LOC News
OGEC Rules Take Effect
Administrative rules which expand the scope of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission’s (OGEC) authority over open meetings took effect on October 1. The rules were the result of the passage of HB 2805 in 2023, which gave the agency legislative authority to enforce open meetings law and codified into statute complicated case law regarding serial meetings. The statute also included a training requirement for all elected officials from agencies with annual budgets greater than $1 million to attend open meetings training.
While the OGEC failed to offer an on-demand course by the effective dates of the rules, the agency does offer monthly webinars that will meet the training requirement. The required training must be completed during an elected official’s term of office. As the rules also allow certain outside parties to offer approved trainings, the LOC will be seeking approval of its own training course. The LOC will also be providing a session on the new rules at its upcoming 99th Annual Conference and will make those materials available to its membership.
Because the OGEC failed to respect both legislative history and expert advice in the adoption of these new administrative rules, the LOC will be seeking legislation that will address the unintended consequences of HB 2805 and make the OGEC accountable to stakeholders.
Contact: Scott Winkels, Lobbyist - swinkels@orcities.org
Last Updated 10/4/24