The Senate voted overwhelmingly Sunday to ask Oregon voters next year to give the Legislature power to impeach statewide officeholders including the governor and secretary of state.
Oregon is the only U.S. state without some form of impeachment powers in its state constitution. In 16 months, after every member present in both the House and the Senate voted to put it on the ballot, the state’s voters could change that.
If they say yes, the state House would be able to impeach statewide elected officials with a two-thirds vote, and the Senate would subsequently hold a trial and vote whether to eject the person. The Oregon Supreme Court chief justice would preside and two thirds of senators would have to vote yes for the ejection to take effect.
All the details are laid out in House Joint Resolution 16.
“It will leader to greater accountability for the people of Oregon,” Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber said ahead of the Sunday morning Senate vote.
Currently, if a statewide official won’t resign, they can be removed from office only by a tough-to-mount recall election.
Since 2015, two statewide elected officials have resigned due to scandals. In 2015, then-Gov. John Kitzhaber resigned barely a month into his fourth term over ethics lapses related to First Lady Cylvia Hayes and the couple’s profiting from his role in office.
And this spring, Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned after she benefitted financially from her public and private dealings with troubled cannabis company La Mota, a conflict first disclosed by Willamette Week.
The Senate vote to put the measure on the ballot was 25 to zero, with four Republicans and Independent Brian Boquist absent.
— Betsy Hammond; betsyhammond@oregonian.com; @OrPolEds
