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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
Senate Joint Resolution 14
Sponsored by Senator SMITH DB (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 measure asks voters to change the number of Senators in the Oregon Senate from
30 to 36 with each Senator from a county. The measure asks voters to say yes or no to this change
at the next general election. (Flesch Readability Score: 62.2).
Proposes an amendment to the Oregon Constitution to increase the number of Senators serving
in Legislative Assembly to 36 and to modify Senate legislative districts to be coterminous with
county boundaries.
Refers the proposed amendment to the people for approval or rejection at the next regular
general election.
JOINT RESOLUTION
Be It Resolved by the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon:
PARAGRAPH 1.
The Constitution of the State of Oregon is amended by repealing section 7,
Article IV, and by amending sections 2 and 6, Article IV, such sections to read:
Sec. 2. The Senate shall consist of [ sixteen, and the House of Representatives of thirty four
members, which number shall not be increased until the year Eighteen Hundred and Sixty, after which
time the Legislative Assembly may increase the number of Senators and Representatives, always keep-
ing as near as may be the same ratio as to the number of Senators, and Representatives: Provided that
the Senate shall never exceed thirty ] thirty-six members, one member from each county of this
state, and the House of Representatives sixty members. The county from which a Senator is
elected shall constitute the legislative district of the Senator. [-]
Sec. 6. (1) At the odd-numbered year regular session of the Legislative Assembly next following
an enumeration of the inhabitants by the United States Government, the number of [ Senators and ]
Representatives shall be fixed by law and apportioned among legislative districts according to pop-
ulation. [A senatorial district shall consist of two representative districts. Any Senator whose term
continues through the next odd-numbered year regular legislative session after the operative date of the
reapportionment shall be specifically assigned to a senatorial district. The ratio of Senators and Rep-
resentatives, respectively, to population shall be determined by dividing the total population of the state
by the number of Senators and by the number of Representatives. ] A reapportionment by the Legisla-
tive Assembly becomes operative as described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this section.
(2) This subsection governs judicial review and correction of a reapportionment enacted by the
Legislative Assembly.
(a) Original jurisdiction is vested in the Supreme Court, upon the petition of any elector of the
state filed with the Supreme Court on or before August 1 of the year in which the Legislative As-
sembly enacts a reapportionment, to review any reapportionment so enacted.
(b) If the Supreme Court determines that the reapportionment thus reviewed complies with
subsection (1) of this section and all law applicable thereto, it shall dismiss the petition by written
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 2398
SJR 14
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opinion on or before September 1 of the same year and the reapportionment becomes operative as
described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this section.
(c) If the Supreme Court determines that the reapportionment does not comply with subsection
(1) of this section and all law applicable thereto, the reapportionment shall be void. In its written
opinion, the Supreme Court shall specify with particularity wherein the reapportionment fails to
comply. The opinion shall further direct the Secretary of State to draft a reapportionment of the
[Senators and ] Representatives in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1) of this section
and all law applicable thereto. The Supreme Court shall file its order with the Secretary of State
on or before September 15. The Secretary of State shall conduct a hearing on the reapportionment
at which the public may submit evidence, views and argument. The Secretary of State shall cause
a transcription of the hearing to be prepared which, with the evidence, shall become part of the
record. The Secretary of State shall file the corrected reapportionment with the Supreme Court on
or before November 1 of the same year.
(d) On or before November 15, the Supreme Court shall review the corrected reapportionment
to assure its compliance with subsection (1) of this section and all law applicable thereto and may
further correct the reapportionment if the court considers correction to be necessary.
(e) The corrected reapportionment becomes operative as described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this
section.
(3) This subsection governs enactment, judicial review and correction of a reapportionment if
the Legislative Assembly fails to enact any reapportionment by July 1 of the year of the odd-
numbered year regular session of the Legislative Assembly next following an enumeration of the
inhabitants by the United States Government.
(a) The Secretary of State shall make a reapportionment of the [ Senators and ] Representatives
in accordance with the provisions of subsection (1) of this section and all law applicable thereto.
The Secretary of State shall conduct a hearing on the reapportionment at which the public may
submit evidence, views and argument. The Secretary of State shall cause a transcription of the
hearing to be prepared which, with the evidence, shall become part of the record. The reapportion-
ment so made shall be filed with the Supreme Court by August 15 of the same year. The reappor-
tionment becomes operative as described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this section.
(b) Original jurisdiction is vested in the Supreme Court upon the petition of any elector of the
state filed with the Supreme Court on or before September 15 of the same year to review any re-
apportionment and the record made by the Secretary of State.
(c) If the Supreme Court determines that the reapportionment thus reviewed complies with
subsection (1) of this section and all law applicable thereto, it shall dismiss the petition by written
opinion on or before October 15 of the same year and the reapportionment becomes operative as
described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this section.
(d) If the Supreme Court determines that the reapportionment does not comply with subsection
(1) of this section and all law applicable thereto, the reapportionment shall be void. The Supreme
Court shall return the reapportionment by November 1 to the Secretary of State accompanied by a
written opinion specifying with particularity wherein the reapportionment fails to comply. The
opinion shall further direct the Secretary of State to correct the reapportionment in those partic-
ulars, and in no others, and file the corrected reapportionment with the Supreme Court on or before
December 1 of the same year.
(e) On or before December 15, the Supreme Court shall review the corrected reapportionment
to assure its compliance with subsection (1) of this section and all law applicable thereto and may
[2]
SJR 14
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further correct the reapportionment if the court considers correction to be necessary.
(f) The reapportionment becomes operative as described in subsection [ (6)] (5) of this section.
(4) Any reapportionment that becomes operative as provided in this section is a law of the state
except for purposes of initiative and referendum.
[(5) Notwithstanding section 18, Article II of this Constitution, after the convening of the next
odd-numbered year regular legislative session following the reapportionment, a Senator whose term
continues through that legislative session is subject to recall by the electors of the district to which the
Senator is assigned and not by the electors of the district existing before the latest reapportionment.
The number of signatures required on the recall petition is 15 percent of the total votes cast for all
candidates for Governor at the most recent election at which a candidate for Governor was elected to
a full term in the two representative districts comprising the senatorial district to which the Senator
was assigned.]
[(6)(a)] (5)(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, a reapportionment made
under this section becomes operative on the second Monday in January of the next odd-numbered
year after the applicable deadline for making a final reapportionment under this section.
(b) For purposes of electing [ Senators and] Representatives to the next term of office that com-
mences after the applicable deadline for making a final reapportionment under this section, a reap-
portionment made under this section becomes operative on January 1 of the calendar year next
following the applicable deadline for making a final reapportionment under this section.
PARAGRAPH 2.
The amendment proposed by this resolution shall be submitted to the
people for their approval or rejection at the next regular general election held throughout
this state.
[3]