Oregon Blue Book: Legislative Statutory Committees and Interim Offices

Legislative Statutory Committees and Interim Offices

Mt.Hood from McIntyre Ridge. (Photo courtesy Cheryl Hill)

Legislative Administration Committee
Committee on Executive Appointments
Emergency Board
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Legislative Commission on Indian Services
Legislative Counsel Committee
Legislative Fiscal Office
Legislative Revenue Office
Oregon Law Commission

Legislative Administration Committee
Scott Burgess, Legislative Administrator
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/comm/legadmin/legadminset.htm
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov

The Legislative Administration Committee (LAC) provides services to the Legislative Assembly, its support staff and the public. The committee, authorized by ORS 173.710, is composed of the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House, members of the senate appointed by the president and members of the house appointed by the speaker. The committee appoints an administrator to serve as its executive officer. The administrator’s office coordinates and oversees the operation of the following administrative units:

Committee Services
Address: Room 453
Phone: 503-986-1813
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/comm/
Committee Services provides professional services to legislative committees, legislators, legislative offices and staff, government agencies and the public. Committee Services includes Committee Records and the Legislative Library and Public Access Room.

Employee Services
Address: Room 140-B
Phone: 503-986-1373
Employee Services provides human resource administration to all legislative employees and legislative job seekers.

Facility Services
Address: Room 49
Phone: 503-986-1360
Facility Services manages the infrastructure of the Capitol, including maintenance, capital improvement projects and space planning. The staff also provides centralized purchasing, mail and distributes legislative publications.

Financial Services
Address: Room 140-C
Phone: 503-986-1695
Financial Services provides budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting services to the Legislature.

Information Systems
Address: Room 141
Phone: 503-986-1914
Information Services supports the Legislature by providing computer and mainframe programs and services, legislative publications, electronic access to legislative information, and maintenance of computer equipment.

Legislative Media
Address: Room 35
Phone: 503-986-1195
Legislative Media, a division of Information Services, provides audio and video coverage of legislative events, production videos, and maintains audio and video equipment in the Capitol.

Visitor Services
Address: Capitol Rotunda Area
Phone: 503-986-1388
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/capinfo
Visitor Services provides guided tours and information on the legislative process and Capitol history. It also operates the Capitol Gift Shop.

Committee on Executive Appointments
Address: c/o Secretary of the Senate, 900 Court St. NE, Rm. 233, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1851

Article III, Section 4 of the Oregon Constitution provides that the Legislative Assembly may require that all appointments to state public office made by the governor shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.

During the legislative session, the Senate president refers executive appointments to an appropriate standing or special committee. The committee is responsible for reviewing the background and qualifications of appointees to ensure statutory requirements are met. Each appointee appears before the committee for a personal interview unless such appearance is waived in accordance with Senate rules. The committee submits its recommendations to the full Senate for its vote on confirmation.

During the interim period between legislative sessions, pursuant to ORS 171.565, the Senate reviews the governor’s appointments. An interim standing committee is appointed by the Senate president, in accordance with Senate rules, and has at least five, but no more than 11, members. The committee generally meets the day prior to convening of the Senate to consider the governor’s appointments and then submits its recommendations to the full Senate for a vote. The Senate convenes seven or eight times during an interim period for the purpose of considering the governor’s appointments.

Emergency Board
Ken Rocco, Legislative Fiscal Officer
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. H-178, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1828

The Emergency Board, authorized by section 3, Article III of the Oregon Constitution and established by ORS 291.324, has 20 members consisting of the president of the Senate, the speaker of the House of Representatives, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means, eight other Senate members and eight other House members. Between sessions, the Emergency Board may allocate to any state agency, out of emergency funds appropriated to the board, additional monies to carry on an activity required by law for which an appropriation was not made. The board may authorize an agency to expend from funds dedicated or continuously appropriated for the purpose of the agency sums in excess of the amount budgeted for the agency, may approve a budget for a new activity coming into existence at a time that would preclude submission of a budget to the Legislature, and may revise the budgets of state agencies to the extent of authorizing transfers between expenditure classifications within an agency.

Joint Committee on Ways and Means
Ken Rocco, Legislative Fiscal Officer
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. H-178, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1828

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means, created under ORS 171.555, is the legislative entity charged with the responsibility of making recommendations to the Legislative Assembly with regard to its constitutional requirement to adopt a balanced budget. The joint committee is made up of members appointed by the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House. This appropriation process structure, employed in Oregon and several other states, is especially effective in resolving budgetary differences. The Legislative Fiscal Office provides staff assistance to the committee.

Legislative Commission on Indian Services
Karen Quigley, Executive Officer
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. 167, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1067
E-mail: karen.m.quigley@state.or.us
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/cis
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov

The Commission on Indian Services was created in 1975 under ORS 172.100 to 172.140 and operates as a small agency within the legislative branch of state government. The commission consists of 13 members appointed by the legislative leadership to two-year terms of office. Each of Oregon’s nine federally-recognized Indian tribal governments has one member. There is also a seat for the Portland-area Native American community and one for the Willamette Valley. One state senator and one state representative are also seated on the commission. The commission is an advisory, not an advocacy, body.

