The Oregon Legislature considers about 3,000 bills each full session they meet in Salem and on average, 1,000 of them are passed into law.
Have you ever wondered how these ideas become law? It is a complex process you can think of like a game of baseball where ideas advance twice around the bases, or through both the House and Senate, then to score a “run” it must be approved by the Governor and signed into law. Here is how the process works:
At the Plate
Any citizen or citizen’s group can present an idea to their State Representative or State Senator to create or change a law. If the representative or senator decides it has merit, they can introduce the bill in their chamber and then the Legislature’s official lawyers draft the bill using the proper legal language.
First Base/First reading
The bill is then printed and read by the chamber it originated in – this is called a First Reading.
The next step is the Speaker of the House or Senate President assigns the bill to the appropriate committee to review the bill and decide whether to hold public hearings on it. It is also sent to the Legislative Fiscal and Legislative Revenue offices to see what the state spending or tax impacts of the bill would be so lawmakers are informed about what it might cost.
Second Reading/Second Base
At that point the committee reviews the bill and can hold public hearings and work sessions where they can discuss the bill and make changes to it. The committee chairs have discretion over what bills are brought before the committee for consideration. Some bills “die” without a hearing or any action, while others are taken up by the committee. If the bill is considered and a hearing held, the committee can then take a vote on whether to send it to the full chamber for a vote. If it does pass out of committee it is sent to the full chamber for a Second Reading.
Third Reading/Third Base
The bill is then read a third time before a vote. After the reading of the full bill, the House or Senate debate the merits and flaws in the bill and then vote. To pass, the bill needs a simple majority to pass (16 in the Senate and 31 in the House).
If the bill passes it is sent to the opposite chamber where the process starts all over again (repeat bases 1-3): it is assigned to a committee, the committee considers the bill if they decide it has merit, they debate and make changes and can send it to the full chamber for a vote. If it passes the second chamber without changes, it is sent back to the original chamber for finalization or “enrollment”.
Between 3rd and Home Plate
If the second chamber made changes to the bill — even one word – it is sent back to the original chamber for a vote. If the two chambers don’t agree, it is sent to a joint “conference committee” for the two chambers to iron out their differences. Each chamber must vote to pass the exact same version of the bill.
After it passes both chambers, the Governor has 5 days to sign it. If the Governor vetoes the bill or doesn’t sign it, it dies.
Loose ball…
If the bill is vetoed by the Governor, the legislature can override the veto with a 2/3 vote of both chambers.
Crossing Home Plate/Enactment
If the Governor signs the bill or the legislature overrides the Governor’s veto, it becomes law on January 1st after its passage or the effective date outlined in the bill.
Getting new ideas through the legislative process is complex and can be stalled at any point in the process. Your legislator’s job is to represent citizens who live in their district and vote for bills they think will benefit and protect Oregonians.