Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 171 - State Legislature

• Account debtor: means a person obligated on an account, chattel paper or general intangible. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Adjournment sine die: The end of a legislative session "without day." These adjournments are used to indicate the final adjournment of an annual or the two-year session of legislature.
• Administrator: means the Administrator of the Personnel Division. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Affidavit: A written statement of facts confirmed by the oath of the party making it, before a notary or officer having authority to administer oaths.
• Agricultural lien: means an interest, other than a security interest or a lien created under ORS § 87. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Amortization: Paying off a loan by regular installments.
• Annual percentage rate: The cost of credit at a yearly rate. It is calculated in a standard way, taking the average compound interest rate over the term of the loan so borrowers can compare loans. Lenders are required by law to disclose a card account's APR. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Any other state: includes any state and the District of Columbia. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Appointing authority: means an officer or agency having power to make appointments to positions in the state service. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Articles of incorporation: means the articles described in ORS § 60. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Attachment: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
• Audiologist: means a person who practices audiology and who uses publicly any title or description of services incorporating the words 'audiologist,' 'hearing clinician,' 'hearing therapist' or any similar titles or descriptions of service. See Oregon Statutes 681.205
• Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
• Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. ^{Source: OCC}
• Bequest: Property gifted by will.
• Board: means the Employment Relations Board. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Chattel paper: means a record or records that evidence both a monetary obligation and a security interest in specific goods, a security interest in specific goods and software used in the goods, a security interest in specific goods and license of software used in the goods, a lease of specific goods, or a lease of specific goods and license of software used in the goods. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• classification: means a group of positions in the state classified service sufficiently alike in duties, authority and responsibilities that the same qualifications may reasonably be required for, and the same schedule of pay can be equitably applied to, all positions in the group. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
• Collateral: means the property subject to a security interest or agricultural lien. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Conditional license: means a license issued to an applicant under ORS § 681. See Oregon Statutes 681.205
• Consignment: means a transaction, regardless of its form, in which a person delivers goods to a merchant for the purpose of sale and:

  (A) The merchant:

  (i) Deals in goods of that kind under a name other than the name of the person making delivery;

  (ii) Is not an auctioneer; and

  (iii) Is not generally known by its creditors to be substantially engaged in selling the goods of others;

  (B) With respect to each delivery, the aggregate value of the goods is $1,000 or more at the time of delivery;

  (C) The goods are not consumer goods immediately before delivery; and

  (D) The transaction does not create a security interest that secures an obligation. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Consignor: means a person that delivers goods to a consignee in a consignment. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Consumer goods: means goods that are used or bought for use primarily for personal, family or household purposes. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Consumer transaction: means a transaction in which:

  (i) An individual incurs an obligation primarily for personal, family or household purposes;

  (ii) A security interest secures the obligation; and

  (iii) The collateral is held or acquired primarily for personal, family or household purposes. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Continuation statement: means an amendment of a financing statement which:

  (A) Identifies, by its file number, the initial financing statement to which it relates; and

  (B) Indicates that it is a continuation statement for, or that it is filed to continue the effectiveness of, the identified financing statement. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Counterclaim: A claim that a defendant makes against a plaintiff.
• County court: includes board of county commissioners. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Decedent: A deceased person.
• Deed: The legal instrument used to transfer title in real property from one person to another.
• Delivery: means any method of delivery used in conventional commercial practice, including by hand, mail, commercial delivery and, in accordance with ORS § 60. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Department: means the Department of Revenue. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Department: means the Department of Revenue. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
• Devise: To gift property by will.
• Distribution: means a direct or indirect transfer of money or other property, except of a corporation's own shares, or a corporation's incurrence of indebtedness to or for the benefit of the corporation's shareholders in respect of any of the corporation's shares, in the form of a declaration or payment of a dividend, a purchase, redemption or other acquisition of shares, a distribution of indebtedness, or otherwise. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Division of the service: means a state department or any division or branch thereof, any agency of the state government, or any branch of the state service, all the positions in which are under the same appointing authority. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
• Document: means a document of title or a receipt of the type described in ORS § 77. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• domestic corporation: means a corporation for profit that is incorporated under or subject to the provisions of this chapter and that is not a foreign corporation. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Donee: The recipient of a gift.
• Electronic signature: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 84. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Electronic transmission: means a form or process of communication that does not directly involve physically transferring paper or another tangible medium and that enables a recipient to retain, retrieve and reproduce information by means of an automated process that is used in conventional commercial practice, except as provided in ORS § 60. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Emergency medical services provider: means a person who has received formal training in prehospital and emergency care, and is licensed to attend any person who is ill or injured or who has a disability. See Oregon Statutes 682.025
• Enrolled bill: The final copy of a bill or joint resolution which has passed both chambers in identical form. It is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate officials, and submitted to the President/Governor for signature.
• Entity: means a corporation, foreign corporation, nonprofit corporation, profit or nonprofit unincorporated association, business trust, partnership, two or more persons that have a joint or common economic interest, any state, the United States, a federally recognized Native American or American Indian tribal government and any foreign government. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Equipment: means goods other than inventory, farm products or consumer goods. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Ex officio: Literally, by virtue of one's office.
• Excise tax: means a tax measured by or according to net income imposed upon national banking associations, all other banks, and financial, centrally assessed, mercantile, manufacturing and business corporations for the privilege of carrying on or doing business in this state. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• executive department: means all statewide elected officers other than judges, and all boards, commissions, departments, divisions and other entities, without regard to the designation given to those entities, that are within the executive branch of government as described in Article III, section 1, of the Oregon Constitution, and that are not:

