Oregon Statutes 128.670 – Filing of reports; rules; fees; authority of Attorney General relating to reports; civil penalty
(1) Except as otherwise provided, every charitable organization subject to ORS § 128.610 to 128.769 shall, in addition to filing copies of the instruments previously required, file with the Attorney General annual written reports setting forth information as to the nature of the assets held for charitable purposes and the administration thereof by the corporation or trustee.
Terms Used In Oregon Statutes 128.670
- Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
- Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
- 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.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
(2) The Attorney General may classify trusts and other relationships concerning property held for a charitable purpose as to purpose, nature of assets, duration of the trust or other relationship, amount of assets, amounts to be devoted to charitable purposes, nature of trustee, or otherwise, and may establish different rules for the different classes as to time and nature of the reports required to the ends that:
(a) The Attorney General shall receive reasonably current, annual reports as to all charitable trusts or other relationships of a similar nature, which will enable the Attorney General to ascertain whether they are being properly administered; and
(b) The annual reports do not unreasonably add to the expense of the administration of charitable trusts and similar relationships.
(3) The Attorney General may suspend the filing of reports as to a particular charitable trust or relationship for a reasonable, specifically designated time after the Attorney General has filed in the register of charitable trusts a written statement that the interests of the beneficiaries will not be prejudiced thereby and that annual reports are not required for proper supervision by the Attorney General’s office.
(4) A copy of an account filed by the trustee in any court having jurisdiction of the trust or other relationship, if the account substantially complies with the rules of the Attorney General, may be filed as a report required by this section.
(5) The first report for a trust or similar relationship hereafter established, unless the filing thereof is suspended as provided in subsection (3) of this section, shall be filed not later than four months and 15 days following the close of the first calendar or fiscal year in which any part of the income or principal is authorized or required to be applied to a charitable purpose. Subsequent annual reports shall be submitted not later than four months and 15 days following the close of each calendar or fiscal year adopted by the charitable organization.
(6) The Attorney General shall make rules as to the time for filing reports, the contents thereof, and the manner of executing and filing them. The Attorney General may make additional rules and amend existing rules as necessary for the proper administration of ORS § 128.610 to 128.769.
(7)(a) A charitable organization, when filing a report required under this section, shall pay a fee to the Department of Justice in accordance with a fee schedule established by the department by rule.
(b) The fee schedule shall consist of the following elements:
(A) A fee that the department shall set according to a scale graduated on the basis of the charitable organization’s receipts and income during the time covered by the report, with a lower fee applying to lower receipts and income and a higher fee applying to higher receipts and income. The minimum applicable fee is $10 and the maximum applicable fee is $400.
(B) A fee based on a percentage of the fund balance the charitable organization has at the close of the organization’s calendar or fiscal year. The department shall set the fee under this subparagraph at not more than 0.02 of one percent of the fund balance or $2,000, whichever is less.
(c) The charitable organization shall pay a fee that consists of both elements set forth in paragraph (b) of this subsection at the time the organization files a report required under this section.
(d) In calculating the fee element set forth in paragraph (b)(B) of this subsection, the department may not include in the fund balance any fixed assets that the charitable organization uses for operations.
(e) The department shall ensure that the aggregate amount of fees paid under this section is sufficient to pay the department’s expenses in administering ORS § 128.610 to 128.769 and 128.801 to 128.898.
(8)(a) If the charitable organization does not pay the fee prescribed by rules adopted under subsection (7) of this section or fails to file a report by the date due, the charitable organization, in addition to the fee due, shall pay a delinquency fee in an amount the department specifies by rule. The department may increase the delinquency fee or charge additional delinquency fees based on the length of time the payment or report is delinquent.
(b) In addition to charging any delinquency fee required under paragraph (a) of this subsection, the Attorney General, in compliance with the procedures set forth in ORS Chapter 183, may take either or both of these actions:
(A) Impose a civil penalty of not more than $2,000 on any charitable organization that fails to file a delinquent report or fails to pay a delinquency fee or a fee due under subsection (7) of this section within 90 days after receiving notice of the delinquency; or
(B) Order any charitable organization to cease soliciting contributions until the charitable organization has paid a fee or delinquency fee imposed under this section or has filed a report required under this section.
(c) In any judicial review of the order of the Attorney General, the order shall be reversed or modified only if the court finds that the Attorney General lacked authority to issue the order or impose the penalty or that the amount of the penalty imposed was unconscionable in the circumstances.
(d) The Attorney General may grant an extension of time for a reasonable period for filing a report upon written application filed by or on behalf of the charitable organization stating the reason that additional time should be allowed for filing the report beyond the ordinary due date. If the request is submitted on or prior to the due date for filing the report, the delinquency fee described in paragraph (a) of this subsection will not be due unless the report and fee are thereafter not filed within the extended period granted for filing the report, or, if the request is denied, within 10 days after the denial is received by the corporation.
(9) All fees and penalties received by the Department of Justice under subsections (7) and (8) of this section shall be paid over to the State Treasurer monthly for deposit in the Department of Justice Operating Account created under the provisions of ORS § 180.180. Amounts deposited pursuant to this subsection are continuously appropriated to the Attorney General to pay the expenses of the Department of Justice in administering ORS § 128.610 to 128.769 and 128.801 to 128.898 and for no other purpose. [1963 c.583 § 8; 1971 c.589 § 7; 1973 c.506 § 40; 1973 c.775 § 4; 1975 c.388 § 5; 1981 c.593 § 7; 1985 c.730 § 9; 1991 c.734 § 7; 2007 c.571 § 1; 2014 c.8 § 3]