Gov. Tina Koteck announced she is calling a special session so lawmakers may meet to appropriate funds regarding the 2024 wildfire season.

Almost two million acres of land were burned during the state’s wildfire season with costs estimated to be upwards of $350 million.

Gov. Koteck is requesting the Legislature consider voting to release $218 million to the Oregon Department of Forestry.

The special session will begin on December 12.

The legislature adjourned sine die on March 7.

Lawmakers passed a campaign finance reform bill which creates state campaign contribution limits and authorizes local governments to establish lower limits for local elections.

House Bill 4024 also requires the disclosure of certain information on political advertising and requires specific persons to report the original sources of funds used to pay candidate campaign independent expenditures.

The contribution limits will become operative on January 1, 2027 and the enhanced campaign contribution and independent expenditure reporting requirements will become operative on January 1, 2028.

If signed by the governor, the bill is effective June 6.

State business and labor groups have been working on legislation to limit campaign contributions in state races.

Oregon is one of just five states with no limits on political contributions.

These negotiations come as a proposal, known as Initiative Petition 9, has a chance of qualifying for the November ballot.

The petition would impose additional campaign finance disclosures and strict contribution limits for individuals, political parties, and interest groups.

The Oregon Elections Division announced a new multi-year initiative to promote the state’s campaign finance laws.

The compliance program has been named CLEAR and will be implemented in three phases.

Oregon is currently working on a website overhaul of Oregonvotes.com to make it easier for the public to locate campaign finance information and gain access to the online filing system ORESTAR.

The Election Division is working on publishing an online database of campaign finance violations and penalties expected to launch in late August.

New training videos and compliance documentation will be available to assist campaigns in staying complaint with the law.

Oregon’s Secretary of State Shemia Fagan announced her resignation on May 3, after reports revealed Fagan has been working a side job as a consultant for a failing marijuana dispensary chain.

The Office of the Secretary of State is currently undergoing a statewide audit of the marijuana industry.

Deputy Secretary of State, Cheryl Myers, will step in as acting secretary next Monday.

Gov. Kate Brown will then appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the current term, which expires at the end of 2024.

Oregon’s Elections Director, Deborah Scroggins, announced her resignation to be effective January 20 after being hired just 18 months ago.

Scroggins noted in her resignation letter that mis- and disinformation made the work of administering elections extremely challenging.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is responsible for filling the position.

Molly Woon will be interim elections director until a permanent replacement can be found.

A commission created to review the current government structure in Portland, Oregon has voted to put a comprehensive governmental restructuring proposition on the ballot this November.

Voters will get to decide on expanding the number of City Council members to 12, implement ranked-choice voting for council members, and hire a professional city administrator.

These changes come on the heels of mass-dissatisfaction among the Portland residents.

Increases in crime, homelessness, and housing costs have all been blamed for the amplified scrutiny of the current government.

Oregon’s campaign finance system web provider, Opus Interactive, is asking all users to change passwords following a ransomware attack Sunday night.

Hackers infiltrated Opus Interactive, granting them access to a C&E Systems database.

C&E Systems handles campaign finance compliance and is used by Oregon candidates, treasurers, political parties, and committees.

The attackers encrypted the database, which included login credentials to ORESTAR.

Only about 6% of C&E Systems users were affected by the hack, but all users are recommended to change passwords.

No sensitive data was accessed, but data was blocked from being accessed by the Opus Interactive team.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan is currently working with cyber security experts to remedy the situation.

The Oregon Legislative Assembly adjourned sine die March 4, after voting on 60 bills on their last day in session.

Highlights from the short session include access for low-income Oregonians to air conditioners, financial aid for low-income families, and mandated overtime payments to farmworkers.

The session was affected by the Great Resignation, with 20 lawmakers retiring or moving to different positions within the government.

Honest Elections Oregon has hit an administrative roadblock in their crusade to bring campaign contribution limits to the state.

Oregon, one of five states without campaign contribution limits, has seen municipalities take matters into their own hands.

Honest Elections Oregon ran successful campaigns in Portland and Multnomah County, establishing campaign finance limits and is now seeking a bigger prize, statewide limits.

However, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan has rejected the proposed ballot initiatives because the initiatives did not include the full text of the Oregon Laws the proposed initiatives would change.

If rejected, Honest Elections Oregon will need to start the ballot initiative process over again.

The process, including regathering 112,020 signatures, would need to be completed before July 8.

Jason Kafoury, one of the organizers of Honest Election Oregon, has stated the rejection would be the death knell for the proposition.

Gov. Kate Brown has tapped Appeals Court Justice Roger Dehoog to the Oregon Supreme Court.

Dehoog is replacing retiring Justice Lynn Nakamoto after six years on the state’s highest court.

Brown appointed Judge Ramon Pagan to replace Dehoog and has also appointed Kristina Hellman and Anna Joyce to the Court of Appeals, covering retirements.

The appointments take effect immediately, but all appointees will have to run in this year’s election to remain in their positions.

The Oregon House Democratic Caucus nominated Rep. Dan Rayfield as speaker, replacing Rep. Tina Kotek.

House Democrats have also elected Rep. Julie Fahey as majority leader to replace Rep. Barbara Smith Warner.

These changes within the party stem from a mix of resignations to run for higher office and new focus on policies regarding housing.

Advocacy groups have filed three ballot measure proposals with the Office of Oregon Secretary of State, focusing on limiting campaign contributions and increasing donor disclosure requirements.

For the proposals to be placed on the 2022 ballot, each proposal would need to gather 112,020 signatures by July 8, four months before the general election.

Speaker of the House Tina Kotek announced she will resign from the Oregon Legislature January 21 to focus on her campaign for governor.

Kotek’s resignation allows her to avoid a House rule prohibiting representatives from fundraising during any legislative session.

The state Elections Division found a potential rival, Nicolas Kristof, is not eligible to run for governor.

Kristof, originally from Oregon, worked at the New York Times from 1984 to October 2021, when he returned to Oregon to start his campaign.

Secretary of State Shemia Fagan explained the Elections Division found Kristof’s tax payments, residency, and voting records were from New York for the past 20 years, with zero evidence of Kristof voting in an Oregon election during the same time frame.