On Monday, the Oregon Senate voted to strengthen ethics laws and further separate public employees’ activities from political affairs. Senate Bill 168 will explicitly prohibit public employees from promoting or opposing appointment, nomination or election of a person to public office and from promoting or opposing filing of an initiative, referendum, or recall petition while on the job during working hours or while otherwise working in official capacity.
“It’s important that people can trust their government is working for them, and maintaining clear lines between government work and political advocacy is critical to that trust,” said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D – Beaverton & SW Portland).
Protecting fair elections and holding the government accountable are critical pillars of Senate Democrats’ 2023 Oregon Works Agenda.
The bill will now be referred to the Oregon House of Representatives for consideration.
