We are nearing the halfway point of the 2025 legislative session. Here shortly, we will have our “First Chamber Deadline,” meaning in order for a bill to still be alive, it must have passed its chamber of origin. The deadlines and rules are one of the first bills passed in each legislative session. This year it was HCR 15 that established the deadlines back in January. For every rule however, there always seems to be an exception. In fact, there are several exceptions to the deadlines within the legislative process, and it’s important to understand how they affect legislation and its ability to move forward.
The first clear exception to our deadlines are bills currently in joint committees. The point of establishing our deadlines is to keep the session moving, and to ensure ideas brought before the body have had their opportunity to be vetted and commented on by the public. Because all measures must pass in both chambers, it becomes critical to ensure they transfer over from one to the next so they can get scheduled and heard in a timely manner. The beauty of a joint committee, however, is they are comprised by members of both chambers. In other words, you have representatives and senators who can hear the testimony, ask questions, and challenge the ideas much like they would in a committee made up of only their peers. Because of this, bills that pass out of joint committees can proceed straight to the floors to be voted on by the whole body.
Few policy committees are offered exceptions, but the ones that are would be the rules committee in both chambers, as well as the respective revenue committees. Here is where the exception is not as pure as the reasoning behind a joint committee exception. The Rules committees are comprised of members in leadership (caucus leaders as well as some of their deputies) and are kept exempt so leadership can move legislation it has negotiated. With sessions being fluid and dynamic, leadership essentially reserves the right to negotiate up until the final hours. The Revenue committees, being the ones that pass revenue raising legislation, retain their flexibility to be able to adjust our states revenue measures until the very end.
It’s important for those who track the legislative process to understand how our deadlines work, and what exceptions are out there. If there is a piece of legislation you are looking to advocate for, make sure you know when to advocate by in order to ensure your preferred outcome. I like to remind people, whether for better or for worse, no bill is dead until Sine Die. As Dr. Malcolm so elegantly put it in Jurassic Park … “Life will find a way.”
As always, if you have any questions or concerns call or email my office (Rep.JeffHelfrich@oregonlegislature.gov or 503-9861452). If you happen to be in Salem during session, swing by H-371, and my staff and I will do our best to fit you into our schedule.
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