The Oregon State Senate is the

upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.''Bicameralism'' (1997) by George Tsebelis The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restric ...

of the statewide legislature for the US 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 ...

. Along with the lower chamber

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 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of th ...

it makes up 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 ...

. There are 30 members of the state Senate, representing 30 districts across the state, each with a population of 127,700. The state Senate meets in the east wing of the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the Oregon Legislative Assembly, state legislature and the offices of the Governor of Oregon, governor, Oregon Secretary of State, secretary of state, and Oregon State Treasurer, treasurer of the ...

in Salem. Oregon state senators serve four-year terms without

term limit 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 ...

s. 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, 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

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

, the state Senate can confirm or reject

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of politica ...

appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies. The current

Senate president President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's succession for its top executive office: for ...

is Peter Courtney of Salem. Oregon, along with

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

, is one of the five U.S. states to not have the office of the

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, a position which for most

s of state legislatures and for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

(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 The Executive, also referred as the Executive branch or Executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state. In political systems ...

. 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

Kathryn Clarke was the first woman to serve in Oregon's Senate. Women became eligible to run for the Oregon state legislature in 1914 and later that year Clarke was appointed to fill a vacant seat in Douglas county by her cousin, governor

Oswald West Oswald West (May 20, 1873 – August 22, 1960) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. He was called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the m ...

. Following some controversy concerning whether West had the authority to appoint someone to fill the vacancy, Clarke campaigned and was elected by voters in 1915. She took office five years before Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution protected the right of all American women to vote. In 1982,

Mae Yih Mae Yih (born Chih Feng Dunn May 24, 1928) 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 Yih was born Chih Feng ...

became the first Chinese-American elected to a state senate in the United States.

Composition

{, class=wikitable style="text-align:center" , - style="vertical-align:bottom;" ! rowspan="3" , Affiliation ! colspan="4" , Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

! rowspan="3" , Total ! , - , - style="height:5px" , style="background-color:" , , style="background-color:" , , style="background-color:" , , style="background-color:" , , style="background: black" , , - ! Democratic ! Republican ! Ind. Rep. ! Ind. Party !Vacant , - ! style="font-size:80%" , End of 75th Assembly (2010) , , 18 , 12 , 0 , 0 !30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , 76th Assembly (2011–2012) , , 16 , 14 , 0 , 0 ! 30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , 77th Assembly (2013–2014) , , 16 , 14 , 0 , 0 ! 30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , 78th Assembly (2015–2016) , , 18 , 12 , 0 , 0 ! 30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , 79th Assembly (2017–2018) , , 17 , 13 , 0 , 0 ! 30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , 80th Assembly (2019–2021) , , 18 , 12 , 0 , 0 ! 30 , 0 , - , colspan=7 , , - ! style="font-size:80%" , Begin 81st (2021–present) , rowspan=3 , 18 , 12 , colspan=2, 0 ! rowspan=3, 30 , rowspan=3, 0 , - ! style="font-size:80%" , January 15, 2021 , 11 , 0 , rowspan=3, 1 , - ! style="font-size:80%" , April 2021 , rowspan=2, 10 , rowspan=2, 1 , - ! style="font-size:80%" , December 15, 2021{{efn, Democrat

Betsy Johnson Elizabeth Katharine Johnson (born January 12, 1951) is an American aviator, entrepreneur, and politician who served in the Oregon House of Representatives from the 1st and 31st House districts from 2001 to 2005, and in the Oregon Senate from ...

(District 16) resigned to focus on her run for governor. , {{party shading/Democratic , 17 ! 29 , 1 , - !Latest voting share ! {{party shading/Democratic , {{percentage, 17, 29, 1 !{{percentage, 10, 29, 1 !colspan=2 , {{percentage, 2, 29, 1 !colspan=2,

Redistricting

During the 2011 legislative session, the House and Senate passed Senate Bill 989, which implemented new legislative districts for the 2012 elections and beyond. State Senate Districts 2012

81st Senate

{{main, 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly The 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly, which holds its regular session from 2021 to 2023, has the following leadership: Senate President: Peter Courtney (D–11 Salem)
President Pro Tempore:

James Manning Jr. James Ivory Manning Jr. is an American politician currently serving in the Oregon State Senate. He represents the 7th district, which covers parts of Lane County, including Junction City and northern Eugene. After unsuccessfully running for a ...

(D–7 Eugene)
Majority Leader: Rob Wagner (D–19 Lake Oswego)
Minority Leader:

Fred Girod Fred Frank Girod (born 1951) is an American politician and dentist from Oregon. He is a member of the Oregon State Senate representing the 9th district, which covers the mid- Willamette Valley, and previously served as the Senate minority lea ...

(R-9 Stayton) until October 22, 2021;

Tim Knopp Tim Knopp is an American Republican politician from Oregon. He is a member of the Oregon State Senate and has been the senate minority leader since 2021. He previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 1999 to 2005. ...

