The Public Commission on the Oregon Legislature (PCOL) was a group of 30 citizens in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 charged with developing recommendations on how to improve the Oregon Legislative Assembly

Oregon Legislative Assembly

The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...

. The 2005 session of the legislature

Seventy-third Oregon Legislative Assembly

The seventy-third Oregon Legislative Assembly was the Oregon Legislative Assembly 's period from 2005 to 2006. The seventy-third Oregon Legislative Assembly was the Oregon Legislative Assembly (OLA)'s period from 2005 to 2006. The seventy-third Oregon Legislative Assembly was the Oregon Legislative...

 established the commission with Senate Bill 1084. The bill, which declared an emergency, took effect upon its passage, when it was signed by Governor Ted Kulongoski

Ted Kulongoski

Theodore R. "Ted" Kulongoski is an American politician, who served as the 36th Governor of Oregon. A Democrat, he has served in both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, as the state Insurance Commissioner, the Attorney General, and an Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.-Early...

 on July 29, 2005.

The PCOL submitted its final report for the consideration of the 74th legislature on November 13, 2006. The 74th legislature implemented several of the recommendations.

Reception, impact and criticism

The PCOL's recommendation to establish an "open" primary (also known as a nonpartisan blanket primary) was taken up by two former Secretaries of State

Oregon Secretary of State

The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...

, Phil Keisling

Phil Keisling

Phil Keisling is a politician and business executive in the U.S. state of Oregon. He served as Oregon Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999...

 and Norma Paulus

Norma Paulus

Norma Paulus is an American attorney and former politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer...

, in the form of a ballot initiative. The effort narrowly missed qualifying for the 2006 general elections ballot, but a slightly modified version qualified for the 2008 general election

Oregon state elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, the US state of Oregon held statewide general elections for three statewide offices , both houses of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and twelve state ballot measures. The primary elections were held on May 20, 2008...

 ballot as ballot measure 65

Oregon Ballot Measure 65 (2008)

Ballot Measure 65 was an initiated state statute ballot measure for the November 4, 2008 general election ballot in the state of Oregon. If it had passed, it would have replaced the current closed primary election system, in which only registered members of a political party may vote in that...

.

The Bend Bulletin criticized the PCOL's recommendations regarding the initiative and referendum system in an editorial, noting that the system was outside the PCOL's purview, and taking issue with the selective nature of the recommendations.

Recommendations to renovate the Oregon State Capitol

Oregon State Capitol

The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...

 were acted upon by the 2007 session of the legislature, and were noted in advertisements in the 2008 U.S. Senate race

United States Senate election in Oregon, 2008

The 2008 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 4, 2008. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Gordon Smith decided to seek re-election. Smith was the only Republican Senator from the west coast and the only Republican holding statewide office in Oregon...

.

Recommendations

The commission's report included recommendations on the following topics:

Fundamental reform:

• Open Primary
• Nonpartisan Legislature
• Nonpartisan State Controller
• Redistricting Commission
• Funding Government Standards and Practices Commission
• Initiative Reform
• Campaign Finance
• Legislator Compensation

Institutional reform:

• Annual Sessions and Session Structure
• Partisanship
• Staffing Legislative Offices
• Hiring Family Members
• Alcohol Consumption
• Public Access

Reforming legislative operations:

• Committees
• Bills and Amendments
• Program Evaluation
• Budget Notes

Improving facilities and technology:

• Capitol Renovation and Comprehensive Facilities Plan
• Wireless Access
• Use of Technology
• Oregon Channel
• Audio and Video Hardware
• Security

Commission members

Commission member	Title/organization	Committee assignment
Dave Barrows		Management and Human Resources Committee
Deborah Boone Deborah Boone Deborah Boone is a Democratic member of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 32 since her appointment on August 4, 2004, to serve out the remaining term of Representative Elaine Hopson...	State representative	The Public Institution Committee
Daniel Bernstine	President, Portland State University Portland State University Portland State University is a public state urban university located in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1946, it has the largest overall enrollment of any university in the state of Oregon, including undergraduate and graduate students. It is also the only public university in...	Management and Human Resources Committee
Frank Brawner		Management and Human Resources Committee
Bridget Burns		Facilities Committee
Jane Cease		Management and Human Resources Committee
Kim Skerritt Duncan	Tri-Met	Process Committee
David Frohnmayer	President, University of Oregon University of Oregon -Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...	Process Committee
Mark Garber	The Gresham Outlook	Facilities Committee
Avel Gordly Avel Gordly Avel Louise Gordly is an activist, community organizer, and former politician who in 1996 became the first African-American woman to be elected to the Oregon State Senate.-Early years:...	State senator	Process Committee
Hasso Hering	Albany Democrat-Herald Albany Democrat-Herald The Albany Democrat-Herald is the daily newspaper of Albany, Oregon, United States. Lee Enterprises owns both the Democrat-Herald and the Corvallis Gazette-Times. The two papers publish a joint Sunday edition, the Mid-Valley Times...	Public Institution Committee
Jim Hill Jim Hill (Oregon politician) Jim Hill is an attorney, financial consultant, and politician from the U.S. state of Oregon. He served two terms as Oregon State Treasurer from January 4, 1993 to January 1, 2001.-Education and personal:...	former Treasurer of Oregon	Management and Human Resources Committee
Barbara Karmel		Process Committee
Wayne Krieger Wayne Krieger Wayne Krieger is a Republican politician, retired game warden, and tree farmer from Gold Beach on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Oregon. He served on the Oregon State Police Force from 1964 to 1991. He represents District 1 of the Oregon House of Representatives...	State representative	Facilities Committee
Ginny Lang		Chair, Process Committee
John Lattimer		Chair, Management and Human Resources Committee
Susan M. Leeson Susan M. Leeson Susan M. Leeson is an American attorney and former judge in the state of Oregon. She was the 94th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to her appointment to Oregon’s high court, the Utah native served on the Oregon Court of Appeals.-Early life:Susan Leeson was born on August 16,...		Management and Human Resources Committee
Hans A. Linde Hans A. Linde Hans Arthur Linde, is a German American attorney and former jurist in Oregon. Born in Germany, he also lived with his family in Denmark before immigrating to Portland, Oregon. After serving in the United States Army during World War II he graduated from college and law school. Linde then worked...		Process Committee
Greg Merten		Management and Human Resources Committee
Frank Morse Frank Morse (Oregon politician) Frank Morse is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A Republican, he represents District 8 in the Oregon State Senate. He was first elected in 2002, defeating Democrat Barbara Ross in a high-profile race, and was reelected in 2006.- Early life :...	State senator	Management and Human Resources Committee
Delores Pigsley		Management and Human Resources Committee
Laura Pryor	Judge, Gilliam County Court	Public Institution Committee
Raul Ramirez	Sheriff, Marion County	Facilities Committee
Gretchen Schuette	President, Chemeketa Community College Chemeketa Community College Chemeketa Community College is a community college located in Salem, Oregon, with smaller campuses in McMinnville, Dallas, Brooks, and Woodburn, and the Northwest Viticulture Center in Eola...	Public Institution Committee
Connie Seeley	Office of the Senate President	Chair, Management and Human Resources Committee
Kerry Tymchuk		Chair, Public Institution Committee
Gary Wilhelms		Facilities Committee
Carl Wilson		Chair, Facilities Committee
Junki Yoshida		Public Institution Committee