Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 173 § 173.500 — Establishment; directors; powers and duties

Establishment; directors; powers and duties. (1)(a) There is established the Oregon State Capitol Foundation. The foundation shall be composed of not fewer than nine and not more than 25 voting directors, who shall each serve a term of four years. The President of the Senate shall appoint not more than three voting directors from members of the Senate. The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall appoint not more than three voting directors from members of the House of Representatives. The voting directors shall appoint all remaining voting directors who were not appointed by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives. A voting director is eligible for reappointment. In order to ensure that the foundation has authority to act under subsection (6) of this section, the appointing authority may appoint a new voting director or reappoint an existing voting director upon a vacancy occurring or at any time within six months preceding the expiration of the term of a voting director. (b) The foundation may appoint honorary, nonvoting members to the foundation. (c) The foundation shall elect a chair from among the voting directors of the foundation. A voting director shall serve as chair for a two-year term and may thereafter be reelected as chair, except that: (A) The foundation may replace a chair by majority vote of the voting directors of the foundation; and (B) A chair must at all times be a voting director of the foundation. (2) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation shall: (a) Advise the Legislative Administration Committee on the terms and conditions of contracts or agreements entered into under ORS 276.002. (b) Recommend to the committee renovations, repairs and additions to the State Capitol. (c) Recommend to the committee exhibits and events for the State Capitol. (d) Deposit gifts, grants, donations and moneys converted from gifts or donations of other than money into separate trust accounts reserved for the purposes of the gifts, grants and donations. (e) Develop, maintain and implement plans to: (A) Enhance and embellish the State Capitol in keeping with the design and purpose of the building and adjacent areas; and (B) Preserve the history of activities of state government that have occurred in the State Capitol and of persons who have participated in state government in the State Capitol. (f) Establish such funds and accounts as are reasonably prudent for a nonprofit corporation of the scope and mission of the foundation. (3) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation may: (a) Solicit and accept gifts, grants and donations from public and private sources in the name of the foundation. (b) Convert gifts or donations other than money into moneys. (c) Advise and educate in relation to changes in statutory law in order to implement or promote the policies and objectives of the foundation, except that such advice and education is limited to: (A) Activities permitted within the limits afforded to organizations established under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; and (B) Advice or education undertaken by the foundation that furthers the purposes of the foundation under subsection (2) of this section. (4) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation shall cause an independent audit to be performed biennially of all foundation finances. The auditor shall prepare a biennial financial report according to generally accepted accounting principles and shall submit the report to the foundation. (5) The chair of the Oregon State Capitol Foundation may enter into contracts to carry out those functions and policies of the foundation for which the foundation has granted the chair contract authority. ORS 279.835 to 279.855 and ORS chapters 279A, 279B and 279C do not apply to a contract or agreement entered into by the foundation. (6) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation may take action under this section upon a majority vote of a quorum of voting directors. A majority of the voting directors of the foundation constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business. (7) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation may adopt its own rules and bylaws and is not subject to the rules of either house of the Legislative Assembly or Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure. The foundation shall adopt rules and bylaws to guide the foundation and implement the foundation’s responsibilities under this section. (8) The Oregon State Capitol Foundation is not a part of the legislative department as defined in ORS 174.114 or a public body as defined in ORS 174.109. For purposes of ORS chapter 244, neither the Oregon State Capitol Foundation nor any director or nonvoting member of the foundation may be considered to have a legislative or administrative interest. [2001 c.118 §1; 2003 c.794 §197; 2011 c.272 §10; 2015 c.35 §1; 2025 c.194 §1]