State Capitol: Senate chamber
Photo courtesy of the Oregon Legislature

The Oregon Legislature is a bicameral type, consisting of a 60-member House of Representatives and a 30-member Senate. Each Senate district takes in two House districts; the number of the Senate districts is one-half the even-numbered House district it covers (e.g. House Districts 23 and 24 comprise Senate District 12).

Oregon Capitol: House chamber
Photo courtesy of the Oregon Legislature

Legislators, beginning with the 2011 session, meet annually, the sessions lasting for two years. Legislators convene in February each year to conduct business for a Constitutionally-specified number of days: 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered (election) years. At the beginning of each new session in the odd-numbered years, the Legislature will convene on the second Monday of January to swear in members, elect leaders, receive committee assignments, introduce bills, and assign those bills to committees. At the end of the three or four days necessary to complete that process, the Legislature recesses until 1 February.

Representatives serve one session; the entire House faces election every cycle. Senators serve two sessions — i.e. four years — so that half of the Senate faces election each cycle.

Marion County contains all or parts of nine House districts and six Senate districts. Six of the nine representatives and five of the six senators are Republicans. Interestingly, two of the Democrat House districts are comprise the one Democrat Senate district and all three take in most of the city of Salem.

In the interest of communication between constituents and their legislators, including those residing in districts represented by Democrats, we encourage you to use this page to send e-mail messages as often as you can, whether or not they are in session, to your Senator. Select the name of your Republican legislator to visit that official's page on our site. We have also provided a link to each legislator's district map. Selecting the e-mail link will launch the e-mail client installed on your computer already addressed to the appropriate legislator. Simply fill in the subject field, write your message, and send it. Do it regularly.