83rd Oregon Legislative Assembly
Session of the Oregon Legislative Assembly
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The 83rd Oregon Legislative Assembly is the current session of the Oregon Legislature. It began on January 21, 2025.[2][3][4] Democrats netted one seat in both the House and the Senate to win a three-fifths supermajority in both chambers, which is required to pass new taxes or update existing taxes, holding 36 seats in the House and 18 in the Senate after the 2024 election.[5] However, they fell short of the two-thirds majority required to unilaterally meet quorum in both houses, needing 2 more seats in the Senate and 4 more seats in the House.
| 83rd Oregon Legislative Assembly | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
The legislature convenes in the Oregon State Capitol, seen here in 2007 | |||
| Overview | |||
| Legislative body | Oregon Legislative Assembly | ||
| Jurisdiction | Oregon, United States | ||
| Meeting place | Oregon State Capitol | ||
| Term | 2025–2027 | ||
| Website | www.oregonlegislature.gov | ||
| Oregon State Senate | |||
| Members | 30 Senators | ||
| Senate President | Rob Wagner (D) | ||
| Majority Leader | Kayse Jama (D)[1] | ||
| Minority Leader | Bruce Starr (R) | ||
| Party control | Democratic | ||
| Oregon House of Representatives | |||
| Members | 60 Representatives | ||
| Speaker of the House | Julie Fahey (D) | ||
| Majority Leader | Ben Bowman (D) | ||
| Minority Leader | Lucetta Elmer (R) | ||
| Party control | Democratic | ||
This majority was later expanded by one to 37–23 in the House prior to the 2026 short session, as Cyrus Javadi of Tillamook switched parties from Republican to Democrat.[6]
Senate
The Oregon State Senate is composed of 30 members. Democrats flipped one seat (SD-27) and hold 18 seats, a three-fifths supermajority, for the first time since the 81st Oregon Legislative Assembly.[7]
There are eight freshman senators in this legislative session, six of them Republicans due in part to the 2023 Senate walkout and the passage of Measure 113 denying legislators with 10 or more unexcused absences from running for re-election.[8]
Senate President: Rob Wagner (D-19 Lake Oswego)
President Pro Tempore: James Manning Jr. (D–7 Eugene)
Majority Leader: Kayse Jama (D-24 Portland)
Minority Leader: Daniel Bonham (R-26 The Dalles) until September 15, 2025; Bruce Starr (R-12 Dundee) after[9]
House
The Oregon House of Representatives is composed of 60 members, with Democrats also holding a supermajority of 36 seats.[5]
Retirements, vacant seats, and election losses led to 11 freshman members of the House during this legislative session.[14] Only one of these new members was due to an incumbent being defeated by a challenger from an opposing party, with Democrats gaining one seat from the previous session due to Lesly Muñoz defeating incumbent Republican Tracy Cramer by just 161 votes.[15] However, two Republican legislators (Charlie Conrad and James Hieb) were defeated in their party's primary elections. They were replaced by Darin Harbick and Christine Drazan, respectively.
On September 5, 2025, Cyrus Javadi, originally elected as a Republican, changed his party registration to the Democratic Party, giving the Democrats a 37–23 majority for the short session in 2026.[16]
Speaker: Julie Fahey (D-14 Eugene)
Speaker Pro Tempore: David Gomberg (D-10 Otis)[17]
Majority Leader: Ben Bowman (D-25 Tigard)
Minority Leader: Christine Drazan (R-51 Canby) until October 1, 2025; Lucetta Elmer (R-24 McMinnville) after[18]
See also
Notes
- Senator was originally appointed.
- Starr previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 3 between 1999 and 2003 and the Oregon Senate representing District 15 between 2003 and 2015.
- McLane previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 55 between 2010 and 2019.
- Representative was originally appointed.
- Mannix previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 32 between 1989 and 1997 as a Democrat and between 1999 and 2001 as a Republican and in the Oregon Senate as a Republican between 1997 and 1999.
- Reynolds resigned on November 15, 2024 upon her appointment to the Oregon State Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the election of Elizabeth Steiner as Oregon State Treasurer.
- Wise was appointed to succeed the late Rep. Hoa Nguyen on November 5, 2025.
- Drazan previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 39 between 2019 and 2022.
- Bunch was appointed to finish Drazan's term on November 17, 2025.
- Helfrich previously served in the Oregon House of Representatives representing District 52 between 2017 and 2019.