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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Bill 644
Sponsored by Senator BONHAM (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 tells a legislative group to audit the state food bank for political spending. The
Act ends at the start of 2027. The Act starts when signed. (Flesch Readability Score:76.5).
Establishes the Oregon Food Bank Audit Committee as a joint committee of the Legislative
Assembly. Directs the committee to cause an audit to be performed of Oregon Food Bank financial
transactions occurring during a specified period, and to identify those transactions that directly or
indirectly relate to political campaign activity or political issue activity. Directs the committee to
report on audit findings to the Legislative Assembly on or before November 15, 2025.
Requires the membership of the committee to consist of an equal number of majority party and
minority party members from the Senate and an equal number of majority party and minority party
members from the House of Representatives. Provides that a quorum of the committee consists of
a majority of members from the House and a majority of members from the Senate.
Sunsets January 2, 2027.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to auditing the Oregon Food Bank; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. (1) The Oregon Food Bank Audit Committee is established as a joint com-
mittee of the Legislative Assembly.
(2) The committee shall cause an audit of the Oregon Food Bank to be performed that
is to examine all financial transactions conducted or engaged in by the Oregon Food Bank,
a subsidiary or subdivision of the Oregon Food Bank or a person acting on behalf of or at
the direction of the Oregon Food Bank. The audit is to examine all financial transactions
occurring during the period beginning on December 1, 2021, and ending on January 1, 2025.
Persons conducting the audit shall identify and report to the committee on all financial
transactions that are directly or indirectly related to political campaign activity or political
issue activity.
(3) The committee may arrange for one or more persons with expertise and experience
performing financial audits to perform the audit described in subsection (2) of this section.
To facilitate performance of the audit, the contracted auditors may request the committee
to exercise its authority to compel the production of records under ORS 171.510.
(4) The contracted auditors shall report findings to the committee at the dates and times
prescribed by the committee. The committee shall prepare a written report to the Legislative
Assembly of the results of the audit on or before November 15, 2025.
(5) At the direction of the committee, the Legislative Administrator shall execute those
contracts and agreements necessary for persons selected by the committee under subsection
(3) of this section to perform the auditing functions described in this section.
SECTION 2. (1) The Oregon Food Bank Audit Committee established in section 1 of this
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 2965 SB644
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2025 Act shall consist of:
(a) Those members of the Senate who are appointed by the President of the Senate so
that there is an equal number of majority party and minority party members of the Senate;
and
(b) Those members of the House of Representatives who are appointed by the Speaker
of the House so that there is an equal number of majority party and minority party members
of the House.
(2) The appointing authorities shall appoint members of a new committee within 30 days
after the effective date of this 2025 Act.
(3) Vacancies occurring in the membership of the committee shall be filled by the ap-
pointing authority so as to ensure an equal number of majority party and minority party
members from the appropriate house.
(4) The committee may not transact business unless a quorum is present. A quorum
consists of a majority of committee members from the House of Representatives and a ma-
jority of committee members from the Senate.
(5) Action by the committee requires the affirmative vote of a majority of committee
members from the House of Representatives and a majority of committee members from the
Senate.
(6) The committee has a continuing existence and may meet, act and conduct its business
during the sessions of the Legislative Assembly or any recess thereof, and in the interim
period between sessions, but the committee has no authority to affect the rules of either
house.
SECTION 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this 2025 Act are repealed on January 2, 2027.
SECTION 4.This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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