42-610: Oregon's Emergency Board (also known as the State Emergency Board and Legislative Emergency Board ) is a statutory legislative committee composed of members of both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly . It has broad powers to allocate general fund resources, lottery revenue, and other state funds for unanticipated government requirements when the state legislature is not in session. The board can authorize an agency to overspend its approved budget or approve
84-441: A quorum . Oregon Ballot Measure 113 was passed in 2022 to disqualify senators with ten unexcused absences from serving in the legislature following their current term, largely in response to a series of walkouts by Republican senators. In the interim between legislative sessions, special study groups made up of state legislators with interests or expertise in the specific study areas investigate issues that will be addressed during
126-399: A constitutional amendment allowing the legislature to call itself into session. In either case, special sessions are permitted only "in the event of an emergency." Voters narrowly defeated a constitutional amendment in 1990 that would have established annual sessions. In 1982 a special session lasted 37 days, and the governor called the assembly into special session five times in 2002, for
168-423: A few months after the legislative session that created the board ended. The governor requested additional funding for his War on Vice campaign which had quickly used up its appropriated funds. The Emergency Board allocated an additional $ 1,500 for the governor's program along with $ 5,000 to pay rewards to citizen who helped in the capture of criminals. At its first meeting, the board also provided $ 500 to continue
210-841: A meeting at which 10 members of the board were present. (3) The laws enacted by the Legislative Assembly making appropriations and limiting expenditures, or either, are not intended to limit the powers of the Emergency Board. The Emergency Board is co-chaired by the President of the Oregon Senate and the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. The chairpersons of the Senate and House ways and means committees are also statutory members of
252-496: A national convention of governors in New Jersey in 1911, on the topic of prison labor. West was a fervent prohibitionist . He believed so strongly in the idea that he once declared martial law on New Year's Eve 1913 in order to shut down liquor-selling establishments in the town of Copperfield, Oregon . He then dispatched National Guard troops, chaperoned by his own personal secretary Fern Hobbs on January 2, 1914 to enforce
294-505: A new budget amount for specific agency tasks. It can also authorize the transfers of funds between agencies or budget accounts. The Emergency Board is jointly chaired by the President of the Oregon Senate and the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives . The Emergency Board is a powerful committee of the state legislature that functions during interim periods when the state's legislative
336-452: A total of 52 days. The 2006 special session was the shortest in Oregon's history: five pieces of legislation were passed in only six hours. The legislative body may also call itself into special session "in the event of an emergency," although it has never done so. The legislature's regular sessions were every two years until 2009. The legislative session in 2010 that referred Measure 71 to voters
378-530: Is authorized by Article III, Section 3 of the Oregon Constitution and is established in law under Oregon statute ORS 291.326. The statute outlines the following responsibilities and powers for the board: (1) The Emergency Board, during the interim between sessions of the Legislative Assembly, may exercise the following powers: (2) No allocation, authorization or approval under subsection (1)(a), (b) or (c) of this section shall be effective unless made at
420-593: Is compensated accordingly. Legislators are paid $ 33,852 per year. Presiding officers (the Speaker of the House and Senate President) are compensated double, $ 67,704 per year. While in session, legislators also receive a $ 151 per diem. In the 2022 Regular Session, at the request of the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO) and Family Forward Oregon, a SB1566 was introduced to increase legislators pay. SB 1566 establishes an annual salary for members of
462-446: Is in session, the permanent Legislative Fiscal Office staff supports the joint committee on ways and means. During the interim period between legislative sessions, the office reports to the Emergency Board. The Legislative Fiscal Office is a non-partisan organization that does economic research, fiscal analysis, and identifies options for funding state agencies and programs. It also analyzes fiscal implications of proposed legislation for
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#1732848056827504-446: Is out of sessions. Because Oregon's legislature only meets for limited periods during its biennial cycle, the period between sessions can last many months. In the past, many legislative interims have lasted 18 months or more. The state Emergency Board is responsible for adjusting the state budget to cover emergency requirements when the full legislature is out of session. The board can allocate or transfer funds to state agencies beyond
546-455: The 2011 session. The first 35 regular sessions (i.e. until 1929) lasted 50 days or less. Since 1949 no annual session was shorter than 100 days. The longest session was the 72nd regular session, at 227 days, ending August 27, 2003. More recent sessions ended in June or July. The Governor of Oregon was the only person who could call the assembly into special sessions until 1976, when voters approved
588-596: The Emergency Board during the interim periods between Oregon's legislative sessions. Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon . The Legislative Assembly is bicameral , consisting of an upper and lower house : the Senate , whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives , with 60 members elected to two-year terms. There are no term limits for either house in
630-502: The Legislative Assembly equal to the annual occupational mean wage estimate for Oregon in the prior year, as determined by the U.S. Department of Labor and the Oregon Employment Department. And it directs the salary to be adjusted to conform to the mean only once every two years. It also authorizes a child care allowance for members who have children or dependents under the age of 13. Sen. Floyd Prozanski (D-Eugene) said at
