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EspañolOREGON STATE SENATE
The Oregon State Senate chamber in the State Capitol.
The 'Oregon State Senate' is the upper house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state, each with a population of 114,000. The State Senate meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
Oregon State Senators serve four year terms without term limits. In 2002, the Oregon Supreme Court struck down the decade-old law, Oregon Ballot Measure 3 (1992), that had restricted State Senators to two terms (eight years) on procedural grounds.[1]
Like certain other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the State Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies.
The current Senate President is Peter Courtney of Salem.[2]
Oregon, along with Arizona, Maine, and Wyoming, is one of the four U.S. states to have abolished the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, a position which for most upper houses of state legislatures and indeed for the U.S. Congress (with the Vice President) is the head of the legislative body. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the Oregonian executive branch.
| Contents |
| Make-up of the State Senate |
| Latest elections |
| Senators of the 2007 Legislative Session |
| See also |
| References |
| External links |
Make-up of the State Senate
| Party affiliation | Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party of Oregon | 18 | |
| Oregon Republican Party | 11 | |
| Independent | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | |
| Government majority | 8 | |
Latest elections
Main articles: Oregon statewide elections, 2006#State Legislature
The latest elections for the Oregon State Senate occurred on November 7, 2006. 15 of the Senate's 30 seats were open for election. The Democratic Party retained their majority, with no loss or gain of seats for any party.
Senator Ben Westlund, whose seat was not up for election in 2006, announced his party change from Indepentent to the Democratic Party shortly after the election. His switch resulted in an 19-11 majority for the Democrats in the 2007 legislative session, with Senator Avel Gordly the only remaining Independent Senator. Gordly, a Democrat until 2006, continues to caucus with her former party.
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/gain | Share of vote (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 370,977 | 11 | 0 | 57.4 | |
| Republican | 264,564 | 4 | 0 | 40.9 | |
| Libertarian Party of Oregon | 2,663 | 0 | 0 | .41 | |
| Independent | 2,653 | 0 | 0 | .41 | |
| Constitution Party of Oregon | 2,562 | 0 | 0 | .39 | |
| Write In/Others | 2,153 | 0 | 0 | .33 | |
| Total | 645,572 | 15 | 0 | 100.0% | |
Senators of the 2007 Legislative Session
'Senate President': Peter Courtney (D-11 Salem)
'President Pro Tem': Margaret Carter (D-22 Portland)
'Majority Leader': Kate Brown (D-21 Portland)
'Minority Leader': Ted Ferrioli (R-30 John Day)
title="State Senate districts"
title="Portland Senate districts"
title="Willamette valley Senate districts"
See also
★ Oregon State Capitol
★ Oregon Legislative Assembly
★ Oregon House of Representatives
References
1. State high court strikes term limits Ashbel S. Green
2. http://bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections33.htm
External links
★ Oregon State Senate
★ Map of State Senate Districts
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