Oregon lawmakers want to limit the number of bills that can be introduced in a given legislative session.
House Bill 2006, which was proposed this week, would make it so lawmakers can only propose 25 bills in a long legislative session. It is sponsored by a bipartisan group of legislators.
The number of bills proposed in the Oregon legislature this year — more than 3,200 — set a record, according to a Wednesday press release.
Most bills die, but it takes time for legislative staff to review them. Many are initially known as “study bills,” or placeholders for future bills that might not even materialize, “making it difficult for the public to know which bills are likely to be considered by lawmakers,” the press release said.
Lawmakers say House Bill 2006 aims to help make it easier for lawmakers to assess policies carefully and allow them to focus on other parts of the Legislature’s job, such as oversight and accountability over state agencies.
“Session after session, we hear from the public, the press, and even fellow legislators that the sheer volume of bills makes it hard to know what the Legislature is truly prioritizing,” House Speaker Julie Fahey, D-Eugene, said in a statement Wednesday. “HB 2006 is about improving transparency, promoting thoughtful policymaking, and making the legislative process more accessible to all Oregonians.”
The bill comes as legislators just passed the midway point in the 160-day-long session. Oregon’s Legislature convenes for such sessions in odd-numbered years. The bill would not apply to short sessions, which are 35 days and convene in even-numbered years.
Under the bill, legislative committees could propose 15 bills, and the governor and state agencies could propose a combined 400. In addition, officials elected to statewide office could propose 25, while the Oregon Judicial Department could propose 100.
Added up, that would still be more than 2,000 bills.
Tim Knopp, a former Republican member of the Oregon Senate, also supports the bill, saying in a Wednesday statement that “unlimited bill drafting is having a negative impact.”
“It prevents potentially good legislation from getting the thorough attention it deserves from the public, committees, and stakeholders—ultimately affecting policies that could benefit all Oregonians,” said Knopp, who supported similar legislation in 2001.
The total number of bills proposed in the 2025 Oregon legislative session was the highest since 2001, according to the press release.
This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.