  (a) In the judicial department or the legislative department;

  (b) Local governments; or

  (c) Special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.112

• Executive session: A portion of the Senate's daily session in which it considers executive business.
• Executor: A male person named in a will to carry out the decedent
• Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
• Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
• File number: means the number assigned to an initial financing statement pursuant to ORS § 79. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Filing office: means an office designated in ORS § 79. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Filing-office rule: means a rule adopted pursuant to ORS § 79. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Finance charge: The total cost of credit a customer must pay on a consumer loan, including interest. The Truth in Lending Act requires disclosure of the finance charge. ^{Source: OCC}
• Financial institution: has the meaning given that term in ORS § 314. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Financing statement: means a record or records composed of an initial financing statement and any filed record relating to the initial financing statement. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
• Fixture filing: means the filing of a financing statement covering goods that are or are to become fixtures and satisfying ORS § 79. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Forbearance: A means of handling a delinquent loan. A
• Foreign corporation: means a corporation for profit that is incorporated under laws other than the laws of the state. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
• General intangible: means any personal property, including things in action, other than accounts, chattel paper, commercial tort claims, deposit accounts, documents, goods, instruments, investment property, letter-of-credit rights, letters of credit, money and oil, gas or other minerals before extraction. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
• Goods: means all things that are movable when a security interest attaches. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Grantor: The person who establishes a trust and places property into it.
• Guarantor: A party who agrees to be responsible for the payment of another party's debts should that party default. ^{Source: OCC}
• Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
• Health-care-insurance receivable: means an interest in or claim under a policy of insurance which is a right to payment of a monetary obligation for health-care goods or services provided. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Individual: means a natural person or the estate of an incompetent individual or a deceased individual. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Individual: means a natural person, including aliens and minors. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Instrument: means a negotiable instrument or any other writing that evidences a right to the payment of a monetary obligation, is not itself a security agreement or lease, and is of a type that in ordinary course of business is transferred by delivery with any necessary indorsement or assignment. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• insurer: means any domestic, foreign or alien insurer as defined in ORS § 731. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Intangible property: Property that has no intrinsic value, but is merely the evidence of value such as stock certificates, bonds, and promissory notes.
• Interest rate: The amount paid by a borrower to a lender in exchange for the use of the lender's money for a certain period of time. Interest is paid on loans or on debt instruments, such as notes or bonds, either at regular intervals or as part of a lump sum payment when the issue matures. ^{Source: OCC}
• Interrogatories: Written questions asked by one party of an opposing party, who must answer them in writing under oath; a discovery device in a lawsuit.
• Intestate: Dying without leaving a will.
• Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
• Joint resolution: A legislative measure which requires the approval of both chambers.
• judicial department: means the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Oregon Tax Court, the circuit courts and all administrative divisions of those courts, whether denominated as boards, commissions, committees or departments or by any other designation. See Oregon Statutes 174.113
• legislative department: means the Legislative Assembly, the committees of the Legislative Assembly and all administrative divisions of the Legislative Assembly and its committees, whether denominated as boards, commissions or departments or by any other designation. See Oregon Statutes 174.114
• Letter-of-credit right: means a right to payment or performance under a letter of credit, whether or not the beneficiary has demanded or is at the time entitled to demand payment or performance. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Mortgage: means a consensual interest in real property, including fixtures, which secures payment or performance of an obligation. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Mortgage: The written agreement pledging property to a creditor as collateral for a loan.
• Mortgagee: The person to whom property is mortgaged and who has loaned the money.
• National Bank: A bank that is subject to the supervision of the Comptroller of the Currency. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is a bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department. A national bank can be recognized because it must have "national" or "national association" in its name. ^{Source: OCC}
• Noncash proceeds: means proceeds other than cash proceeds. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Nonresident: means any person other than a resident. See Oregon Statutes 497.002
• nonresident: means an individual who is not a resident of this state. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
• Obligor: means a person that, with respect to an obligation secured by a security interest in or an agricultural lien on the collateral:

