Legislative Process in Oregon

Oregon Coalition of Christian Voices (OCCV) advocates for public policies and laws in Oregon that we believe reflect God’s desire for a government structure that promotes the well-being of all, and particularly the marginalized in our society.

But how is OCCV doing this?

Let’s take a quick civics lesson to learn how.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is state government’s “board of directors.” It is responsible for making laws dealing with Oregon’s well-being, adopting the state’s budget, and for setting public policy. The Legislative Assembly is made up of two bodies: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Senate consists of 30 members elected for four-year terms. The House consists of 60 representatives elected for two-year terms. Each member of the legislature represents a district (an area determined by population). Every Oregonian is represented by one state Senator and one state Representative.

The legislature convenes annually in February at the State Capitol in Salem, but sessions may not exceed 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years, unless extended by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.

About 3,000 bills are considered in each odd-year session. Relying largely upon work done in committees, the legislature enacts about one-third of these bills into Law.

Steps of How Ideas Become Law

The path of a Law, from the time it is just an idea to the time it arrives at the Governor’s desk for approval, is paved with many detours.  In order for an idea (in the form of a Bill) to become law, it must be passed by both houses in the identical form.  This is achieved through the step-by-step process outlined below.

A bill can be introduced in either chamber however, for the example below, we will use the House of Representatives as the house of origin.

• An idea to change, amend, or create a new law is presented by a concerned citizen or group to a Representative.

• The Representative decides to sponsor the bill and introduce it to the House of Representatives, and requests that the attorneys in the Legislative Counsel’s office draft the bill in the proper legal language.

• The bill is then presented to the Chief Clerk of the House, who assigns the bill a number and sends it back to the Legislative Counsel’s office to verify it is in proper legal form and style.

• The bill is then sent to the State Printing Division, where it is printed and returned to House of Representatives for its first reading.

• After the bill’s first reading, the Speaker refers it to a committee. The bill is also forwarded to the Legislative Fiscal Officer and Legislative Revenue Officer to determine fiscal or revenue impact.

• The committee reviews the bill, and holds public hearings and work sessions.

This is where OCCV comes in. 

Public hearings of legislative committees are held to take testimony concerning proposed laws. Watching lawmaking in progress keeps you informed, helps you to understand the process, and gives you ideas about how to better inform and influence your legislators. OCCV is representing you by attending public hearings at the Capitol.

Citizens of Oregon are also invited to testify at public hearings. OCCV follows certain bills and makes sure our voice is heard by giving testimony in person or in writing. You can read many of OCCV’s past written testimonies here.

• In order for the bill to go to the House floor for a final vote, or be reported out of committee, a committee report is signed by the committee chair and delivered back to the Chief Clerk.

• Any amendments to the bill are printed, and the bill may be reprinted to include the amendments (engrossed bill).

• The bill, now back in the house of origin (House), has its second reading.

• The measure then has its third reading, which is its final recitation before the vote.  This is the time the body debates the measure.  To pass, the bill must receive aye votes of a majority of members (31 in the House, 16 in the Senate).

• If the bill is passed by a majority of the House members, it is sent to the Senate.

• The bill is read for the first time, and the Senate President assigns it to committee.  The committee reports the bill back to the Senate where the bill is given the second and third readings.

• If the bill is passed in the Senate without changes, it is sent back to the House for enrolling.

• If the bill is amended in the Senate by even one word, it must be sent back to the House for concurrence.  If the House does not concur with the amendments, the presiding officers of each body appoint a conference committee to resolve the differences between the two versions of the bill.

• After the bill has passed both houses in the identical form, it is signed by three officers: the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the Chief Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate, depending on where the bill originated.

• The enrolled bill is then sent to the Governor who has five days to take action.  If the Legislative Assembly is adjourned, the Governor has 30 days to consider it.

• If the Governor chooses to sign the bill, it will become law on January 1 of the year after the passage of the act or on the prescribed effective date.  In 1999, the Legislative Assembly adopted ORS 171.022, which reads, “Except as otherwise provided in the Act, an Act of the Legislative Assembly takes effect on January 1 of the year after passage of the Act.”  The Governor may allow a bill to become law without his/her signature, or the Governor may decide to veto the bill.  The Governor’s veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses.

• The signed enrolled bill, or act, is then filed with the Secretary of State, who assigns it an Oregon Laws chapter number.

• Staff in the Legislative Counsel’s office insert the text of the new laws into the existing Oregon Revised Statutes in the appropriate locations and make any other necessary code changes.