Governor Brown Introduces New Ethics Bills and Public Records Legislation
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Tuesday, April 07, 2015
GoLocalPDX News Team
Governor Kate Brown released the following statement today regarding the introduction of her ethics and public records legislation:
“The turmoil surrounding Governor Kitzhaber’s resignation has caused Oregonians to question their trust in state government. Together with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, we will take action this session to ensure that this situation is not repeated," state Governor Brown.
The Governor identified three main areas of concern:
- Our public records statutes are cumbersome and no more serve the public than the state agencies they are intended to govern.
- The role and expectations of the First Partner as a public official need to be clear and reflect modern relationships.
- We must strengthen ethics laws to ensure transparency and accountability among public officials at all levels of government.
In response to these points, the Governor said three bills have been introduced at her request.
“Senate Bill 9 requires the State Auditor in the Secretary of State’s office to audit state agencies’ processes for responding to requests for public records. Before we contemplate meaningful changes to improve the public records law, we need factual information about what is currently going on, including consistency of agency responses, cost, turnaround time, and compliance with existing laws. Information from this audit will allow policy makers to make informed, fact-based decisions.
“Two more bills, HB 2019 and HB 2020, are intended to strengthen the efficacy of the Oregon Ethics Commission and address important structural changes, such as distributing the power to appoint members of the Oregon Government Ethics Commission across all statewide elected officials, and streamlining the investigative process. These bills also clarify the role and expectations of First Partner as a public official; increase penalties for knowingly using elective office for personal gain; and prohibit speakers’ fees for all statewide office-holders or First Partner while in office.
“The steps I propose will foster transparency and accountability. That is the best way to demonstrate our commitment to restoring credibility and trust in the aftermath of the recent turmoil. I am grateful to my legislative colleagues for their support and leadership.”
Related Slideshow: Timeline of Kate Brown’s Life and Political Career
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Childhood
Brown was born on June 21, 1960 in Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain where her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force, but she grew up mostly in Minnesota.
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Education
Brown graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a B.A. in Environmental Conservation. She then went on to earn a degree in environmental law from the Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College.
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Law Career
Before Brown began her legislative career, she worked at Portland State University and worked as an attorney with the Juvenile Rights Project, a non profit in Portland that provides legal services to children and families.
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House of Reps
Brown began her legislative career in 1991 in the Oregon House of Representatives where she served two terms.
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Senate
Kate Brown was elected to the Oregon Senate in 1996 and two years later was elected Senate Democratic Leader.
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Senate Majority Leader
In 2004 Kate Brown became the first woman to serve as Oregon's Senate Majority Leader. Brown served until July 2007 when she announced that she would give up her seat in the Oregon Senate to run for Secretary of State.
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Secretary of State.
On May 20, 2008, Brown won the election for the Democratic nomination for Secretary of State and on November 5 she won the general election by a 51-46 percent margin against Republican candidate Rick Dancer.
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Personal Life
Brown lives in Portland with her husband Dan Little who she has been married to for almost 20 years and is also a stepmother to two children. She identifies as bisexual and was America's first openly bisexual statewide officeholder.
Photo: Brown kissing Storm Large at Basic Rights Oregon's 27th annual Dinner Auction in 2009. Photo by Byron Beck.
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Cut D.C. Trip Short
On Wednesday, Feb. 11 2015 Brown left is the national conference for the Association of Secretaries of State in Washington D.C. two days early.
The 2015 Winter Conference runs from February 10-13, 2015, and draws top state officials from around the country.
Brown's spokesperson, Tony Green, confirmed she is on her way back to Oregon, and that her return is ahead of schedule.
According to multiple sources at the highest level of State Government, her return is tied to a potential resignation by the embattled Governor John Kitzhaber.
Photo: Kate Brown with Peter Johnson (left) and George Vranas (right).
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Governor of Oregon
Governor John Kitzhaber released a statement Friday, Feb. 13 announcing his resignation.
Kate Brown will now serve as the Governor until the next general biennial election. A new governor can be elected in 2016.
Kate Brown will be the second female Governor of Oregon.
Photo Credit: Kate Brown with Dianne Lin by Byron Beck
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