Summary
The Oregon House of Representatives consists of 60 elected members. Representatives serve two-year terms and represent districts each containing about 63,850 citizens.
Oregon’s House Chamber is fashioned entirely of golden oak. Symbolic of Oregon’s important wood products industry is the specially designed carpet featuring the Douglas Fir, Oregon’s state tree. Behind the desk of the Speaker of the House, is a Barry Faulkner mural showing the historic meeting of Oregon pioneers at Champoeg in 1843, when the provisional government was established.
OnAir Post: Oregon State House
Wikipedia
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
Members of the House serve two-year terms without term limits. In 2002, the Oregon Supreme Court struck down Oregon Ballot Measure 3 (1992), that had restricted State Representatives to three terms (six years) on procedural grounds.[1]
Current session
| Position | Representative | District | Party | Residence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker of the House | Julie Fahey | 14 | Democratic | Eugene |
| Speaker pro Tempore | Paul Holvey | 8 | Democratic | Eugene |
| Majority Leader | Ben Bowman | 25 | Democratic | Tigard |
| Majority Whip | Andrea Valderrama | 47 | Democratic | Portland |
| Deputy Majority Whip | Rob Nosse | 42 | Democratic | Portland |
| Assistant Majority Leaders | Pam Marsh | 5 | Democratic | Ashland |
| Jason Kropf | 54 | Democratic | Bend | |
| Dacia Grayber | 28 | Democratic | Tigard | |
| Minority Leader | Jeff Helfrich | 52 | Republican | Hood River |
| Deputy Minority Leader | Mark Owens | 60 | Republican | Crane |
| Minority Whip | Kim Wallan | 6 | Republican | Medford |
Composition
The Republican Party held the majority in the House for many years until the Democratic Party gained a majority following the 2006 elections. After losing several seats in the 2010 elections, resulting in a split control between both parties for one legislative term, Democrats regained their majority in the 2012 elections. The Oregon State Senate has been under continuous Democratic control since 2005. On June 10, 2021, Republican Mike Nearman was expelled from the house by a 59–1 vote for intentionally letting armed protesters into the Oregon State Capitol to protest against health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon.[2][3] This was the first time a member of the legislature has been expelled in the state's history.[4] The lone no vote was by Nearman himself.
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| 73rd (2005–2006) | 27 | 33 | 60 | 0 |
| 74th (2007–2008) | 31 | 29 | 60 | 0 |
| 75th (2009–2010) | 36 | 24 | 60 | 0 |
| 76th (2011–2012) | 30 | 30 | 60 | 0 |
| 77th (2013–2014) | 34 | 26 | 60 | 0 |
| 78th (2015–2016) | 35 | 25 | 60 | 0 |
| 79th (2017–2018) | 35 | 25 | 60 | 0 |
| 80th (2019–2020) | 38 | 22 | 60 | 0 |
| 81st (2021–2022) | 37 | 23 | 60 | 0 |
| 82nd (2023–2024) | 35 | 25 | 60 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 58% | 42% | ||
Milestones
- 1914: Marian B. Towne became the first woman elected to the Oregon House
- 1972: Bill McCoy became the first African American to serve in the House
- 1985: Margaret Carter became the first black woman elected to the House
- 1991: Gail Shibley became the first openly gay person to serve in the House
- 2013: Tina Kotek became the first openly gay person to serve as Speaker of the House.
- 2021: Mike Nearman became the first person to be expelled from the Legislature
- 2022: Janelle Bynum became the first Black person to receive votes for Speaker of the House.[5]
Officers
Speaker
Majority Leader
Minority Leader
Chief Clerk
"The Chief Clerk of the House is the administrative officer elected for a two-year term by the membership of the House of Representatives to be responsible for ensuring that the chamber's business and proceedings run smoothly. The Chief Clerk's Office is therefore responsible for a multiplicity of duties including the processing of the official business of the House, providing the proper setting for consideration and enactment of Oregon laws, maintaining the Rules of the House of Representatives, and advising presiding officers and other members on the proper interpretation of chamber rules and protocols.""Chief Clerk". OregonLegislature.gov.
The Office of the Chief Clerk also comprises a Deputy Chief Clerk, Journal Clerk, Measure History Clerk, Reading Clerk, and a Seargeant-at-Arms.
See also
- List of speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives
- Oregon State Capitol
- Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Oregon State Senate
Notes
References
- ^ Green, Ashbel S.; Lisa Grace Lednicer (January 17, 2006). "State high court strikes term limits". Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing. pp. A1.
- ^ Peterson, Danny; Balick, Lisa (January 7, 2021). "Kotek: GOP's Nearman let right-wing protesters into Capitol". KOIN. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Borrud, Hillary (January 7, 2021). "Oregon Rep. Mike Nearman let right-wing protesters into the Oregon Capitol last month". The Oregonian. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ VanderHart, Dirk (June 10, 2021). "Oregon House expels state Rep. Mike Nearman, plotter of Capitol incursion". www.opb.org. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
- ^ Radnovich, Connor (February 2, 2022). "First day of session: Call for empathy, then a public protest". Register-Guard.
External links
- Oregon House of Representatives
- Map of House Districts
- Lists of legislators and legislative staff going back to pre-statehood Oregon
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