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In this quarter's newsletter, we're taking a little look back to the first Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) filing season. After the historical overview, you can read on for some highlights from the trainings OGEC offered in 2024 and the public officials who took those trainings.
Paperwork Avalanche Warning
In 1975, the Eugene Register Guard reported that "The 27 year old executive director, a former political campaign worker, seems unshaken by the avalanche of paperwork about to engulf her, but she admits the job is somewhat overwhelming."
Fifty years on, the staff at OGEC are thankful for the resolve and determination that Kim Skerritt showed during that first filing season for SEI. As we prepare for this year's digital avalanche, we're looking back on the pages and pages and pages of yesteryear.
OGEC had requested about 3500 public officials file an SEI in 1975. This push for transparency was the guiding force behind Measure 14, which incorporated the Oregon Government Ethics Commission in 1974. Thus, 1975 was the first year that public officials were required to file statements of economic interest.
You Don't Have to Report Your Pets
However, in 1975, Circuit Court Judge Lyle Wolff, of Baker County, submitted an extensive entry for his SEI. It included his two dogs, a poodle named Socrates Paquelli Von Wolff and a pug named Winston Churchill.
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A Note from the Executive Director
As OGEC staff prepares for the 50th season of Statements of Economic Interest, I look forward to seeing our team working together to serve the Oregonians who need us most in this time.
To all of the public officials who are serving as Jurisdictional Contacts during this Statement of Economic Interest season: you have my most heartfelt thanks. You are our invaluable liaisons.
~ Susan Myers, Executive Director
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Your SEI Resources
SEI season runs from March 15th to April 15th. During that filing window, OGEC will be offering live, instructor-led webinar sessions designed to help filers through the process. We hope to see you there!
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 Update Your SEI Account
The SEI filing window for 2025 runs from March 15th to April 15th. When logging into the Electronic Filing System (EFS) to file your annual SEI, don't forget to check that:
- Your profile is up to date
- Your email is correct
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Statement of Economic Interest Question Review
Whether you are filing a Statement of Economic Interest (SEI) for the first time, or you have already filed in the past, take a moment to review the information that the form requires. In this newsletter, we are focusing on the required information for Question 1A: Officer or Director of a Business, Question 1B: Owner/Partner of a Business, and Question 2: Sources of Income.
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What is a business?
A business is any legal entity operated for economic gain.
Examples include (but are not limited to):
- corporations
- partnerships
- proprietorships
- firms
- enterprises
- franchises
- associations
- organizations
- self-employed individuals
See ORS 244.020(2)
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Question 1A: Officer or Director of a Business
The first question in the SEI asks the filer to list any businesses where either they or their household member(s) held an officer or director position during 2024. This is regardless of whether the entity produced an income or not. Corporations are the most common type of businesses listed in this question. See ORS 244.060(1)
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Do not include any public positions you hold. Government entities are not businesses.
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Do not report board director positions for a tax-exempt 501(c) nonprofit corporation here.
Question 1B: Names Under Which the Filer Did Business
In question 1B, the filer is asked to list the names under which they or their household member(s) did business during 2024. See ORS 244.060(2)
This section is for any business that the filer or household member(s) own or operate, regardless of its form. This includes (but is not limited to) DBAs, LLCs, and business owners. The filer needs to list these whether they produced an income or not.
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Self-employed individuals need to report this in Question 1B. This includes folks who participated in direct sales for multi-level marketing companies, licensed commercial fishermen, consulting work, farms and ranches, etc.
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Business Address
For both questions, if a business has the same physical address as the filer's home, they will need to list that address, unless they have a P.O. box or some other address where their business receives mail.
Reporting Client Information
The SEI asks filers to list client information in questions 1A and 1B. A client can be a customer, an investor, or any other person or entity with whom the public official or household member's business has a legal, contractual, or other business relationship.
The SEI asks about EACH client who has:
- Contributed 10% or more of the business's total gross annual income,
- And has a legislative or administrative interest in the filer or has been doing business, does business, or could reasonably be expected to do business with the public body the filer serves.
If the answer is yes to both questions, the filer will need to provide the name and address of the client.
If the filer/household member has a statutory duty to keep their client information confidential, they must:
- Make a formal request to the client to disclose their information.
- If the client authorizes listing their information, the filer will need to add the client's information to the SEI report.
- If the client does not authorize the release of their information, mark it as such.
