OR HB3538

Designates the Secretary of State as Oregon's chief civics officer and creates a Division of Civic Engagement to coordinate K-12 civics education and develop adult civic participation programs, with particular emphasis on seniors

Establishes a seven-member Civics Action Benchmarks Task Force to study national and international civic engagement benchmarks and recommend steps to enhance Oregonian participation, with a report due December 15, 2026

Creates a ten-member Commission on Political Rhetoric to investigate complaints that candidates made false statements with purposeful malice or reckless intent, requiring a supermajority vote of seven members to issue findings

Requires voters' pamphlets and state publications to include a warning statement near any candidate's content if the commission determines they made false statements: "Warning: This candidate has made false statements in the past — read at your own risk"

Takes effect immediately upon passage as an emergency measure, with the Commission's complaint process becoming operative July 1, 2026, and the task force sunsetting January 2, 2028