Oregon lawmakers passed a number of bills as the 2023 legislative session ended last week that will allow voters to determine measures in the election process and salary protocols for state leaders.
The legislature moved to put several measures on the statewide ballot in November 2024, one being a resolution that may lead to pay raises for certain public officials. Lawmakers are asking voters to create an Independent Public Service Compensation Commission to establish salaries for elected officials, legislators, elected district attorneys, and judges.
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The measure comes after a scandal involving former Secretary of State Shemia Fagan, who resigned earlier this year after reports revealed she was consulting with a cannabis company that was under investigation by her department. Fagan said her salary was “not enough for me to make ends meet.” Fagan’s cannabis contract paid $10,000 per month, which she accepted without consulting the Oregon Government Ethics Commission
Under Oregon’s current constitution, there are no impeachment processes for statewide elected officials. House Joint Resolution 16, which will be on the ballot for voters, allows the House to impeach multiple officials at different levels for “willful neglect of statutory or constitutional duty or other felony or high crime.”
Another ballot measure voters will see is the option for ranked choice voting for federal and statewide races. If passed, local jurisdictions will be provided with resources to implement the system in elections.
Several Oregon counties already use ranked choice voting, including Benton and Corvallis counties. Voters in Portland and Multnomah counties recently adopted the system as well. Cities and counties across the nation are adopting the practice, with statewide use in Maine and Alaska.
After a record-breaking six-week boycott from Senate Republicans, likely resulting in 10 conservative lawmakers being barred from seeking reelection, the legislative session closed Sunday evening.
To bring the walkout to an end, Democrats nixed several measures in a controversial bill on abortion and gender transition care that Republicans protested. Expansions for abortion access on university campuses in rural areas of Oregon were cut from House Bill 2002.
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Democrats handed Republicans a major victory by failing to enact legislation adding firearms restrictions following the provisions of Measure 114, currently blocked by a state judge. Oregon voters approved a ballot measure requiring a permit to purchase a firearm and placing bans on magazines holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition.
“Together, this chamber overcame monumental challenges to seize unprecedented opportunities,” Democratic House Speaker Dan Rayfield said in a press release.
