The Oregon Government Ethics Commission, formerly known as the Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission, is a nine-member government body in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

responsible for enforcing the state's

government ethics Ethics in the public sector is a broad topic that is usually considered a branch of political ethics. In the public sector, ethics addresses the fundamental premise of a public administrator's duty as a "steward" to the public. In other words, it is ...

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agency, regulatory agencie ...

, and executive session laws. The commission reviews possible violations and is empowered to make legal determinations and issue advisory opinions. Eight members of the commission are appointed by the

governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

upon recommendation of the Democratic and

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

leadership in both chambers of the

Oregon Legislature 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 ...

, while one member is appointed directly by the governor at his or her discretion. All nine members are confirmed through a vote in the Senate. The commissioners, in turn, appoint an executive director to administer the commission and appoint a limited staff. The commission was established in 1974 by a statewide referendum. Its purview is set by state statute. Its name was changed from Oregon Government Standards and Practices Commission to Oregon Government Ethics Commission in July 2007, by the Oregon Legislature.

Notable cases

* The commission leveled 1,433 ethics charges at Superintendent

Stan Bunn Stan Bunn (born June 25, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer in the U.S. state of Oregon. Born and raised in Yamhill County, he is part of a political family that includes his brother Jim Bunn who served in Congress. A self-described moder ...

in 2002, most of them for misuse of state telephones for personal use. After losing reelection that year, Bunn settled a lawsuit in Marion County court related to the ethics charges for $25,000. * The commission began an investigation into whether First Lady

Cylvia Hayes Cylvia Lynne Hayes (''née'' Johnson, born August 10, 1967) is an American consultant who was the ''de facto'' First Lady of Oregon as the fiancée of former Governor John Kitzhaber. Hayes was an unsuccessful candidate for the Oregon House of Re ...

improperly used her office for personal gain while working both as a private consultant and an adviser to her fiancé, Governor

John Kitzhaber John Albert Kitzhaber (born March 5, 1947) is an American former politician who served as the 35th governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003, and as the 37th governor of Oregon from 2011 until his resignation in 2015. A member of the Democratic Party ...

, in 2014. The commission put its investigation on hold in February 2015 after Attorney General

Ellen Rosenblum Ellen F. Rosenblum (born January 6, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the Oregon Attorney General since 2012. She is the first female state attorney general in Oregon's history, and previously was a judge on the Oregon ...

announced a criminal probe into Hayes's and Kitzhaber's activities.

External links

''Oregon Government Ethics Commission'' official website

References

1974 establishments in Oregon Government Ethics Commission, Oregon Ethics organizations {{Oregon-gov-stub