Government Relations

Resources

Lobbying on behalf of PSU

As a general practice, please contact Government and Community Relations before engaging with government officials. This includes situations in which government officials contact you to discuss a university matter or seek your subject-matter expertise to help inform policy discussions. It also includes situations in which you are interested in initiating contact with a lawmaker on a matter related to PSU or your academic field, or inviting them to an event on campus.

By working with Government and Community Relations first, you help us ensure PSU has a consistent message while also enabling us to position you to share your expertise and have a productive engagement with government officials. For example, our staff can help you schedule appointments with lawmakers, prepare legislative testimony, and access bills and legislative agendas. Meet our team here to know who to contact on what issue.

lobby day photo May 2025

Gift Laws

Oregon law prohibits all public officials and employees from receiving, and “interested parties” from providing, any gift or gifts with an aggregate value in excess of $50 in a calendar year from any single source.

There are exceptions for:

  • Unsolicited tokens of minimal value (less than $25);
  • The cost of food and beverage and admission to a reception, meal, or meeting where the public official or public employee is attending in his/her official capacity on behalf of his/her state or local government body.
  • Reasonable food, travel, or lodging expenses are provided to a public official or public employee when representing state or local government on a “fact-finding mission”, where receipt of such expenses is pre-approved.  Written approval from district administration that they consider the briefing, meeting, or other event to be a fact-finding mission and the expenses to be permissible is required.  A “fact-finding mission” is defined as any activity related to a cultural or educational purpose.
  • Informational materials

More information is available on the Oregon Government Ethics Commission website.

Employee Restrictions on Political Campaigning

Read about public employee restrictions on political campaigning here.