House passes bill changing planning commission membership rules

The House on April 4 passed House Bill 3136 A, a bipartisan measure that removes a specified occupational restriction for larger local planning commissions while preserving local appointment authority, Representative Breeze Iverson said on third reading.

Supporters told colleagues the existing statute limited participation by singling out professions involved in real estate development; the bill would keep the current rule for five-member commissions but eliminate the discriminatory provision for commissions of seven or nine members. Representative Breeze Iverson, the floor sponsor, said the change is intended to make local planning bodies more equitable and clearer for appointing authorities.

Breeze Iverson cited the relevant statutory language found in the Oregon Revised Statutes for counties and cities (ORS 215 and ORS 227) and said the bill preserves local governments’ discretion to define "occupation" when making appointments. The sponsor noted the bill passed out of the House Committee on Housing and Homelessness unanimously.

On third reading the House voted and the clerk announced that House Bill 3136 A had received the constitutional majority and was declared passed. The measure clarifies state law on planning commission composition; it does not itself change local appointment procedures but removes a state-level categorical bar for certain occupations on larger commissions.