Six types of measures

The Legislature can do things in addition to creating, amending or repealing laws. Legislators can send a message to national leaders on behalf of the state, propose changes to the Oregon Constitution or offer honors to notable Oregonians. They accomplish this through written documents called measures, as explained on the Oregon Legislature's website. There are six types of measures: bill, joint resolution, concurrent resolution, resolution, joint memorial and memorial.

A bill is the proposal for the creation, amendment or repeal of a law. With few exceptions, statutes must be enacted through a bill and must be passed by both houses in identical form.

Generally, resolutions are used for internal business, either within the respective house or within the state of Oregon, and memorials are used for external business – at a national level.

A joint resolution must be passed by both houses in identical form and are used to:

• Propose a constitutional amendment;
• Create an interim committee;
• Give direction to a state agency;
• Express legislative approval of action taken by someone else;
• Authorize a kind of temporary action to be taken;
• Authorize expenditures out of the legislative expense appropriations.

A concurrent resolution must be passed by both houses in identical form and is used to express sympathy or commendation or to commemorate the dead.

A resolution is used by the Senate or House to take an action that would affect only its own members.

A memorial must be adopted by its house of origin and is used to make a request of or to express an opinion to Congress, the president of the United States or both. A joint memorial must be adopted by both houses.