oregon State House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.
Partisan composition of the Oregon State House.PNG

Veto overrides

Veto Override Graphic-No party.png

See also: Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Oregon are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 40 of the 60 members in the Oregon House of Representatives and 20 of the 30 members in the Oregon State Senate. Oregon is one of 36 states that requires a two-thirds vote from both of its legislative chambers to override a veto.

How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

Vetoes can be overridden in a special session or when the next regular session convenes.[18][19] A majority of members in both chambers must agree to call for a special session.[20]

Authority: Article V, Section 15b of the Oregon Constitution.

"(1) Every bill which shall have passed the Legislative Assembly shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the Governor; if the Governor approve, the Governor shall sign it; but if not, the Governor shall return it with written objections to that house in which it shall have originated, which house shall enter the objections at large upon the journal and proceed to reconsider it.
(2) If, after such reconsideration, two-thirds of the members present shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the objections, to the other house, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and, if approved by two-thirds of the members present, it shall become a law."

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

Oregon State Senate: 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.

Oregon State House of Representatives: From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Oregon State House of Representatives for five years while the Republicans were the majority for 15 years. Oregon was under a Democratic trifecta for the final year of the study.

Across the country, there were 577 Democratic and 483 Republican State Houses of Representatives 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 had 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 to 2013.

Partisan composition of Oregon state government(1992-2013).PNG

SQLI and partisanship

To read the full report on the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) in PDF form, click here.

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Oregon state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. Oregon had Democratic trifectas from 2007-2010 and again in 2013. The state's lowest SQLI ranking, finishing 39th, occurred in 2005. Its highest ranking, finishing 18th, occurred in 2011. Both occurred when the government was divided.

Chart displaying the partisanship of the Oregon government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Legislators

Salaries

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[21]
SalaryPer diem
$35,052/year$157/day

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.

When sworn in

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

Oregon legislators assume office the second Monday in January.

Joint Legislative Committees

See also: Public policy in Oregon

The Oregon State Legislature has nine joint committees.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Oregon State Legislature, "Legislative Process," accessed July 28, 2014
  2. ↑ Oregon Live, "Oregon Legislature by the numbers: What to watch for in 2015," accessed February 2, 2015
  3. ↑ oregonlive.com, "2014 Oregon Legislature: 35 days for guns, pot, booze and a zombie bridge," accessed February 3, 2014
  4. ↑ Statesman Journal, "Immigration issues back in spotlight at Oregon Legislature," January 27, 2013
  5. ↑ Daily Tidings, "Immigration issues on agenda for Ore. Legislature," February 1, 2013
  6. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed June 6, 2014(Archived)
  7. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislative Sessions Calendar," accessed July 28, 2014(Archived)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 National Association of State Budget Officers, "Budget Processes in the States, Spring 2021," accessed January 24, 2023
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Separation of Powers: Executive Veto Powers," accessed January 26, 2024
  10. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "State Work," accessed June 6, 2014
  11. ↑ Pew Charitable Trusts, "States’ Use of Cost-Benefit Analysis," July 29, 2013
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 U.S. Public Interest Research Group, "Following the Money 2015 Report," accessed April 4, 2016
  13. ↑ Sunlight Foundation, "Ten Principles for Opening Up Government Information," accessed June 16, 2013
  14. ↑ National Council of State Legislatures, "Dual employment: regulating public jobs for legislators - 50 state table," January 2015
  15. ↑ National Council of State Legislatures, "Ethics: personal financial disclosure for state legislators: income requirements," June 2014
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 census.gov, "Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010," accessed May 15, 2014
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 U.S. Census Bureau, "States Ranked by Population: 2000," April 2, 2001
  18. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "The Veto Process," accessed June 22, 2017
  19. ↑ The Oregon Legislature, "How an Idea Really Becomes a Law," accessed July 3, 2017
  20. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Special Sessions," May 6, 2009
  21. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
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