Oregon Government Ethics Commission

The Oregon Government Ethics Commission (OGEC) will impartially and effectively administer and enforce Oregon's government ethics laws for the benefit of Oregon's citizens. The Commission will emphasize education in achieving its mission. The OGEC was established by vote of the people in 1974. During the Watergate scandal of the early seventies, Americans were confronted with deceit and misuse of power by elected officials. Citizens across the nation began calling for accountability from their governments. In response, Oregon was one of the first states to create laws designed to open government to greater public scrutiny. In 1974, more than 70 percent of the voters approved a statewide ballot measure to create the Oregon Government Ethics Commission. The ballot measure also established a set of laws (ORS Chapter 244) requiring financial disclosure by certain officials and creating a process to deal with the inevitable question of conflicts of interest. The drafters of the original laws recognized that "conflicts of interest" are, indeed, inevitable in any government that relies on citizen lawmakers. The Commission is comprised of a nine member citizen commission and nine staff members who are all charged with enforcing government ethics laws. Oregon Government Ethics laws prohibit public officials from using or attempting to use their official position or office to obtain financial gain or to avoid a financial detriment. In addition, it requires public disclosure of economic conflicts of interest. OGEC also enforces state laws which require lobbyists and the entities they represent to register and file quarterly reports of their expenditures. The third area of OGEC jurisdiction is the executive session provisions of public meetings law.