I will be off next week for Spring Break, so the next update will likely be March 31. In the meantime, today, March 21st is the first chamber posting deadline. This means that MOST bills that haven't had a work session scheduled drop off the list. See attached for today's list.
In Oregon's legislative process, the 1st Chamber Scheduling Deadline is super important — here’s what it means in that context:
🔹 Definition: It’s the last day a bill can be scheduled for a work session in a policy committee of its chamber of origin (the House or the Senate).
🔹 Key points:
- “Work session” means the committee is planning to vote on the bill.
- If a bill isn’t scheduled for a work session by this deadline, it typically dies in committee.
- This deadline applies only to policy committees — not to:
- Rules
- Revenue
- Joint Committees
- Ways and Means
These exceptions have later deadlines because they deal with more complex or ongoing legislative issues.
Why it matters: It’s the Legislature’s way of managing workflow. Oregon’s sessions move quickly, so deadlines help narrow down which bills are moving and which ones won’t advance.
If you’re tracking a bill and it hasn’t been scheduled for a work session by this deadline — it’s usually a sign that it won’t progress unless it gets referred to a rules-exempt committee.
See you after Spring Break!
Brian Smith
Columbia Chapter Legislative Committee Chair