ORS 151.213: Oregon Public Defense Commission; membership; member duties; appointment of executive director.

(1) The Oregon Public Defense Commission is established in the executive branch of state government. (2)(a) Nine voting members and four nonvoting members shall be appointed to the commission by the Governor as follows: (A) The Governor shall appoint: (i) One voting member who has been represented by a public defense provider. (ii) Two additional voting members, one of whom has experience as a public defense provider in juvenile delinquency or dependency cases. (iii) Two nonvoting members who are currently employed as public defense providers in this state, one of whom is from an urban area and one of whom is from a rural area. (B) The Governor shall appoint, from among persons recommended by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: (i) One voting member who previously served as a judge and who is not currently engaged in judicial functions, including service as a senior judge under ORS 1.300 or in any similar capacity. (ii) Two additional voting members, one of whom has experience as a public defense provider in criminal cases. (C) The Governor shall appoint, from among persons recommended by the President of the Senate: (i) One voting member who is a current dean or faculty member of an Oregon law school. (ii) One nonvoting member who is a member of the Senate at the time of appointment. (D) The Governor shall appoint, from among persons recommended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives: (i) One voting member who has expertise in juvenile law and criminal defense, or who is a juvenile justice or criminal justice reform advocate. (ii) One nonvoting member who is a member of the House of Representatives at the time of appointment. (E) The Governor shall appoint one voting member from among persons jointly recommended by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (b) When recommending and appointing members of the commission, the Governor, Chief Justice, President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives shall: (A) Consider input from individuals and organizations with an interest in the delivery of public defense services. (B) Consider geographic, racial, ethnic and gender diversity. (C) Ensure that members appointed to the commission have significant experience with issues related to public defense or in the case types subject to representation by public defense providers. (D) Ensure that members appointed to the commission have demonstrated a strong commitment to quality public defense representation. (c) Unless the person is a member of the Legislative Assembly appointed as a nonvoting member of the commission under paragraph (a)(C)(ii) or (a)(D)(ii) of this subsection, the following persons may not be appointed to and may not serve as members of the commission: (A) A prosecuting attorney. (B) A judge, magistrate or other person who performs judicial functions. (C) An employee of a law enforcement agency or the Department of Human Services. (d) A person who is primarily engaged in providing public defense services and who has a financial interest in the delivery of public defense services at the state level may not serve as a voting member of the commission. (e) As used in this subsection, “law enforcement agency” means an entity that employs corrections officers, parole and probation officers, police officers, certified reserve officers or reserve officers, as those terms are defined in ORS 181A.355. (3) The term of a member is four years beginning on the effective date of the Governor’s appointment. A member is eligible for reappointment if qualified for membership at the time of reappointment, but may serve no more than two consecutive four-year terms. The Governor may remove any member of the commission at any time for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. If a vacancy occurs for any cause before the expiration of the term of a member, the Governor shall make an appointment to fill the vacancy, in the same manner as an appointment to a full term, to become immediately effective for the unexpired term. (4) A chairperson and a vice chairperson shall be elected by the voting members of the commission every two years with such functions as the commission may determine. A member is eligible for reelection as chairperson or vice chairperson. (5) A majority of the voting members constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. (6)(a) All members of the commission shall: (A) Review the policies, procedures, standards and guidelines required by ORS 151.216 and provide input before the approval vote described in paragraph (b) of this subsection. (B) Review the agency request budget of the commission and provide input before the approval vote described in paragraph (b) of this subsection. (C) Meet as needed to carry out the duties described in this subsection. (b) The voting members of the commission shall: (A) Approve by majority vote the policies, procedures, standards and guidelines required by ORS 151.216 before those policies, procedures, standards and guidelines may take effect. (B) Approve by majority vote the agency request budget of the commission before submission to the Oregon Department of Administrative Services. (7) The members of the commission may not: (a) Make any decision regarding the handling of any individual case; (b) Have access to any case file; or (c) Interfere with the executive director or any member of the staff of the executive director in carrying out professional duties involving the legal representation of public defense clients. (8) A member of the commission is entitled to compensation for services as a member, and to expenses, as provided in ORS 292.495. (9)(a) The Governor shall appoint an executive director of the commission after consultation with the commission. The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate in the manner prescribed by ORS 171.562 and 171.565. The person appointed as executive director must be well qualified by training and experience to perform the functions of the office. (b) The term of office of the executive director is four years, but the Governor may remove the executive director at any time for just cause. (c) The executive director is eligible for reappointment. Before the expiration of the executive director’s term, the Governor shall either reappoint the executive director or appoint a successor to take office upon the date of the expiration. If there is a vacancy for any cause, the Governor shall make an appointment to become immediately effective for the unexpired term. An appointment or reappointment described in this paragraph is subject to paragraph (a) of this subsection. (d) As used in this subsection, “consultation with the commission” must include, but is not limited to, consulting with the chairperson of the commission prior to the recruitment of a new executive director, allowing the chairperson or another commission member designated by the chairperson to participate in the interview process, and allowing commission members to review and provide comment on the top three candidates prior to the final appointment. [2001 c.962 §2; 2003 c.449 §15; 2021 c.202 §1; 2023 c.281 §§2,77,100; 2025 c.569 §§2,3] Sec. 14. (4) Notwithstanding ORS 151.213 (3), and subject to the provisions of sections 92 (3) and 102 (2) of this 2023 Act, the initial terms of persons appointed as voting members to the Oregon Public Defense Commission under this section shall be staggered as follows: (a) The initial term of one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(A), one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(B) and the voting member described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(E) shall be four years. (b) The initial term of one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(A) and the voting member described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(C) shall be three years. (c) The initial term of one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(B) and the voting member described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(D) shall be two years. (d) The initial term of one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(A) and one of the voting members described in ORS 151.213 (2)(a)(B) shall be one year. [2023 c.281 §14(4)] Sec. 102. (2)(a) A person who is a member of the Oregon Public Defense Commission on January 1, 2026, may finish the person’s term as a commission member and is eligible for reappointment, but, beginning January 1, 2026, may be removed by the Governor only for inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance in office. (b) The person serving as executive director of the Oregon Public Defense Commission on January 1, 2026, may finish the person’s term as executive director and is eligible for reappointment, but, beginning on January 1, 2026, may be removed by the Governor only for just cause. [2023 c.281 §102(2); 2025 c.569 §1(2)]