Oregon Statutes - Chapter 244 - Government Ethics

244.010 Policy.
(1) The Legislative Assembly declares that service as a public official is a public trust and that, as one safeguard for that trust, the people...
244.020 Definitions.
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) �Actual conflict of interest� means any action or any decision or recommendation by a...
244.025 Gift limit; entertainment prohibition.
(1) During a calendar year, a public official, a candidate for public office or a relative or member of the household of the public official...
244.030 [1974 c.72 §24; repealed by 2007 c.865 §41]
244.040 Prohibited use of official position or office; exceptions; other prohibited actions.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, a public official may not use or attempt to use official position or office to...
244.042 Honoraria.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, a public official may not solicit or receive, whether directly or indirectly, honoraria for the...
244.045 Regulation of subsequent employment of public officials; lobbying by former members of Legislative Assembly.
(1) A person who has been a Public Utility Commissioner, the Director of the Department of Consumer and Business Services, the Administrator of the Division...
244.047 Financial interest in public contract.
(1) As used in this section: (a) �Public body� has the meaning given that term in ORS 174.109. (b) �Public contract� has the meaning given...
244.050 Persons required to file statement of economic interest; filing deadline.
(1) On or before April 15 of each year the following persons shall file with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission a verified statement of economic...
244.055 Additional reporting requirements for State Treasury; review; confidentiality.
(1) In addition to the statement required by ORS 244.050, the State Treasurer and any person listed under ORS 244.050 (1)(q) and this subsection shall...
244.060 Form of statement of economic interest.
The statement of economic interest filed under ORS 244.050 shall be on a form prescribed by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The public official or...
244.070 Additional statement of economic interest.
A public official or candidate for public office shall report the following additional economic interest for the preceding calendar year only if the source of...
244.080 [Subsection (1) enacted as 1974 c.72 §8; subsection (2) enacted as 1975 c.543 §7(1); 1977 c.588 §4; 1987 c.566 §13; repealed by 2007 c.865 §41]
244.090 Report on association with compensated lobbyist.
(1) Each public official or candidate required to file a statement of economic interest under this chapter shall include on the statement the name of...
244.100 Statements of expenses, honoraria or income received; statements to be provided to public official.
(1) A public official or candidate for public office who is required to file a statement of economic interest under ORS 244.050 shall file with...
244.105 Quarterly filing of statements.
Statements required to be filed with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission under ORS 244.100 and 244.217 shall be filed in each calendar year: (1) Not...
244.110 Statements subject to penalty for false swearing.
(1) Each statement of economic interest required to be filed under ORS 244.050, 244.060, 244.070, 244.090 or 244.100, or by rule under ORS 244.290, and...
244.115 Filing required for member of Congress or candidate; filing date.
(1) Each member of Congress from this state and each candidate for nomination or election to the office of United States Representative in Congress or...
244.120 Methods of handling conflicts; Legislative Assembly; judges; appointed officials; other elected officials or members of boards.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of this section, when met with an actual or potential conflict of interest, a public official shall: (a)...
244.130 Recording of notice of conflict; effect of failure to disclose conflict.
(1) When a public official gives notice of an actual or potential conflict of interest, the public body as defined in ORS 174.109 that the...
244.135 Method of handling conflicts by planning commission members.
(1) A member of a city or county planning commission shall not participate in any commission proceeding or action in which any of the following...
244.160 Filing of statement of economic interest by public official of political subdivision other than city or county.
(1) Any political subdivision in this state, other than a city or county, by resolution may require any public official of the subdivision to file...
244.162 Information provided to persons required to file statement of economic interest.
(1) A person designated by a public body as defined in ORS 174.109 shall provide information explaining the requirements of ORS 244.050, 244.060, 244.070 and...
244.165 Rules or policies of state agency or association of public bodies; commission approval; effect.
(1) For the purpose of protecting against violations of the provisions of this chapter, a state agency, as defined in ORS 183.750, or a statewide...
244.170 [1975 c.216 §1a; repealed by 2003 c.14 §117]
244.175 Definitions for ORS 244.177 and 244.179.
As used in ORS 244.177 and 244.179: (1) �Governing body� has the meaning given that term in ORS 192.610. (2) �Member of the household� means...
244.177 Employment of relative or member of household; exceptions.
(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...
244.179 Supervision of relative or member of household; exceptions.
(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...
244.180 [1975 c.216 §2; 1987 c.566 §16; 2005 c.22 §186; repealed by 2007 c.865 §41]
244.190 [1975 c.216 §3; 1987 c.566 §17; 2005 c.22 §187; repealed by 2007 c.865 §41]
244.195 [1979 c.332 §2; 2007 c.865 §10; renumbered 244.162 in 2007]
244.200 [1975 c.216 §5; repealed by 1983 c.350 §62 (244.201 enacted in lieu of 244.200 and 244.210)]
244.201 [1983 c.350 §63 (enacted in lieu of 244.200 and 244.210); 1995 c.712 §95; repealed by 2007 c.865 §41]
244.205 Legal expense trust fund; establishment; eligible legal expenses.
(1) Subject to the authorization of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission as described in ORS 244.209, a public official may establish a legal expense trust...
