Oregon Fines for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative (2022)
| Oregon Fines for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2022 | |
| Topic Government accountability | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Oregon Fines for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative (Initiative #15) was not on the ballot in Oregon as an initiated state statute on November 8, 2022.
The initiative proposed to fine legislators $500 and not receive their salary each day they are absent from legislative sessions without permission or excuse. It also proposed that the Legislative Administration Committee develop processes for determining whether legislators have permission to miss a legislative session. The measure was filed with a related measure, Exclusion from Re-election for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative.[1][2]
Text of measure
Ballot title
The certified ballot title for this measure would have been:[3]
| “ | Legislator absent without permission during legislative session must pay fine, forgo salary and other compensation
Result of 'No' Vote: 'No' vote retains existing law. Absent legislators may receive salary, per diem, some expense reimbursements; present legislators legally authorized to compel attendance of absent legislators.[4] |
” |
Ballot summary
The certified ballot summary for this measure would have been:[3]
| “ | Under current law, legislators receive an annual salary, per diem, and reimbursement for certain expenses. Legislators present at legislative floor sessions have legal authority to 'compel' presence of legislators absent without excuse or permission, but law does not specify consequences for unexcused absence. Under measure, legislators absent from legislative sessions without excuse or permission are held 'personally accountable' for the unexcused absence with a $500/day fine and no salary, per diem, or reimbursed expenses during the unexcused absence. Legislators cannot use political contributions to pay fines or to offset financial losses resulting from an unexcused absence. Money solicited or collected to pay such fines or cover losses is deemed a political contribution and cannot be used.[4] | ” |
Full text
The full text of the measure can be found here.
Path to the ballot
The state process
In Oregon, the number of signatures required to qualify an initiated state statute for the ballot is equal to 6 percent of the votes cast for governor in the most recent gubernatorial election. Signatures for Oregon initiatives must be submitted four months prior to the next regular general election. State law also requires paid signature gatherers to submit any signatures they gather every month.
Moreover, Oregon is one of several states that require a certain number of signatures to accompany an initiative petition application. The signatures of at least 1,000 electors are required to trigger a review by state officials, a period of public commentary, and the drafting of a ballot title. Prior to gathering these initial 1,000 signatures, petitioners must submit the text of the measure, a form disclosing their planned use of paid circulators, and a form designating up to three chief petitioners. The 1,000 preliminary signatures count toward the final total required.
The requirements to get an initiated state statute certified for the 2022 ballot:
- Signatures: 112,020 valid signatures were required.
- Deadline: The deadline to submit signatures was July 8, 2022.
In Oregon, signatures are verified using a random sample method. If a first round of signatures is submitted at least 165 days before an election and contains raw, unverified signatures at least equal to the minimum requirement, but verification shows that not enough of the submitted signatures are valid, additional signatures can be submitted prior to the final deadline.
Details about this initiative
- Andrea Kennedy-Smith and Reed Scott-Schwalbach filed this petition and Exclusion from Re-election for Legislative Absenteeism Initiative on December 21, 2020.[2]
- On May 6, 2021, the sponsors submitted 1,000 sponsorship signatures for verification.[2]
- The initiative did not make the ballot.[2]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Complete Text of Initiative 15," accessed December 21, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Oregon Secretary of State, "Detailed Information for Initiative 15," accessed December 21, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Oregon Secretary of State, "Attorney General letter," accessed July 9, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
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State of Oregon Salem (capital) |
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