Oregon Legal Research Blog
It’s not always easy to find original and official texts of Oregon Measures (citizen or legislative referrals), so here are some tips*
MEASURE 5: Property Taxes
Measure 5 was a 1997 House Joint Resolution, and an amendment to the Oregon Constitution (Article XI, Section 11).
You can find the text on the Legislature’s website:
1997 House Joint Resolution 85, effective June 19, 1997
If you are a policy wonk or a glutton for punishment, you can also read the 2011/12 “Recent History of Oregon’s Property Tax System,” which you can also find from the Multnomah County Tax Supervising & Conservation Commission.
ONWARD TO ….
MEASURE 11: Mandatory Minimum Sentences
Measure 11, a statutory enactment to the ORS, was a citizen initiative so you won’t find the official and full text of the original Measure itself on the Legislature’s website (but it was codified and you will find that in the ORS). The measure was approved in the November 8, 1994, election (and has been amended).
You can use secondary sources or try to find the official text at the Secretary of State’s website. However, as of today, the Secretary of State’s State Initiative, Referendum and Referral database goes back only to 1998 and their voter pamphlet database goes back only to 1995. Your county’s election office will likely have a collection of (print and maybe digital) voter pamphlets that will show the text of statewide ballot measures. Some libraries may have the original voter pamphlets as well.
You can find information about Measure 11 and its current updates at the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) Research and Statistics “Measure 11 Mandatory Minimum Sentencing” website and at the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
You can find unofficial sources online (try a simple Oregon Measure 11 web-search) and many of the sites have useful information about the history of the law, efforts to repeal or amend it, and much more. For example, the Crime Victims United website has posted on its website the full text of the original 1994 Measure 11. Wikipedia has some Measure 11 information, too, but you will need to check its accuracy and currency.
(*Keep in mind that this blog is a way for me (a relatively recent Oregonian) to learn about Oregon legal research along with you. Readers are always welcome to send us corrections, suggestions, and tips of their own.)