244.207 Use of fund proceeds.
(1) The proceeds of a legal expense trust fund may be used to: (a) Defray legal expenses described in ORS 244.205; (b) Defray costs reasonably...
244.209 Application to establish fund; commission review and authorization.
(1) A public official may apply to establish a legal expense trust fund by filing an application with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The application...
244.210 [1975 c.216 §4; repealed by 1983 c.350 §62 (244.201 enacted in lieu of 244.200 and 244.210)]
244.211 Duties of trustee; persons ineligible to be trustee.
(1) The trustee of a legal expense trust fund is responsible for: (a) The receipt and deposit of contributions to the trust fund; (b) The...
244.213 Contributions to fund.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, any person may contribute to a legal expense trust fund established under ORS 244.205 to...
244.215 Fund account.
(1) A trustee of a legal expense trust fund shall establish a single exclusive account in a financial institution, as defined in ORS 706.008. The...
244.217 Statement of contributions received and expenditures made.
(1) The trustee of a legal expense trust fund shall, according to the schedule described in subsection (3) of this section, file with the Oregon...
244.219 Termination of fund.
(1) A legal expense trust fund established under ORS 244.205 to 244.221 may be terminated by: (a) The public official who established the trust fund;...
244.221 Disposition of moneys in terminated fund; distribution of award of attorney fees, costs or money judgment.
(1) Not later than 30 days after a legal expense trust fund is terminated, the trustee of the fund shall return any moneys remaining in...
244.250 Oregon Government Ethics Commission; appointment; term; quorum; compensation; legal counsel.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission is established, consisting of seven members. The appointment of a member of the commission is subject to confirmation by...
244.255 Commission funding.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall estimate in advance the expenses that it will incur during a biennium in carrying out the provisions of...
244.260 Complaint and adjudicatory process; confidential Preliminary Review Phase; Investigatory Phase; possible actions by order; report of findings; contested case procedure; limitation on commission action.
(1)(a) Any person may file with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission a signed written complaint alleging that there has been a violation of any provision...
244.270 Findings as grounds for removal; notice to public bodies.
(1) If the Oregon Government Ethics Commission finds that an appointed public official has violated any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted under...
244.280 Commission advisory opinions; effect of reliance on opinion.
(1) Upon the written request of any person, or upon its own motion, the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, under signature of the chairperson, may issue...
244.282 Executive director advisory opinions; effect of reliance on opinion.
(1) Upon the written request of any person, the executive director of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission may issue and publish written staff advisory opinions...
244.284 Staff advisory opinions; effect of reliance on opinion.
(1) Upon the written or oral request of any person, the executive director or other staff of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission may issue written...
244.290 General duties of commission; rules.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall: (a) Prescribe forms for statements required by this chapter and provide the forms to persons required to file...
244.300 Status of records.
(1) Records of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission are public records of this state. (2) All information submitted to the commission in any statement required...
244.310 Executive director.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall appoint an executive director to serve at the pleasure of the commission. (2) The executive director is responsible...
244.320 Manual on government ethics; revision.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall prepare and publish a manual on government ethics that explains in terms understandable to legislative and public officials...
244.330 Distribution of manual on government ethics.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall distribute, insofar as is practicable, copies of its ethics manual to every public official. The commission shall seek the...
244.340 Continuing education program.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission shall prepare and present a program of continuing education for public officials. The commission may use its own staff or...
244.345 Oregon Government Ethics Commission Account.
The Oregon Government Ethics Commission Account is established separate and distinct from the General Fund. All moneys received by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission, other...
244.350 Civil penalties; letter of reprimand or explanation.
(1) The Oregon Government Ethics Commission may impose civil penalties not to exceed: (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, $5,000 for...
244.355 Failure to file trading statement.
A person who intentionally fails to file a complete and accurate statement under ORS 244.055 commits a Class C felony. [2007 c.865 §31]
244.360 Additional civil penalty equal to twice amount of financial benefit.
In addition to civil penalties imposed under ORS 244.350, if a public official has financially benefited the public official or any other person by violating...
244.370 Civil penalty procedure; disposition of penalties.
(1) Any civil penalty under ORS 244.350 or 244.360 shall be imposed in the manner prescribed by ORS 183.745. (2) Notwithstanding ORS 183.745, a hearing...
244.380 Additional sanctions for failure to file statement of economic interest.
(1) If the Oregon Government Ethics Commission has imposed a civil penalty under ORS 244.350 on a public official or candidate for failing to file...
244.390 Status of penalties and sanctions; consideration of other penalties imposed.
(1) A penalty or sanction imposed by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission under this chapter is in addition to and not in lieu of any...
244.400 Attorney fees for person prevailing in contested case.
(1) A person who prevails following a contested case hearing under this chapter or ORS 171.778 shall be awarded reasonable attorney fees at the conclusion...

Last modified: August 7, 2008