The Oregon House of Representatives is the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of 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 ...

. 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 A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

. In 2002, the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) 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.Oregon Ballot Measure 3 (1992) Term limits legislation – term limits for state and federal office-holders – has been a recurring political issue in the U.S. state of Oregon since 1992. In that year's general election, Oregon voters approved Ballot Measure 3, an initiative t ...

, that had restricted State Representatives to three terms (six years) on procedural grounds. In the current legislative session, Democrat

Dan Rayfield Dan A. Rayfield (born March 1, 1979) is an American politician serving as the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives representing the 16th district, which includes Corvallis and Philomath. Early life and education Rayfield was born in ...

of Corvallis currently serves as Speaker since February 1, 2022 after

Tina Kotek Tina Kotek (born September 30, 1966) is an American politician and the governor-elect of Oregon. Kotek served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2013 to 2022. She was the first openly lesbian person to serve as a speaker of ...

stepped down.

Milestones

* 1914:

Marian B. Towne Marian B. Towne (December 6, 1880 – February 16, 196was an American politician of the Democratic Party who was the first woman to serve in the Oregon House of Representatives. She was elected to that office in 1914, serving until 1917. Towne was ...

became the first woman elected to the Oregon House * 1972:

Bill McCoy William McCoy or MacCoy may refer to: *W. F. McCoy (1886–1976), Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons *William McCoy (bootlegger) (1877–1948), American rum-runner during Prohibition *William McCoy (congressman) (died 1864), American ...

became the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to serve in the House * 1985:

Margaret Carter Margaret Louise Carter (née Hunter; December 29, 1935) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Oregon Legislative Assembly from 1985 to 1999 and 2001 to 2009 and was the first black woman elected to the state's legislature ...

became the first black woman elected to the House * 1991:

Gail Shibley Gail R. Shibley (born c. 1958) is an American politician who was the first openly gay person to serve in the Oregon State Legislature. She was appointed to the Oregon House of Representatives in January 1991, to fill a vacancy caused by Phil K ...

became the first openly gay person to serve in the House * 2013:

became the first openly gay person to serve as Speaker of the House. * 2021:

Mike Nearman Michael J. Nearman (born 1963 or 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from the 23rd district from 2015 until 2021, when he was expelled from the house for his role in allowing people to t ...

became the first person to be expelled from the Legislature * 2022:

Janelle Bynum Janelle S. Bynum (born 1974/75) is an American Democratic politician currently serving in the Oregon House of Representatives. She represents the 51st district, which covers southern Multnomah County and northern Clackamas County, including the ...

became the first Black person to receive votes for Speaker of the House.

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

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 The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of Oregon on February 28, 2020. On that day, Governor Kate Brown created a coronavirus response team; on March 8 she declared a state of emergency; and on March 23 she issued a s ...

. This was the first time a member of the legislature has been expelled in the state's history.

