Governor Kate Brown has now called the Oregon Legislature into a special legislative session in order to adopt new congressional and legislative district maps, the next step in the census and redistricting process.

Redistricting is the once-a-decade process of redrawing United State House of Representatives (Congressional) and Oregon State Senate and State House of Representatives (Legislative) district boundaries to account for changes in population. ​​​

Earlier this year, Republicans in the State Legislature brokered a deal with Speaker of the House, Tina Kotek (D) Portland to suspend the rules requiring legislative bills to be read in full during the session, in exchange for allowing Republicans to have equal representation on the Redistricting Committee. Prior to this deal, Democrats were set to have majority of members directing this effort.

The special session will begin on Monday, September 20 at 8:00 a.m. The Oregon Constitution directs the Legislature to reapportion legislative districts every ten years, following the U.S. Census.

“In Oregon, we believe your vote is your voice, and every voice matters,” said Governor Brown. “This special session is an opportunity for legislators to set aside their differences and ensure Oregon voters have their voices heard at the ballot box. Based on my conversations with legislative leaders, and the ongoing public testimony we are hearing from Oregonians across the state this week, I believe the Legislature is ready to begin the next step of the redistricting process.”

According to the Oregon Supreme Court’s recent decision in State ex rel Kotek v. Fagan and Senate Bill 259 (2021), the deadline for the Legislature to complete redistricting plans for state legislative districts and federal congressional districts is September 27, 2021.

Due to COVID, the statewide redistricting tour planned for September was moved to a virtual format only.

Members of the public were invited to participate in the virtual hearings to provide feedback on the draft maps created by the House and Senate Interim Redistricting Committees. These maps were made available starting on September 3rd.


--Bruce Armstrong

Post Date: 2021-09-10 14:05:43

Last Update: 2021-09-10 16:35:22