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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2850
Sponsored by Representative EVANS (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act requires each member of the legislature to file a form with the OGEC. The Act
requires that the form contain the name and salary of each of the member’s relatives or members
of the household who serve on the member’s personal staff. (Flesch Readability Score: 65.2).
Requires a member of the Legislative Assembly who has a relative or a member of the household
who receives a salary for serving on the member’s personal legislative staff to file a statement with
the Oregon Government Ethics Commission naming each relative or member of the household and
stating the amount of the salary each relative or member of the household receives for serving on
the member’s personal legislative staff.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to nepotism laws for members of the Legislative Assembly; creating new provisions; and
amending ORS 244.177 and 244.179.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. Section 2 of this 2025 Act is added to and made a part of ORS chapter 244.
SECTION 2.A member of the Legislative Assembly shall file annually with the Oregon
Government Ethics Commission a form listing:
(1) Each relative or member of the household of the member of the Legislative Assembly
who receives a salary for serving on the personal legislative staff of the member of the
LegislativeAssembly.
(2) The amount of the salary each individual identified under subsection (1) of this section
receives for serving on the personal legislative staff of the member of the Legislative As-
sembly.
(3) For any relative who resides with the member of the Legislative Assembly, the per-
centage of any amount provided to the member as an allowance for the appointment of per-
sonal staff that is used for the relative’s salary.
SECTION 3. ORS 244.177 is amended to read:
244.177. (1) Except as provided in subsections (2) to (4) of this section:
(a) A public official may not appoint, employ or promote a relative or member of the household
to, or discharge, fire or demote a relative or member of the household from, a position with the
public body that the public official serves or over which the public official exercises jurisdiction or
control, unless the public official complies with the conflict of interest requirements of this chapter.
(b) A public official may not participate as a public official in any interview, discussion or de-
bate regarding the appointment, employment or promotion of a relative or member of the household
to, or the discharge, firing or demotion of a relative or member of the household from, a position
with the public body that the public official serves or over which the public official exercises juris-
diction or control. As used in this paragraph, “participate” does not include serving as a reference,
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 3137 HB2850
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providing a recommendation or performing other ministerial acts that are part of the normal job
functions of the public official.
(2) Subject to section 2 of this 2025 Act, a member of the Legislative Assembly may appoint,
employ, promote, discharge, fire or demote, or advocate for the appointment, employment, promotion,
discharge, firing or demotion of, a relative or member of the household to or from a position on the
personal legislative staff of the member of the Legislative Assembly.
(3)(a) A public official may appoint, employ, promote, discharge, fire or demote, or advocate for
the appointment, employment, promotion, discharge, firing or demotion of, a relative or member of
the household to or from a position as an unpaid volunteer with the public body that the public of-
ficial serves or over which the public official exercises jurisdiction or control.
(b) Paragraph (a) of this subsection does not apply to the appointment, employment, promotion,
discharge, firing or demotion of a relative or member of the household to a position as an unpaid
member of a governing body of the public body that the public official serves or over which the
public official exercises jurisdiction or control.
(c) A relative or member of the household described in paragraph (a) of this subsection may
receive reimbursement of expenses provided in the ordinary course of business to similarly situated
unpaid volunteers.
(4) This section does not prohibit a public body from appointing, employing, promoting, dis-
charging, firing or demoting a person who is a relative or member of the household of a public of-
ficial serving the public body.
SECTION 4. ORS 244.179 is amended to read:
244.179. (1) Notwithstanding ORS 659A.309 and except as provided in subsections (2) to (4) of
this section, a public official acting in an official capacity may not directly supervise a person who
is a relative or member of the household.
(2) Subject to section 2 of this 2025 Act, a member of the Legislative Assembly may directly
supervise a person who:
(a) Is a relative or member of the household; and
(b) Serves as a public official in a position on the personal legislative staff of the member of the
Legislative Assembly.
(3)(a) A public official acting in an official capacity may directly supervise a person who is a
relative or member of the household if the person serves as an unpaid volunteer.
(b) Paragraph (a) of this subsection does not apply to service by a person in a position as an
unpaid member of a governing body that a public official of whom the person is a relative or member
of the household serves or over which the public official exercises jurisdiction or control.
(c) A relative or member of the household serving as an unpaid volunteer described in paragraph
(a) of this subsection may receive reimbursement of expenses provided in the ordinary course of
business to similarly situated unpaid volunteers.
(4) A public body may adopt policies specifying when a public official acting in an official ca-
pacity may directly supervise a person who is a relative or member of the household.
SECTION 5. Section 2 of this 2025 Act and the amendments to ORS 244.177 and 244.179
by sections 3 and 4 of this 2025 Act apply to members of the Legislative Assembly who have
relatives or members of the household receiving a salary for serving on the personal legis-
lative staff of the member of the Legislative Assembly on or after the effective date of this
2025 Act.
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