The Department of State Lands (DSL), one of the oldest agencies of
government of the
U.S. state of
Oregon, is principally responsible for the
management of lands under state ownership, as its name implies. Unlike most other department-level state agencies, it is not headed by a sole elected official, but is the administrative arm of the Oregon State Land Board. Although established by the
Constitution, subsequent statutes have added to its duties and authority, and include some provisions relating to its conduct. In addition to managing state-owned lands, the Board through the Department is responsible for the
Common School Fund, off-shore lands and coastal
estuarine
An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...
tidelands, submerged and submersible lands of the
navigable waterways, unclaimed property,
estates with no heirs, and additional functions assigned by the
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 Ho ...
from time to time. The Board decides cases, adopts rules, issues policy statements, and approves DSL recommendations.
History
The State Land Board was established in 1859 as the "Board of Commissioners for the sale of school, and
University lands, and for the investment of the funds arising therefrom." It has been composed of the same three constitutional officers from its inception. Upon Oregon's
admission to the union, the federal government ceded to the state two sections of each
township to generate revenues for a Common School Fund, a trust fund for support and maintenance of
public schools
Public school may refer to:
*State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
*Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...
. 500,000 acres (2,000 kmĀ²) had previously been allowed to Oregon by an 1841 act of
Congress, and 5% of all proceeds from the sale of federal land. The Board was established to manage these and other assets accruing to the Fund.
In 1968, The State Land Board went before the U.S. Supreme Court to defend
escheating an inheritance because the heirs lived in East Germany which would not reciprocate and provide an inheritance to American heirs if the situation were reversed. In ''
Zschernig v. Miller
''Zschernig v. Miller'', 389 U.S. 429 (1968), was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States invalidated an Oregon statute for unconstitutionally intruding into the federal realm of foreign affairs even though the statute did not confl ...
'', the court found the law unconstitutional because of "intrusion by the State into the field of foreign affairs which the Constitution entrusts to the President and the Congress."
Organization
State Land Board
The State Land Board, composed of the
Governor,
Secretary of State, and
Treasurer, has ultimate constitutional and statutory responsibility for the matters within the purview of the Department. It sets the policies, decides cases and adopts rules, and DSL recommendations are subject to Board approval.
Director
The Department of Public Lands' chief administrator is a Director appointed by the State Land Board. The Director manages the day-to-day affairs of the agency and serves at the will of the Board. The current director is Vicki Walker, who was appointed under the administration of Governor
Kate Brown in 2018.
Divisions
*Policy and Planning
*Field Operations
*Finance and Administration
Further reading
*
References
External links
Official Website
{{Authority control
1859 establishments in Oregon
Lands
Politics of Oregon
Land use in Oregon