(R-27 Bend) after {, class="wikitable sortable" ! District !! Senator !! Party !! Residence !! Assumed office , - , 1 , ,

Dallas Heard Dallas Heard (born 1985) is an American politician. He currently serves as a Republican member of the Oregon Senate. Heard had previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from District 2 from 2015 until 2018. Heard serv ...

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Roseburg , , 2018{{efn, name=appointeds, Senator was originally appointed. , - , 2 , ,

Art Robinson Arthur Brouhard Robinson (born March 24, 1942) is an American biochemist, conservative activist, and politician, serving as Oregon State Senator from the 2nd District since 2021. He was the five-time Republican nominee for the United States ...

, , {{Party shading/Independent Republican, Ind. Rep. , ,

Cave Junction Cave Junction is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 1,995. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves", and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redw ...

, , 2021 , - , 3 , ,

Jeff Golden Jeffrey Simon Golden (born April 24, 1950) is a political activist, radio personality, politician, and author from Southern Oregon. His commentary and political leaning are progressive. He is the producer and host of the regional PBS serieImmense ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Ashland , , 2019 , - , 4 , ,

Floyd Prozanski Floyd Prozanski (born 1954) is an American Democratic politician who is a current member of the Oregon State Senate, representing the 4th District, since 2004. He previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives, from 1995 through 2000 ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Eugene , , 2003 , - , 5 , , Dick Anderson , , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Coos Bay , , 2021 , - , 6 , ,

Lee Beyer Leslee Beyer (born June 4, 1948) is an American Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly for a decade, representing Springfield, until being appointed to the Oregon Pu ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Springfield , , 2011 , - , 7 , ,

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Eugene , , 2017{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 8 , , Sara Gelser Blouin , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Corvallis , , 2015 , - , 9 , ,

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Stayton , , 2008{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 10 , , Deb Patterson , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , rowspan="2", Salem , , 2021 , - , 11 , , Peter Courtney , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , 1999 , - , 12 , ,

Brian Boquist Brian James Boquist (born October 20, 1958) is an Independent, formerly Republican, politician from Oregon; he currently serves in the Oregon Senate representing District 12. Previously, he was in the Oregon House of Representatives, representi ...

, , {{Party shading/Independent (US), Ind. Party , ,

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, , 2009 , - , 13 , ,

Kim Thatcher Kim Thatcher (born 1964) is an American politician serving as member of the Oregon State Senate from the 13th district, which is currently assembled for the 81st legislative session. She previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Repr ...

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Keizer , , 2015 , - , 14 , ,

Kate Lieber Kate Lieber is an American politician, currently currently serving as Majority Leader of the Oregon State Senate. She represents Oregon's 14th Senate district, which includes the cities of Beaverton, Aloha, and portions of Washington and Mul ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Beaverton , , 2021 , - , 15 , ,

Janeen Sollman Janeen A. Sollman is an American politician serving as a member of the Oregon State Senate from the 15th district. She previously served as a member of the Oregon House of Representatives from 2017 to 2022. Career Sollman served on board of th ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Hillsboro , , 2022 , - , 16 , , Rachel Armitage , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Scappoose , , 2022 , - , 17 , ,

Elizabeth Steiner Hayward Elizabeth Steiner (born April 5, 1963) is a Democratic member of the Oregon Senate, representing the 17th District. Steiner was appointed to the Senate in 2011 by commissioners from Multnomah and Washington counties following the resignation o ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , rowspan="2", Portland , , 2012{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 18 , ,

Ginny Burdick Virginia Burdick (born December 3, 1947) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oregon, who served seven terms in the Oregon State Senate. She represented Tigard and Southwest Portland in Senate District 18.19 , , Rob Wagner , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Lake Oswego , , 2018{{efn, name=appointeds , - , rowspan="2", 20 , ,

Alan Olsen Alan Randal Olsen (born March 24, 1948) is an American Republican politician who served in the Oregon State Senate from 2011 until 2021, representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, including the cities of Barlow ...

{{efn, Olsen resigned on January 10, 2021.{{cite web, url=https://www.oregonlive.com/clackamascounty/2021/01/oregon-senator-from-clackamas-county-will-resign.html, title=Oregon senator from Clackamas County will resign, date=January 4, 2021, first= Jayati, last= Ramakrishnan, work=

OregonLive ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

, access-date=January 10, 2021 , , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Canby , , 2011 , - ,

Bill Kennemer Bill Kennemer (born 1946) is a clinical psychologist and Republican politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. He was currently serves in the Oregon State Senate representing Oregon's 20th Senate district in southeastern Clackamas County, incl ...

{{efn, Kennemer was appointed as Olsen's successor on February 1, 2021.{{cite news, url=https://pamplinmedia.com/en/30-news/496554-398384-commissioners-appoint-bill-kennemer-to-senate-district-20, title=Commissioners appoint Bill Kennemer to Senate District 20 , date=February 1, 2021, first=Emily, last=Lindstrand, publisher=

Pamplin Media Group The Pamplin Media Group (PMG) is a media conglomerate owned by Robert B. Pamplin, Jr. and operating primarily in the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of 2019, the company owns 25 newspapers and employs 200 people. H ...