672-610: The Legislative Assembly. 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. (Maps of Senate districts can be found in the Oregon State Senate article.) Senate districts contain about 127,700 people, and are redrawn every ten years. The legislature is termed as a "citizens' assembly" (meaning that most legislators have other jobs). Since 1885, its regular sessions of up to 160 days occurred in odd-numbered years, beginning on
714-589: The November 2010 general election amended the state's constitution and changed the schedule of regular sessions from bi-annual to annual. Senate Joint Resolution 41 was voted on as state Ballot Measure 71 , which passed statewide by a margin of more than 2 to 1. With limited exceptions, the constitutional changes enacted through Measure 71 limit the length of legislative sessions beginning in odd-numbered years to 160 calendar days, and sessions beginning in even-numbered years to 35 calendar days. The changes took effect with
756-782: The Oregon Highway Commission was created by the Oregon Legislative Assembly , levying a tax upon all property to fund the establishment of a state roadway system. The tax raised $ 700,000 during its first year, money which was targeted to the development of three major road routes — the Coast Highway ( US-101 ), the Pacific Highway from Portland through the Willamette Valley , and the Columbia River Highway connecting Portland with Eastern Oregon . He addressed
798-452: The President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House members of the board along with the chairpersons of the House and Senate ways and means committees. Governor Oswald West vetoed the bill that proposed establishing the Emergency Board, but his veto was overridden by legislature and it became law. The Emergency Board's first meeting was requested by Governor West in September 1913, just
840-528: The Senate Rules Committee. In light of this, three veteran House Democrats jointly announced they would not seek reelection because of the apparent failure of SB1566. The three state representatives, Karin Power , Rachel Prusak and Anna Williams , said they could not afford to work full time for part-time pay. “We are a lawyer, nurse practitioner, and social worker,” the three said in a statement. “Seeing
882-462: The Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate. Later that year, after 38 years of successfully using the Emergency Board to address funding issues between legislative sessions, Oregon's Attorney General , George Neuner , ruled that the Emergency Board was unconstitutional. To resolve this problem, the legislature submitted a constitutional amendment to Oregon's voters in the 1952 general election. To cover emergencies that might arise between
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#1732848056827924-511: The board before they are submitted to the federal agency overseeing the grant. Currently, grant application are submitted to the board through the Legislative Fiscal Office. Today, the Emergency Board continues to fund critical programs that occur between Oregon's legislative sessions. For example, the board funded a wildfire recovery program in 2015. A year later, the board paid to test for lead in drinking water in schools across
966-461: The board. The rest of the 20-person board is made up of eight state senators appointed by the Senate President and eight members of the House appointed by the Speaker of the House. The eight appointed senators who serve on the board must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate and the eight members from the House must be confirmed by a majority of that chamber. When the Oregon legislature
1008-423: The close of the 1951 legislative session and the 1952 election, the legislature authorized Governor Douglas McKay to spend up to $ 1.5 million for unexpected funding requirements. In the 1952 general election, Oregon voters approved incorporating the Emergency Board into the state constitution by a vote of 364,539 to 192,492. As a result, the Emergency Board was reestablished in 1953. The Legislative Fiscal Office
1050-478: The entire Pacific coastline to the high tide line to be a public highway, thereby preserving scenery and beach access for future generations. The law protecting public access to the high-water line remains in effect on Oregon beaches, which were formally protected by the Oregon Legislature and Governor Tom McCall in 1967 (HB 1601). West is also credited with establishing Oregon's highway system, when in 1913
1092-721: The governance and national image of the state as a whole. West's time as governor is still felt in Oregon today because of his work to protect the state's natural resources. It was under his administration the beaches bordering the Pacific Ocean were protected for public use; the office of State Forester and the Bureau of Forestry were established; and the Fish Commission and Game Commission were created. West served only one term, opting not to run for re-election in 1914. Instead, he moved his family to Portland where he practiced law. He
1134-523: The governor, the board co-chairs may request additional information or special reports from state agencies to support their deliberations. The state Emergency Board was created by the Oregon legislature in 1913. The board was intended to be available to provide emergency funding for state institutions or departments when the legislature was out of session. The original legislation made the Governor of Oregon , Oregon Secretary of State , Oregon State Treasurer ,
1176-422: The hardships that families faced in our professional lives convinced us to run for office knowing these families deserved voices in our state government. Oswald West Oswald West (May 20, 1873 – August 22, 1960) was an American politician, a Democrat , who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon . He was called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook , who described him as "by all odds