  (i) Owes payment or other performance of the obligation;

  (ii) Has provided property other than the collateral to secure payment or other performance of the obligation; or

  (iii) Is otherwise accountable in whole or in part for payment or other performance of the obligation. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Oral argument: An opportunity for lawyers to summarize their position before the court and also to answer the judges' questions.
• Oregon net loss: means taxable loss, except as otherwise provided with respect to insurers in subsection (11) of this section and ORS § 317. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Oregon taxable income: means taxable income, less the deduction allowed under ORS § 317. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
• Part-year resident: means an individual taxpayer who changes status during a tax year from resident to nonresident or from nonresident to resident. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Patient: means a person who is ill or injured or who has a disability and who receives emergency or nonemergency care from an emergency medical services provider. See Oregon Statutes 682.025
• Payment intangible: means a general intangible under which the account debtor's principal obligation is a monetary obligation. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
• Pleadings: Written statements of the parties in a civil case of their positions. In the federal courts, the principal pleadings are the complaint and the answer.
• Power of attorney: A written instrument which authorizes one person to act as another's agent or attorney. The power of attorney may be for a definite, specific act, or it may be general in nature. The terms of the written power of attorney may specify when it will expire. If not, the power of attorney usually expires when the person granting it dies. ^{Source: OCC}
• Practice speech-language pathology: means to apply the principles, methods and procedures of measurement, prediction, evaluation, testing, counseling, consultation and instruction that relate to the development and disorders of speech, voice, swallowing and related language and hearing disorders to prevent or modify the disorders or to assist individuals in cognition-language and communication skills. See Oregon Statutes 681.205
• Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
• Presiding officer: A majority-party Senator who presides over the Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing Members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices and precedents.
• Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
• Probate: Proving a will
• Probation officers: Screen applicants for pretrial release and monitor convicted offenders released under court supervision.
• Promissory note: means an instrument that evidences a promise to pay a monetary obligation, does not evidence an order to pay, and does not contain an acknowledgment by a bank that the bank has received for deposit a sum of money or funds. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• Public debt: Cumulative amounts borrowed by the Treasury Department or the Federal Financing Bank from the public or from another fund or account. The public debt does not include agency debt (amounts borrowed by other agencies of the Federal Government). The total public debt is subject to a statutory limit.
• public notice: means any legal publication which requires an affidavit of publication as required in ORS § 193. See Oregon Statutes 174.104
• Public-finance transaction: means a secured transaction in connection with which:

  (A) Debt securities are issued;

  (B) All or a portion of the securities issued have an initial stated maturity of at least 20 years; and

  (C) The debtor, obligor, secured party, account debtor or other person obligated on collateral, assignor or assignee of a secured obligation, or assignor or assignee of a security interest is a state or a governmental unit of a state. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Qualified funeral trust: has the meaning given that term in section 685 of the Internal Revenue Code. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act: Federal law that, among other things, requires lenders to provide "good faith" estimates of settlement costs and make other disclosures regarding the mortgage loan. RESPA also limits the amount of funds held in escrow for real estate taxes and insurance. ^{Source: OCC}
• Recess: A temporary interruption of the legislative business.
• Recourse: An arrangement in which a bank retains, in form or in substance, any credit risk directly or indirectly associated with an asset it has sold (in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles) that exceeds a pro rata share of the bank's claim on the asset. If a bank has no claim on an asset it has sold, then the retention of any credit risk is recourse. ^{Source: FDIC}
• Rescission: The cancellation of budget authority previously provided by Congress. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 specifies that the President may propose to Congress that funds be rescinded. If both Houses have not approved a rescission proposal (by passing legislation) within 45 days of continuous session, any funds being withheld must be made available for obligation.
• Resident: means a person who has physically resided in this state for not less than six consecutive months immediately prior to the date of making application for a license, tag or permit issued by the State Fish and Wildlife Commission. See Oregon Statutes 497.002
• Resident estate: means an estate of which the fiduciary is appointed by an Oregon court or the administration of which is carried on in Oregon. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Resident funeral trust: means a qualified funeral trust that, at the time of the initial funding of the trust:

