Terms Used In Oregon Statutes > Chapter 468 - Environmental Quality Generally

• Allegation: something that someone says happened.
• Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
• Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
• Arraignment: A proceeding in which an individual who is accused of committing a crime is brought into court, told of the charges, and asked to plead guilty or not guilty.
• Articles of incorporation: means the articles of incorporation described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
• Board of directors: means the individual or individuals who are vested with overall management of the affairs of a domestic corporation or foreign corporation, irrespective of the name that designates the individual or individuals. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Bylaws: means a set of provisions for managing and regulating a corporation's affairs that the corporation must adopt under ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
• Corporation: means a domestic corporation or a foreign corporation. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• County court: includes board of county commissioners. See Oregon Statutes 174.100
• Department: means the Department of State Lands. See Oregon Statutes 274.005
• Discovery: Lawyers' examination, before trial, of facts and documents in possession of the opponents to help the lawyers prepare for trial.
• Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. ^Source:
• Escrow: Money given to a third party to be held for payment until certain conditions are met.
• Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
• 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
• Germane: On the subject of the pending bill or other business; a strict standard of relevance.
• Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
• 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.
• Land: includes water, water rights, easements of every nature and all appurtenances to land. See Oregon Statutes 274.005
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Material: includes gravel, rock, sand and silt, but does not include hard minerals subject to ORS § 274. See Oregon Statutes 274.005
• Notice: means a notice described in ORS § 65. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• 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.
• Prosecute: To charge someone with a crime. A prosecutor tries a criminal case on behalf of the government.
• public body: means state government bodies, local government bodies and special government bodies. See Oregon Statutes 174.109
• Quorum: The number of legislators that must be present to do business.
• state government: means the executive department, the judicial department and the legislative department. See Oregon Statutes 174.111
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
• Testify: Answer questions in court.
• Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
• Vote: means an authorization by written ballot or written consent, where permitted, or by another method that a corporation specifies as an authorization. See Oregon Statutes 65.001
• Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.