Oregon lawmakers propose bill to limit number of bills after session sets record
SALEM, Ore. (KGW) -- Lawmakers have had enough.
A bipartisan group of legislators have introduced a proposal to limit the number of bills lawmakers can introduce amid a record-breaking session. This year, roughly 3,400 bills were filed; in comparison, the last long session's total was 700.
Said proposal would limit each lawmaker to 25 bills per regular session.
House Speaker Julie Fahley, one of the bill's sponsors, told KGW that restricting the number of bills would make it easier for people to give their input on topics.
"I really want the legislature to focus on a more limited set of bills, so we can make thoughtful public policy and have robust feedback from the public," she said.
Fahley is one of the 12 bipartisan sponsors; six are Democrats and six are Republicans.
Introduced Wednesday, House Bill 2006 also proposes to limit the number of legislative measures — 400 — that the governor and some state agencies may ask the legislative consul to prepare for during a long session. It also asks a limit of 100 for Oregon's judicial department, along with 25 for the secretary of state and other statewide elected officials. The House speaker and Senate president can make exceptions.
According to the Oregonian, the legislature’s top bill filer this session is Democrat Rep. Paul Evans, who's been the chief sponsor of just over 300 bills. The runner up is Republican Sen. David Brock Smith, with 218 bills.