81st House

81st House Committee Assignments

Agriculture, Land Use, and Water * Representative Ken Helm - Chair * Representative Susan McLain - Vice-Chair * Representative Mark Owens - Vice-Chair * Representative Jami Cate * Representative Pam Marsh * Representative Jeff Reardon * Representative Anna Scharf * Representative David Brock Smith * Representative Marty Wilde * Representative Anna Williams * Representative Brad Witt Behavioral Health * Representative Rob Nosse - Chair * Representative Raquel Moore-Green - Vice-Chair * Representative Lisa Reynolds - Vice-Chair * Representative Christine Goodwin * Representative Chris Hoy * Representative John Lively * Representative Lily Morgan * Representative Travis Nelson * Representative Nathan Sosa * Representative Brad Witt * Representative Boomer Wright Business and Labor * Representative Paul Holvey - Chair * Representative Daniel Bonham - Vice-Chair * Representative Dacia Grayber - Vice-Chair * Representative Shelly Boshart Davis * Representative Janelle Bynum * Representative Jami Cate * Representative Paul Evans * Representative Jessica George * Representative Andrea Salinas * Representative Barbara Smith Warner * Representative Brad Witt Early Childhood * Representative Karin Power - Chair * Representative Lisa Reynolds - Vice-Chair * Representative Jack Zika - Vice-Chair * Representative John Lively * Representative Courtney Neron * Representative Sheri Schouten * Representative Suzanne Weber * Representative Boomer Wright Economic Recovery and Prosperity * Representative John Lively - Chair * Representative Jami Cate - Vice-Chair * Representative Jason Kropf - Vice-Chair * Representative Daniel Bonham * Representative Zach Hudson * Representative Bobby Levy * Representative Rachel Prusak * Representative Ricki Ruiz * Representative Kim Wallan * Representative Brad Witt Education * Representative Teresa Alonso Leon - Chair * Representative Courtney Neron - Vice-Chair * Representative Suzanne Weber - Vice-Chair * Representative Jessica George * Representative Zach Hudson * Representative Mark Owens * Representative Jeff Reardon * Representative Ricki Ruiz * Representative Barbara Smith Warner * Representative Boomer Wright Environment and Natural Resources * Representative Pam Marsh - Chair * Representative Zach Hudson - Vice-Chair * Representative David Brock Smith - Vice-Chair * Representative Christine Goodwin * Representative Ken Helm * Representative Raquel Moore-Green * Representative Mark Owens * Representative Khanh Pham * Representative Andrea Valderrama * Representative Marty Wilde Health Care * Representative Rachel Prusak - Chair * Representative Cedric Hayden - Vice-Chair * Representative Andrea Salinas - Vice-Chair * Representative Teresa Alonso Leon * Representative Wlnsvey Campos * Representative Maxine Dexter * Representative Raquel Moore-Green * Representative Ron Noble * Representative Sheri Schouten * Representative Suzanne Weber Housing * Representative Julie Fahey - Chair * Representative Wlnsvey Campos - Vice-Chair * Representative Lily Morgan - Vice-Chair * Representative Chris Hoy * Representative Pam Marsh * Representative Mark Meek * Representative Courtney Neron * Representative Andrea Valderrama * Representative Suzanne Weber * Representative Jack Zika Human Services * Representative Anna Williams - Chair * Representative Ricki Ruiz - Vice-Chair * Representative Anna Scharf - Vice-Chair * Representative Travis Nelson * Representative Ron Noble * Representative Mark Owens * Representative Sheri Schouten Judiciary * Representative Janelle Bynum - Chair * Representative Ron Noble - Vice-Chair * Representative Karin Power - Vice-Chair * Representative Maxine Dexter * Representative Ken Helm * Representative Jason Kropf * Representative Rick Lewis * Representative Lily Morgan * Representative Kim Wallan * Representative Marty Wilde Revenue * Representative Nancy Nathanson - Chair * Representative Khanh Pham - Vice-Chair * Representative E. Werner Reschke - Vice-Chair * Representative Bobby Levy * Representative Pam Marsh * Representative Greg Smith * Representative Andrea Valderrama Rules * Representative Barbara Smith Warner - Chair * Representative Vikki Breese-Iverson - Vice-Chair * Representative Julie Fahey - Vice-Chair * Representative Paul Holvey * Representative Andrea Valderrama * Representative Kim Wallan * Representative Jack Zika Veterans and Emergency Management * Representative Dacia Grayber - Chair * Representative Rick Lewis - Vice-Chair * Representative Mark Meek - Vice-Chair * Representative Paul Evans * Representative Jessica George * Representative Boomer Wright COVID-19 Response * Representative Maxine Dexter - Chair * Representative Cedric Hayden - Vice-Chair * Representative Rachel Prusak - Vice-Chair * Representative Wlnsvey Campos * Representative Raquel Moore-Green * Representative Lisa Reynolds * Representative Duane Stark Wildfire Recovery * Representative Paul Evans - Chair * Representative Rick Lewis - Vice-Chair * Representative Pam Marsh - Vice-Chair * Representative Jami Cate * Representative David Gomberg * Representative Dacia Grayber * Representative Mark Meek * Representative Lily Morgan

Past composition of the House of Representatives

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." The Office of the Chief Clerk also comprises a Deputy Chief Clerk, Journal Clerk, Measure History Clerk, Reading Clerk, and a Seargeant-at-Arms.

Notes

References

External links

Oregon House of RepresentativesMap of House DistrictsLists of legislators and legislative staff
going back to pre-statehood Oregon {{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon House Of Representatives State lower houses in the United States

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

1859 establishments in Oregon