- Whether authorized or not, the filer must sign and affirm that they have made a formal request to the client asking if they can disclose the client's information.
If the filer receives authorization for client information after filing the SEI, they can amend the report to add the relevant client information. Reporting requirements for clients on the SEI can be found in ORS 244.060(9).
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Question 2: Sources of Income
Question 2 on the SEI requires the filer to analyze all of the income for their household. This is the only question that cannot be marked "none." Any source of income that household members receive that exceeds 10 percent of the total gross annual income of the household needs to be listed. Listed sources of income would include all income from members of the household who are 18 years of age or older. ORS 244.060(3)
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The filer needs to enter the name and address of each source of income. For the description, provide a brief explanation of what services or products the source provides and who in the household receives them. Examples: Spouse's Retirement, Filer’s VA Benefits, Household member’s salary.
The SEI filer is not required to show numbers or provide direct proof of their income. Everyone's household has some source of income, whether it is pension income, Social Security, or income earned by the filer's adult child who still resides in their home.
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Sources of income may include:
- Advances
- Dividends
- Forgiveness of indebtedness
- Honorarium
- Inheritance
- Interest
- Real estate transactions
- Rental property income
- Retirement Benefits
- Salary
- Social Security
- Veteran's Benefits
- Wages
If you are unsure if you should report something as a source of income, contact us.
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Do I have to list my business again?
Businesses listed in question 1A and 1B do not have to be sources of income for the filer, but if a business listed in question 1A or question 1B provides 10% or more of the total income for the filer's household, the filer would list that business under Question 2 as well.
While the filer may need to list the filer or household member's business as a source of income, this question does not ask about the clients of any of those businesses.
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Thank You to Jurisdictional Contacts
OGEC extends our sincere appreciation to all Jurisdictional Contacts (JC) who tirelessly maintain and update our Electronic Filing System (EFS). Your hard work and commitment are in the spotlight during SEI filing season, and you are absolutely essential to the experience of those public officials who are required to file an SEI in Oregon. We want to take a moment to express our sincere gratitude for everything you do. ~ OGEC Staff
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Trainers' Report: A Year of Trainings
Last year was our biggest year yet for trainings! We couldn’t have done it without YOU; the public officials who signed up for our trainings and the public bodies and groups who hosted trainings across the state. So, thank you to everyone who helped us reach an incredible milestone!
What was that incredible milestone exactly? We trained nearly 17,000 people in 2024. 2,268 were trained at in-person events, 2,176 attended live webinars, and 12,476 took our Workday training on Ethics Law. We trained a wide range of groups, though city and county groups were two of the most trained.
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In addition, our training team traveled all over with 93 trainings across the state. You can see some of the areas we visited the most by taking a look at the Trainings by County chart below. We do our best to visit different areas of the state each year, but it also depends on who reaches out to request a training. No matter which numbers you’re looking at, we did a lot of training in 2024! |
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Be a part of our training journey in 2025; take a live webinar or request a training for your public body or group!
Education is one of our highest priorities at OGEC, so we’re planning on even more trainings in 2025. We’ve started the year off strong and have already delivered a variety of Public Meetings Law and Government Ethics Law trainings across the state.
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Live Webinars
We're in the midst of SEI season, with webinars on the calendar for public officials who have questions about filing.
Public Meetings Law webinars are available every week. Government Ethics topics are being offered monthly.
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Training Opportunities
We’re currently booking trainings for May and beyond, with webinars available to register through August.
Whether you’re looking to learn more about Government Ethics Law, Public Meetings Law, or Lobby Law, our training team has a training for you.
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Commission Updates
OGEC Welcomes Commissioner Ann Metler
Ann Metler began her term with the Oregon Government Ethics Commission on March 1st, 2025. Welcome, Commissioner Metler! We will share her responses to our welcome interview in the next newsletter.
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Become an OGEC Commissioner
Are you interested in government transparency? There are periodically Commission positions open and applications are kept on file for two years. Meetings occur about every six weeks. Information on previous and upcoming Commission meetings can be found on our Meetings webpage.
No more than three of the members of the Commission may be from the same political party. Please make sure to state your political affiliation in your application.
For more information and to submit your application, click the "Apply Here" button to see the position description on Workday.
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Upcoming Commission Meeting
April 25, 2025
The Commission will be voting on an updated meeting schedule for 2025 in the April Commission meeting.
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