Portland, Oregon voters passed a campaign finance measure to limit large political campaign contributions.

The amended charter limits independent expenditures to an aggregate of $5,000 per individual and an aggregate of $10,000 per political committee, provided contributions to the committee by individuals does not exceed $500 per individual per year.

The campaign limits are vulnerable to legal challenge. In 1997, the Oregon Supreme Court struck down statewide campaign finance limits as a violation of free speech protection outlined by the Oregon Constitution.

Prior to the passage of this measure, the City of Portland adopted a public finance system by City Council vote.

It provides matching funds to eligible candidates for mayor, city commissioner, and auditor with funding to begin in the 2019-2020 election.

On December 7, Portland City Council will consider the proposed Open and Accountable Elections package to create a public campaign finance matching system, increase penalties for willful violations of election laws, and improve contribution reporting requirements.

The ordinance would put the Office of Neighborhood Involvement in charge of enforcement. The proposal originally sought to place the task of enforcement on the Auditor’s Office, which administers elections; however, Auditor Mary Hull Caballero challenged the idea as a violation of the city’s charter.

Today the Portland City Council is scheduled to reconsider adopting new ethics reform measures to broaden the revolving door prohibition to two years and increase the penalties associated with repeated ethics violations.

The proposal would also close a loophole in registration requirements, requiring lobbying entities that spend more than $1,000 a quarter on lobbying activities to register.

The proposed ordinance is a compromise that is less restrictive than a similar ordinance that was introduced in April 2016.

Portland City Council passed an ordinance that will make relationships between city officials and political consultants more transparent. Under the ordinance, a political consultant has to register with the city within 15 days of providing consulting services to a city elected official.

Elected officials will also be required to file quarterly reports identifying any political consultants who provided services to the official.

The new rules go into effect September 1, 2016.

The City Council heard two proposed ethics reforms at yesterday’s council meeting. An ordinance introduced to require political consultants working with Portland politicians to meet certain reporting and registration requirements was passed by the council and will go to a second reading at next week’s meeting following some minor amendments.

The other ordinance introduced to broaden revolving door prohibitions and close a loophole in registration requirements was not viewed as favorably by the council. The council will reconsider this ordinance at the May 11, 2016 council meeting.

Photo of Portland by Eric Baetscher in Wikimedia Commons.

The Portland City Council will consider adopting new ethics reform measures to broaden the revolving door prohibition to two years, and increase the penalties associated with repeated ethics violations. The proposal would also close a loophole in registration requirements, requiring lobbying entities that spend more than $1,000 a quarter on lobbying activities to register.

A separate ordinance requiring political consultants working with Portland politicians to meet certain reporting and registration requirements will also be considered.

The new ordinances will be introduced at the council meeting on April 13, 2016.