Oregon State Legislature
House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives consists of 60 elected members. Representatives in Oregon serve two-year terms and represent districts that average 70,621 constituents. There are current party split for Oregon's House is 36 Democrat members and 24 Republican members.
Visit the official Oregon State Legislature House of Representatives page to familiarize yourself with House Leadership, Democrat and Republic representation, and where to contact a Representative.
State Senate
The Oregon State Senate consists of 30 elected members. Senators in Oregon serve four-year teams and represent districts containing 141,242 constituents. There are current party split for Oregon's Senate is 18 Democrat members and 12 Republican members.
Visit the official Oregon State Legislature State Senate page to familiarize yourself with House Leadership, Democrat and Republic representation, and where to contact a Representative.
Finding your Legislator is easy as 1, 2, 3! Follow the instructions on the Oregon Legislature Geo Map to learn your district and elected officials.
E.g.: Let's say you live at the Oregon State Capitol: 900 Court Street NE Salem, OR 97301. Your House District is 21, and your Representative is Kevin Mannix. Your Senate District is 11, and your Senator is Kim Thatcher.
Bills and Laws
While the creation of laws can seem like quite a process, it all starts with an idea. Everyone from individuals to groups to business to agencies to the Legislators and Governor themselves, is capable of generating a bill with their ideas. Oregon's pipeline of idea to law follows these steps:
For further information on what occurs once a bill has reached a committee, read here, and see below for more information on the Oregon State Legislature's committees below.
Committees
The success of Oregon's legislative process, is dependent on House, Senate, and joint committees. These committees are made up of smaller groups of Legislators, both Democrat and Republican, and are tasked with meeting to collaborate on bills that are related to bigger issues. These issues include revenue, transportation, education, labor, and more. Committee members consider the testimony and opinions of constituents, lobbyists, businesses, government agency representatives, and more to choose from a vast list of options that will determine the fate of these proposed bills and future State legislation. Dependent on the weight of a bill, these committees may partake in multiple work sessions that include debates and voting before adopting their recommendation.
Interested in learning how you can participate in one of these committees? Constituent engagement is encouraged by Legislators during a committee's allotted public hearing time. Information on how to register to testify during a committee, can be found here.
Oregon Legislative Information System
The Oregon Legislative Information System, or OLIS, is where information on past and current, regular, special, and interim legislative sessions can be found. You can navigate the site based on dates, bills, and committees to review committee agendas and assignments, measure information including bill statuses, reports and documents, and legislative data available to constituents.
Other Local and State Government Entities
Being equipped with the knowledge of what type of representation you possess as a State constituent, is a driver for feeling seen, heard, and understood as an Oregonian. Your electoral bodies are:
Local
Secretary of State Website
The Oregon Secretary of State website is another great tool to have in your wheelhouse when it comes to voting, elections, and education on Oregon's government, state agencies, tribal, cultural, and educational resources. We encourage you to review the Oregon Blue Book information.
The Oregon House of Representatives consists of 60 elected members. Representatives in Oregon serve two-year terms and represent districts that average 70,621 constituents. There are current party split for Oregon's House is 36 Democrat members and 24 Republican members.
Visit the official Oregon State Legislature House of Representatives page to familiarize yourself with House Leadership, Democrat and Republic representation, and where to contact a Representative.
State Senate
The Oregon State Senate consists of 30 elected members. Senators in Oregon serve four-year teams and represent districts containing 141,242 constituents. There are current party split for Oregon's Senate is 18 Democrat members and 12 Republican members.
Visit the official Oregon State Legislature State Senate page to familiarize yourself with House Leadership, Democrat and Republic representation, and where to contact a Representative.
Finding your Legislator is easy as 1, 2, 3! Follow the instructions on the Oregon Legislature Geo Map to learn your district and elected officials.
E.g.: Let's say you live at the Oregon State Capitol: 900 Court Street NE Salem, OR 97301. Your House District is 21, and your Representative is Kevin Mannix. Your Senate District is 11, and your Senator is Kim Thatcher.
Bills and Laws
While the creation of laws can seem like quite a process, it all starts with an idea. Everyone from individuals to groups to business to agencies to the Legislators and Governor themselves, is capable of generating a bill with their ideas. Oregon's pipeline of idea to law follows these steps:
- An idea to create a new law or amend a current one is presented to a Legislative Member
- That Legislative Member must choose to sponsor the proposed bill and introduce it in their chamber after the Legislative Counsel's office drafts it
- The bill is then presented to to the Chief Clerk of the House or Secretary of the Senate, where it is assigned a bill number
- The bill is then sent to the Legislative Chamber for its first reading
- After the first reading, the bill is referred to a committee for further review; and is forward to the Legislative Fiscal Office and Legislative Revenue Office for determination of its fiscal or revenue impact
For further information on what occurs once a bill has reached a committee, read here, and see below for more information on the Oregon State Legislature's committees below.
Committees
The success of Oregon's legislative process, is dependent on House, Senate, and joint committees. These committees are made up of smaller groups of Legislators, both Democrat and Republican, and are tasked with meeting to collaborate on bills that are related to bigger issues. These issues include revenue, transportation, education, labor, and more. Committee members consider the testimony and opinions of constituents, lobbyists, businesses, government agency representatives, and more to choose from a vast list of options that will determine the fate of these proposed bills and future State legislation. Dependent on the weight of a bill, these committees may partake in multiple work sessions that include debates and voting before adopting their recommendation.
Interested in learning how you can participate in one of these committees? Constituent engagement is encouraged by Legislators during a committee's allotted public hearing time. Information on how to register to testify during a committee, can be found here.
Oregon Legislative Information System
The Oregon Legislative Information System, or OLIS, is where information on past and current, regular, special, and interim legislative sessions can be found. You can navigate the site based on dates, bills, and committees to review committee agendas and assignments, measure information including bill statuses, reports and documents, and legislative data available to constituents.
Other Local and State Government Entities
Being equipped with the knowledge of what type of representation you possess as a State constituent, is a driver for feeling seen, heard, and understood as an Oregonian. Your electoral bodies are:
Local
- City Government - Mayor, City Manager, and City Council Members
- County Government - County Commissioners
- Local Government Entities
- Executive Branch - Governor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Attorney General, and Labor and Industries Commissioner
- Legislative Branch - State Representatives and Senators
- Judicial Branch - Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Oregon Tax Court, and Circuit Courts
Secretary of State Website
The Oregon Secretary of State website is another great tool to have in your wheelhouse when it comes to voting, elections, and education on Oregon's government, state agencies, tribal, cultural, and educational resources. We encourage you to review the Oregon Blue Book information.