Oregon State Senate
Encyclopedia
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house
of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state
of Oregon
. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives
it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly
. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state, each with a population of 114,000. The State Senate meets at the Oregon State Capitol
in Salem
.
Oregon State Senators serve four year terms without term limit
s. In 2002, the Oregon Supreme Court
struck down the decade-old Oregon Ballot Measure 3, that had restricted State Senators to two terms (eight years) on procedural grounds.
Like certain other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the State Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial
appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies.
The current Senate President
is Peter Courtney
of Salem.
Oregon, along with Arizona
, Maine
, and Wyoming
, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor
, a position which for most upper house
s of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress
(with the Vice President
) is the head of the legislative body and holder of the casting vote in the event of a tie. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the state executive branch. If the chamber is tied, legislators must devise their own methods of resolving the impasse. In 2002, for example, Oregon's state senators entered into a power sharing contract whereby Democratic senators nominated the Senate President while Republican senators chaired key committees.
) was controversially appointed, and then swiftly elected, to the Oregon State Senate in 1915.
In 1982, Mae Yih
became the first Chinese American
elected to a state senate in the United States.
The 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly
, which holds its regular session from 2011 to 2013, has the following leadership:
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
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 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state, each with a population of 114,000. The State Senate meets at the Oregon State Capitol
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
.
Oregon State Senators serve four year terms without term limit
Term limit
A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method to curb the potential for monopoly, where a leader effectively becomes "president for...
s. In 2002, the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
struck down the decade-old Oregon Ballot Measure 3, that had restricted State Senators to two terms (eight years) on procedural grounds.
Like certain other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the State Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies.
The current Senate President
President of the Senate
The President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate, and is the speaker of other assemblies.The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for example, the President of the Senate of Nigeria is second in line...
is Peter Courtney
Peter Courtney
Peter Courtney is a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing the 11th District since 1998. He is currently President of the Senate, serving since 2003...
of Salem.
Oregon, along with Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor
Lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...
, a position which for most upper house
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
s of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
(with the Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
) is the head of the legislative body and holder of the casting vote in the event of a tie. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the state executive branch. If the chamber is tied, legislators must devise their own methods of resolving the impasse. In 2002, for example, Oregon's state senators entered into a power sharing contract whereby Democratic senators nominated the Senate President while Republican senators chaired key committees.
Milestones
After women became eligible to run for the state legislature in 1914, Kathryn Clarke (cousin of Oswald WestOswald West
Oswald West was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. Called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the most brilliant governor Oregon ever had."- Early life and career :West was born in Ontario, Canada...
) was controversially appointed, and then swiftly elected, to the Oregon State Senate in 1915.
In 1982, Mae Yih
Mae Yih
Mae Yih , is a former member of both houses of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oregon. She is the first Chinese American to serve in a state senate in the United States.- Early life :...
became the first Chinese American
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
elected to a state senate in the United States.
Composition
| Affiliation | Party | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Democratic Party of Oregon The Democratic Party of Oregon, based in Portland, is the official Oregon affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. It is recognized by the state of Oregon as a major political party, along with the Oregon Republican Party... |
Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature | 18 | 12 | 30 | 0 |
| Begin | 16 | 14 | 30 | 0 |
| November 11, 2011 | 15 | 29 | 1 | |
| Latest voting share | 51.7% | 48.3% | ||
76th Senate
76th Oregon Legislative Assembly
The 76th Oregon Legislative Assembly convened beginning on , for its regular session. All of the 60 seats in the House of Representatives and 16 of the 30 seats in the State Senate were up for election in 2010; the general election for those seats took place on .In 2010, Oregon voters passed Ballot...
, which holds its regular session from 2011 to 2013, has the following leadership:
- President of the Senate: Peter CourtneyPeter CourtneyPeter Courtney is a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing the 11th District since 1998. He is currently President of the Senate, serving since 2003...
(D-11 Salem) - President Pro Tem: Ginny BurdickGinny BurdickVirginia "Ginny" Burdick is a Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon, serving her third term in the Oregon State Senate. She represents Tigard, King City and Southwest Portland in Senate District 18....
(D-18 Portland) - Majority Leader: Diane RosenbaumDiane RosenbaumDiane M. Rosenbaum is an American politician in the US state of Oregon and the current Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate. She was a Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 42 from 1998 to 2009. She served as Speaker Pro Tempore...
(D-21 Portland) - Minority Leader: Ted FerrioliTed FerrioliTed Ferrioli is an American politician, currently serving as an Oregon state senator. He represents Senate District 30, which encompasses Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Malheur, Sherman, Wasco, Wheeler, and portions of Clackamas, Deschutes, and Marion counties...
(R-30 John Day)
See also
- List of Presidents of the Oregon State Senate
- 75th Oregon Legislative Assembly (2009 and 2010 sessions)
- 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly (2007 and 2008 sessions)
- Oregon Senate elections, 2008Oregon Senate elections, 2008Elections for the Oregon Legislative Assembly took place in 2008. The Republican and Democratic primary elections were on May 20, 2008, and the general election was held on November 4, 2008...