  (A) Is required to be established under the laws of this state; or

  (B) Is established by a contract, the terms of which state that a service or merchandise is to be provided by a funeral home or cemetery located in this state. See Oregon Statutes 316.282

• Resident trust: means a trust, other than a qualified funeral trust, of which the fiduciary is a resident of Oregon or the administration of which is carried on in Oregon. See Oregon Statutes 316.282
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Secondary obligor: means an obligor to the extent that:

  (A) The obligor's obligation is secondary; or

  (B) The obligor has a right of recourse with respect to an obligation secured by collateral against the debtor, another obligor, or property of either. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Service of process: The service of writs or summonses to the appropriate party.
• Share: means a unit into which the proprietary interest in a corporation is divided. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Sign: means to indicate a present intent to authenticate or adopt a document by:

  (a) Affixing a symbol to the document;

  (b) Inscribing or affixing a manual, facsimile or conformed signature on the document; or

  (c) Attaching to, or logically associating with, an electronic transmission any electronic sound, symbol or process, including an electronic signature. See Oregon Statutes 60.001

• Signature: means any embodiment of a person's intent to sign a document. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Speech-language pathologist: means a person who practices speech-language pathology and who uses publicly any title or description of services including but not limited to the words 'speech-language pathologist,' 'speech correctionist,' 'speech therapist,' 'speech clinician,' 'language pathologist,' 'language therapist' or any similar titles or descriptions of services. See Oregon Statutes 681.205
• Speech-language pathology assistant: means a person who provides speech-language pathology services under the direction and supervision of a speech-language pathologist licensed under ORS § 681. See Oregon Statutes 681.205
• State: means a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands or any territory or insular possession subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102
• state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111
• State service: means all offices and positions in the employ of the state other than those of commissioned, warrant and enlisted personnel in the military and naval services thereof. See Oregon Statutes 240.015
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• Taxable income: means the taxable income as defined in subsection (a) or (b), section 63 of the Internal Revenue Code, with such additions, subtractions and adjustments as are prescribed by this chapter. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Taxable income or loss: means the taxable income or loss determined, or in the case of a corporation for which no federal taxable income or loss is determined, as would be determined, under chapter 1, Subtitle A of the Internal Revenue Code and any other laws of the United States relating to the determination of taxable income or loss of corporate taxpayers, with the additions, subtractions, adjustments and other modifications as are specifically prescribed by this chapter except that in determining taxable income or loss for any year, no deduction under ORS § 317. See Oregon Statutes 317.010
• Taxpayer: means any natural person, estate, trust, or beneficiary whose income is in whole or in part subject to the taxes imposed by this chapter, or any employer required by this chapter to withhold personal income taxes from the compensation of employees for remittance to the state. See Oregon Statutes 316.022
• Termination statement: means an amendment of a financing statement which:

  (A) Identifies, by its file number, the initial financing statement to which it relates; and

  (B) Indicates either that it is a termination statement or that the identified financing statement is no longer effective. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Testator: A male person who leaves a will at death.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
• Tort: A civil wrong or breach of a duty to another person, as outlined by law. A very common tort is negligent operation of a motor vehicle that results in property damage and personal injury in an automobile accident.
• Transmitting utility: means an organization primarily engaged in the business of:

  (A) Operating a railroad, subway, street railway or trolley bus;

  (B) Transmitting communications electrically, electromagnetically or by light;

  (C) Transmitting goods by pipeline or sewer; or

  (D) Transmitting or producing and transmitting electricity, steam, gas or water. See Oregon Statutes 79.0102

• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
• Uniform Commercial Code: A set of statutes enacted by the various states to provide consistency among the states' commercial laws. It includes negotiable instruments, sales, stock transfers, trust and warehouse receipts, and bills of lading. ^{Source: OCC}
• United States: means the federal government or a district, authority, bureau, commission, department or any other agency of the United States. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Usury: Charging an illegally high interest rate on a loan. ^{Source: OCC}
• Venue: The geographical location in which a case is tried.
• Verdict: The decision of a petit jury or a judge.
• Veto: The procedure established under the Constitution by which the President/Governor refuses to approve a bill or joint resolution and thus prevents its enactment into law. A regular veto occurs when the President/Governor returns the legislation to the house in which it originated. The President/Governor usually returns a vetoed bill with a message indicating his reasons for rejecting the measure. In Congress, the veto can be overridden only by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and the House.
• Voting group: means all shares of one or more classes or series that under the articles of incorporation or this chapter are entitled to vote and be counted together collectively on a matter at a meeting of shareholders. See Oregon Statutes 60.001
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.
• Written: means embodied as a document. See Oregon Statutes 60.001