The commission’s specific statutory responsibilities include compiling information about services for Indians; developing and sponsoring programs to inform Indians of available services and that make needs and concerns of Indians known to public and private agencies whose activities affect Indians; encouraging and supporting agencies to expand and improve services; and evaluating state services to Indians, reporting biennially to the governor and the Legislature on matters concerning Indians in Oregon.

The commission is the primary point of contact for the State of Oregon for questions about Indians and Indian issues in Oregon. The commission has statutory responsibility to advise regarding preservation and protection of Indian historic and archaeological resources. The commission is consulted on state agency training and monitors state agency action with regard to State/Tribal Government relations.

Legislative Counsel Committee
Dexter Johnson, Legislative Counsel
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. S-101, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1243
Web: www.lc.state.or.us/
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov

The Legislative Counsel Committee is a joint legislative committee established under ORS 173.111, consisting of the president of the Senate and senators appointed by the president, the speaker of the House of Representatives and representatives appointed by the speaker. The legislative counsel, who is selected by the committee, serves as executive officer to the committee. The legislative counsel manages the Office of the Legislative Counsel and employs a legal and professional staff.

The Office of the Legislative Counsel is responsible for drafting all legislative measures for legislators, legislative committees and state agencies. The office also provides legal opinions, informal legal advice and other legal services to legislators, legislative committees and legislative staff. During legislative sessions, the office prepares all amendments to measures that are considered by the Legislative Assembly.

The Office of the Legislative Counsel prepares indexes and tables for all measures introduced during a legislative session. At the end of each session, the office publishes the official compilation of that session’s laws, Oregon Laws. The office also prepares and publishes every two years the official codification of Oregon’s statute laws, Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS). Each edition of ORS incorporates the new statutory provisions and amendments to statutory provisions passed by the Legislative Assembly in the preceding two years.

Pursuant to ORS 183.710 to 183.725, the Office of Legislative Counsel conducts a review of all new administrative rules adopted by state agencies. This review allows the Legislative Assembly to monitor whether an agency’s rules are consistent with the agency’s statutory authority.

Legislative Fiscal Office
Ken Rocco, Legislative Fiscal Officer
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. H-178, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1828
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/comm/lfo/home.htm
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov

The Legislative Fiscal Office is a permanent, nonpartisan legislative agency created in 1959, pursuant to ORS 173.410 to 173.450, to serve legislators and committees on matters related to the state’s fiscal affairs. The office provides research, analysis, evaluation and recommendations concerning state expenditures, budget issues, agency organization and program administration. It also provides fiscal impact assessment of proposed legislation and provides staff assistance to the Joint Legislative Committee on Information Management and Technology and the Joint Legislative Audit Committee when these committees are appointed by the Legislature. The office staffs the Joint Committee on Ways and Means during the session and the Emergency Board during the interim.

Legislative Revenue Office
Paul Warner, Legislative Revenue Officer
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. 143, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1266
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/comm/lro/home.htm
Staff Directory from Oregon.gov

The Legislative Revenue Office was established by the 1975 Oregon Legislature to provide nonpartisan analysis of tax and school-finance issues, pursuant to ORS 173.810 to 173.850.

The legislative revenue officer is appointed by, and responsible to, the House and Senate committees that deal with revenue and school finance. The office staffs the House and Senate Revenue Committees, writes revenue impact statements for proposed legislation and researches tax and other revenue related issues.

Oregon Law Commission
Lane P. Shetterly, Chair
Jeffrey Dobbins, Executive Director
Address: Willamette University College of Law, 245 Winter St. SE, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-370-6973
Web: www.willamette.edu/wucl/olc

The Oregon Law Commission was formally established in 1997 to conduct an ongoing, substantive law revision program. The commission replaced the Law Improvement Committee.

The Oregon Law Commission consists of 15 commissioners: two persons appointed by the president of the Senate (one of whom must be a senator), two persons appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives (one of whom must be a representative), the deans, or an appointee from each of Oregon’s three law schools, three persons appointed by the Oregon State Bar, the attorney general, the chief justice of the Supreme Court, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals, a circuit court judge, and one person appointed by the governor.

The commission studies Oregon law and recommends law reform needed to correct defects and anachronisms in the law. The commission reviews current judicial decisions to identify problems in the law, and considers reform proposals from judges, public officials, lawyers and members of the public. The commission also studies the repeal of statutes held unconstitutional by the courts. The commission recommends legislation as needed to implement its reform proposals and submits a biennial report to the Legislative Assembly.

Pursuant to ORS 173.335, the Office of Legislative Counsel assists the commission in carrying out its duties.

Source
Legislative Administration
Address: 900 Court St. NE, Rm. 140-A, Salem 97301
Phone: 503-986-1848
Web: www.leg.state.or.us/comm/legadmin/