, access-date=February 3, 2021 , , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Canby , , 2021{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 21 , , Kathleen Taylor , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , rowspan="4", Portland , , 2017 , - , 22 , ,

Lew Frederick Lew Frederick (born December 1951) is an American Democratic politician, currently representing District 22 in the Oregon Senate. Early life and education Born in Pullman, Washington, Frederick grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Atlanta, G ...

, , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , 2017 , - , 23 , , Michael Dembrow , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , 2013{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 24 , , Kayse Jama , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , 2021{{efn, name=appointeds , - , 25 , , Chris Gorsek , , {{Party shading/Democratic, Democratic , , Troutdale , , 2021 , - , 26 , ,

Chuck Thomsen Charles William Thomsen (born January 20, 1957) is an American Republican politician from the US state of Oregon. He currently serves in the Oregon Senate, representing District 26, which includes all of Hood River County and parts of eastern M ...

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Hood River , , 2010 , - , 27 , ,

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Bend , , 2013 , - , 28 , ,

Dennis Linthicum Dennis Linthicum is an American Republican politician currently serving in the Oregon Senate. Early Life Linthicum, originally from California, attended Biola University, a private, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. C ...

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , , Klamath Falls , , 2017 , - , 29 , ,

Bill Hansell Bill Hansell is an American Republican politician who is a current member of the Oregon Senate, representing the 29th District. When Oregon State Senator David Nelson, Senator Hansell's predecessor retired, he invited Hansell to run for his s ...

, , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , ,

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of v ...

, , 2013 , - , 30 , , Lynn Findley , , {{Party shading/Republican, Republican , ,

Vale A vale is a type of valley. Vale may also refer to: Places Georgia * Vale, Georgia, a town in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region Norway * Våle, a historic municipality Portugal * Vale (Santa Maria da Feira), a former civil parish in the municipa ...

, , 2020{{efn, name=appointeds

81st Senate Committee Assignments

Senators are each assigned to one or more committees.{{Cite web, title=Senate Committee Selection, url=https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/Committees/list/senate, website=OregonLegislature.gov Education * Senator Michael Dembrow – Chair * Senator Chuck Thomsen – Vice-Chair * Senator Sara Gelser Blouin * Senator Chris Gorsek * Senator Art Robinson Energy and Environment * Senator Kate Lieber – Chair * Senator Lynn Findley – Vice-Chair * Senator Michael Dembrow * Senator Akasha Lawrence Spence * Senator Art Robinson Finance and Revenue * Senator Lee Beyer – Chair * Senator Brian Boquist – Vice-Chair * Senator Rachel Armitage * Senator Lynn Findley * Senator Janeen Sollman Health Care * Senator Deb Patterson – Chair * Senator Bill Kennemer – Vice-Chair * Senator Lee Beyer * Senator Dennis Linthicum * Senator James Manning Jr. Housing and Development * Senator Kayse Jama – Chair * Senator Dick Anderson – Vice-Chair * Senator Fred Girod * Senator Jeff Golden * Senator Deb Patterson Human Services, Mental Health and Recovery * Senator Sara Gelser Blouin – Chair * Senator Art Robinson – Vice-Chair * Senator Bill Kennemer * Senator Kate Lieber * Senator Janeen Sollman Judiciary and Ballot Measure 110 Implementation * Senator Floyd Prozanski – Chair * Senator Kim Thatcher – Vice-Chair * Senator Michael Dembrow * Senator Sara Gelser Blouin * Senator Dallas Heard * Senator Dennis Linthicum * Senator James Manning Jr. Labor and Business * Senator Kathleen Taylor – Chair * Senator Tim Knopp – Vice-Chair * Senator Bill Hansell * Senator Kayse Jama * Senator Kate Lieber Natural Resources and Wildfire Recovery * Senator Jeff Golden – Chair * Senator Bill Kennemer – Vice-Chair * Senator Dallas Heard * Senator Deb Patterson * Senator Floyd Prozanski Rules * Senator Rob Wagner – Chair * Senator Tim Knopp – Vice-Chair * Senator Fred Girod * Senator James Manning Jr. * Senator Kathleen Taylor Veterans and Emergency Preparedness * Senator James Manning Jr. - Chair * Senator Chuck Thomsen – Vice-Chair * Senator Rachel Armitage * Senator Dennis Linthicum * Senator Deb Patterson Conduct * Senator Floyd Prozanski – Co-Chair * Senator Chuck Thomsen – Co-Chair * Senator Bill Hansell * Senator Kathleen Taylor * Senator Dick Anderson – Alternate * Senator Lynn Findley – Alternate * Senator Lew Frederick – Alternate * Senator Fred Girod – Alternate * Senator Kate Lieber – Alternate

Past composition of the Senate

{{main, Political party strength in Oregon

Notes

{{notelist

References

{{reflist

External links

Oregon state Senate

Map of state Senate Districts

Oregon Senate Democrats homepage
{{Current Oregon State Senators {{United States legislatures {{Authority control

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

State upper houses in the United States 1859 establishments in Oregon