1218-515: The hearing that the low pay deters Oregonians from serving in the Legislature and urged the new salary be approved. He said the current pay serves to encourage only those with personal wealth or with multiple jobs to run for the legislature. Because of the high time commitment legislative positions require, the current salary also makes it financially difficult for some to stay in office once they’ve been elected. Ultimately, SB1566 did not make it out of
1260-399: The investigation of a Portland gas franchise. These actions established the Emergency Board as an effective institution for handling out-of-cycle funding requests. In 1951, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill that took the governor, secretary of state, and state treasurer off the Emergency Board. The legislation replaced them with two House members and one state senator to be appointed by
1302-476: The joint ways and means committee, the Emergency Board, and other legislative committees. During interim periods, Oregon's governor determines when a state agency requires additional funds. After making that determination, the governor submits a funding request to the Emergency Board for consideration. However, the board's co-chairs decide what action items are placed on the board's agenda. In addition to interim funding requests and related information submitted by
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1344-755: The most brilliant governor Oregon ever had." West was born in Guelph , Ontario , Canada but moved to Salem, Oregon with his family at the age of four where he attended school and eventually went into banking. After several years as a banker in Salem and Astoria , and a six-month stint searching for gold in Alaska , West gained an appointment as the State Land Agent . He proved effective in his position, recovering almost 1 million acres (4,000 km²) of fraudulently held state land. In 1907, West left his position as Land Agent and
1386-422: The next legislative session. In addition, the state's legislative Emergency Board , which is jointly chaired by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House, can take action to provide additional funds to state agencies for activities required by law or that arise unexpectedly during the legislative interim. The job of a member of the Legislative Assembly is considered a "part-time" job in Oregon, and
1428-542: The order and shut down the saloons. The move made headlines across the country. Known for his moral reforms, West pushed the 1913 Oregon legislature to adopt its first eugenics law in response to the Portland Vice Scandal of 1912 involving the arrest of gay men in Portland, Oregon. West called for sterilization and emasculation of the "degenerates who slink, in all their infamy, through every city, contaminating
1470-409: The original appropriated amount when required. It can allocate additional public funds for activities required by law when an existing appropriation made by the legislature is not sufficient to cover the actual requirement. The board can also approve funding for new requirements that arise unexpectedly after the legislature has passed the state's budget and is no longer in session. The Emergency Board
1512-558: The second Monday in January. Effective 2012, the legislature moved into an annual session, with the even-numbered years having a "short session" of 35 days or less, beginning in February. Bills may be introduced in either house, and must flow through a committee before being voted upon. Bills calling for increased revenue must be introduced in the House of Representatives. How ideas become law . A legislative resolution referred to voters in
1554-548: The state. That same year, the Oregon State Police asked the Emergency Board for an additional $ 2.5 million to cover the cost of the 41-day armed occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon. In that case, the board only authorized an additional $ 2 million for the state police and other agencies. Out-of-cycle requirements like these are typical of the funding issues addressed by
1596-566: The young, debauching the innocent, cursing the State" and others who would come before the state's courts for similar sexual transgressions in the future. Bend Mayor George P. Putnam criticized West in a New York Times interview shortly after the Copperfield affair. Putnam asserted that the Governor's theatrical methods, and his inordinate attention to the affairs of local communities, detracted from
1638-487: Was a special session approved during the 2009 session by a majority of legislators, who were hoping to eventually win approval of a change to regular annual sessions. The push for annual sessions dates back to at least 1981, when a poll of legislators found that two-thirds favored a shift to annual sessions. The Constitution of Oregon requires 3/5s vote in both houses in order to pass new taxes or increase existing ones. In addition, two-thirds of senators are required to form
1680-797: Was appointed to the Oregon Railroad Commission , where he again found a great deal of success. In 1910, he gained the Democratic nomination for Governor and went on to defeat his opponent, Jay Bowerman , and take office in 1911. While in office, West defended what he called the Oregon System which included initiative and referendum systems still in use in many western American states today. Through these processes women's suffrage , various workers rights laws and most famously prohibition all came into effect during West's administration. West established Oregon's beach highway law, proclaiming
1722-542: Was established in 1959. The office was created to support the legislature's ways and means committees and the Emergency Board when the legislature is not in session. The office's non-partisan staff provided the Emergency Board with full-time professional expertise to analyze state programs, budget requirements, and expenditure issues. In 2007, the Emergency Board was authorized to review and approve federal grant applications during legislative interim periods. Except in emergency situations, grant applications must be approval by
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1764-464: Was the Democratic party's nominee for the United States Senate in 1918, but lost to Charles L. McNary . After the run he largely limited his involvement in politics to spirited letters to the editor but was an influential adviser to Governor Charles H. Martin in the 1930s. He retired from his law practice after suffering a heart attack in 1945. West died in Portland on August 22, 1960, and
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