Oregon House moves to extend ‘revolving door’ waiting period

Legislation to strengthen and clarify the waiting period before former legislators can become paid lobbyists passed the Oregon House of Representatives on Tuesday.

House Bill 2595, chief sponsored by Rep. Julie Fahey (D-West Eugene and Junction City) and Rep. Margaret Doherty (D-Tigard), updates Oregon’s waiting period to one calendar year from when a member ceases to be a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Currently, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 38 states have waiting periods of one year or more.

“I think this is a basic ethics and good government bill that helps ensure that elected officials do not use their elected positions for their own personal financial gain,” Rep. Fahey said. “This important clarification standardizes our current practice and brings Oregon in line with practices in other states.”

Under existing Oregon law, legislators cannot become a paid lobbyist until sine die of the next regular session that begins after they leave office. The current waiting period instituted by Senate Bill 10 in 2007, can now last anywhere from five weeks to 17 months. The most common scenario, where a legislator completes their term and doesn’t run again, the waiting period is typically five to six months.

“When the Legislature passed Senate Bill 10 in 2007, the desire to end the “revolving door” practice was clear,” Rep. Doherty said. “As we work to ensure our state government is transparent and effective, this represents a commonsense update to state law.”

Rep. Alissa Keny-Guyer (D-Portland), Rep. Carla Piluso (D-Gresham), Rep. Karin Power (D-Milwaukie), Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland, and Rep. Marty Wilde (D-Central Lane and Line Counties) sponsored the legislation.

The legislation, which passed 43-16, now moves to the Oregon Senate for consideration.