The City of Portland’s Open and Accountable Elections Program has voted and accepted new administrative rules for candidates participating in the program.

The new rules change the name of the program to the Small Donor Elections Program.

The new guidelines clarify candidate reporting requirements and address any sections of the program left to the Portland Elections Commission in the code.

The commission set the limit on seed donations to $500 per entity.

Seed money contributions are allowed to be made by any legal entity, including corporations.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced she will be calling the Legislature into a special session on December 13 to address eviction protections for renters.

The state’s federal funds for rental assistance will be nearly spent by December 1, right before the country enters the winter season.

Brown wishes to extend eviction protections for renters, ensure landlords are paid for rent owed, raise $90 million additional funds for immediate rental assistance, and raise $100 million to create a long-term emergency rental assistance service controlled by the state.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has announced she is in talks with legislative leaders and housing advocates to construct a plan to increase funds in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

The federal funds allocated to Oregon to assist renters and owners have been almost exhausted, which will force the Oregon Emergency Rental Assistance Program to stop accepting applications on December 1.

Gov. Brown declared she will call a special session to draft a proposal to combat the looming evictions when the federal assistance is fully expended.

There is not a firm date announced for the special session.

State Representative Brian Clem has announced he will leave the Oregon Legislature before the end of his term.

Clem, a Democrat from House District 21, stated he will vacate his seat to take care of his ailing mother, who is currently combating Alzheimer’s.

An interim state representative will be voted on by Marion County commissioners from a list of three to five candidates prepared by precinct Democrats.

While no specific date has been set, Clem said his replacement should be chosen before the 2022 legislative session.

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission has announced hearings for proposed Oregon Administrative Rule changes to take place on October 18.

The changes seek to clarify various definitions, edit internal references, and update rule language to conform to electronic filing requirements.

Changes will update the process of registration in light of electronic filing; clarify lobbyist registration is not complete until electronically confirmed by the client; and reflect the statutory requirements for lobbyist termination and re-registration.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced she is calling a special legislative session to adopt the new congressional and legislative district maps.

The session will commence September 20, leaving the Legislature seven days to finalize the maps before the September 27 deadline.

Lawmakers have an arduous task during this special session as Oregon added an additional congressional district as a result of the 2020 census.

Judge Bloch of Multnomah, Oregon County Circuit Court ruled contribution limits do not violate free speech and are constitutional.

The ruling allows for a $500 limit on individual campaign donations.

This limit was put into place by voters in 2016, along with spending limits and disclosure requirements for contributions in political ads.

Oregon is one of the five states that do not have limits on political contributions.

State courts historically invalidated contribution limits, but an April Oregon Supreme Court decision reversing a ruling barring limits have heralded new conversations within the state.

Gov. Kate Brown announced Monday she is accepting applications to fill a seat on the Oregon Supreme Court.

Justice Lynn Nakamoto is set to retire December 31 and the new appointee will fill the vacancy on January 1, 2022.

Oregon State Rep. Gary Leif passed away this Thursday, having served as the representative of House District 2 since 2018.

Before being appointed, he was elected as the Douglas County commissioner in 2016.

Commissioners from Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties will select a replacement from a list of nominees gathered by the Oregon Republican Party.

The Oregon Legislature adjourned sine die June 26 after passing a flurry of bills in the twilight hours of the 2021 legislative session.

The Democratic-led Legislature passed sweeping police reform, a state budget focused on economic recovery, and bills focusing on the housing and homeless crisis occurring within the state.

The Oregon House voted to expel Rep. Mike Nearman after he allowed demonstrators, some who were armed, into the Capitol on December 21, 2020, while the House was in a special session.

The District 23 seat will most likely remain vacant for the remainder of the legislative session.

The city of Portland adopted new and amended Auditor Administrative Rules (ARAs) following a public comment period.

The administrative rule changes are a result of previous litigation and court cases; a need for updating certain dollar amounts to comply with the City Charter’s inflation updates; and from a year of experience implementing the relatively new regulations.

The changes add guidance for social media communications and provide guidance on when and what information may be required in political campaign disclosures.

A lawmaker facing expulsion from the state House of Representatives after women accused him of harassment is resigning.

Rep. Diego Hernandez is stepping down to allow his colleagues to focus on serving Oregonians and to move forward with his life and focus on his health and family.

The entire House was scheduled to vote as soon as Tuesday on whether to expel Hernandez.

This came after a panel of lawmakers determined he created a hostile work environment for three women.

It would have taken a two-thirds vote or 40 members of the House to expel him.

Earlier this month the conduct committee of the House had voted in favor of expelling Hernandez.

The Oregon Legislature gathered in person for a one day special session on Monday.

During the session, lawmakers passed four bills including $800 million in relief for those struggling due to the pandemic and the aftermath of the historic summer wildfires.

Gov. Kate Brown called for the special session last week.

Lawmakers also passed:

• An eviction moratorium including $200 million in relief for landlords and tenants
• A restaurant relief package with a provision legalizing cocktails to-go
• A bill protecting schools from some coronavirus related lawsuits
• A measure transferring $600 million into the state’s emergency fund for COVID-19 and wildfire response and recovery.

The special session got off to a chaotic start with far-right protesters storming the statehouse calling on lawmakers and the governor to reopen the state economy and end the restrictions aimed at curbing the coronavirus.

The Oregon State Police declared an unlawful assembly as a growing number of protesters pushed their way through the Capitol doors.

Police officers donned gas masks as they squared off with protesters, some of whom carried firearms and bear spray, and many of whom were not wearing masks.

Despite the hectic backdrop, lawmakers were able to finish the special session.