Oregon ethics commission investigates state Rep. Lamar Wise over failure to disclose income

One of Oregon’s newest Democratic state lawmakers is under investigation by the Oregon Government Ethics Commission for failing to disclose income from a social justice nonprofit with influence on Oregon policies. 

With no discussion, commissioners during a Friday executive session voted 8-0 to open a full investigation into Rep. Lamar Wise, D-Portland, after a complaint in August alleged that Wise failed to disclose income from Seeding Justice, a Portland-based social justice nonprofit. Wise allegedly failed to report $25,000 in a stipend from the group in his 2026 statement of economic interest to the commission, as first reported on Sunday evening by Willamette Week. 

The Oregon Legislature tapped the group to administer a $15 million fund passed in 2022 aimed at protecting abortion access for Oregonians in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade. State environmental officials also chose it in 2023 to allocate millions of state dollars for climate protection efforts, though the group has since withdrawn its participation.

Wise’s original 2026 statement identified Oregon’s American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and Unite Oregon, another Portland-based social justice nonprofit, as sources of income constituting more than 10% of his total household income, but did not include  Seeding Justice, according to commission investigator Daniel Pacheco. 

That omission alone may not have violated Oregon law because it wasn’t enough to cross the 10% threshold of total household income, he said. But Pacheco noted that Wise appears to have violated an Oregon law requiring him to list the group in another section of the disclosures form where he did not include it, and where public officials are asked to list income from groups that could have a legislative or administrative interest in an official’s role.

Wise told the Capital Chronicle that he has since amended his financial form to accurately reflect the Seeding Justice income, and that he’s working with state ethics officials to resolve the matter. He does not anticipate a harsh penalty.

“I look forward to the resolution of this complaint and appreciate all the work your commission does to protect the public interest,” he wrote in a statement. “I’ve been in communication with, and completely transparent with, the Ethics Commission to resolve this honest mistake, and expect it to be resolved soon. The investigator I’ve been communicating with has recommended a simple letter of education to close the case.”

Wise was first appointed to the Oregon Legislature in November 2025 by local county commissioners in the state’s 48th House District, which spans from Southeast Portland to the Damascus area and Clackamas County. He took the place of late-Rep. Hòa Nguyễn, D-Portland, who died last year after months of battling cancer. 

Wise’s seat is up for reelection next month in the district, where Nguyễn won her last election by more than six percentage points. His opponent is Republican Andrew Morrison, who works as a salesperson for software security.