Oregon’s Government Ethics Commission has opened a formal investigation into whether state Rep. Lamar Wise improperly completed required financial disclosures, including reporting a $25,000 stipend from a Portland nonprofit and identifying lobbyists associated with his union employer. The commission voted 8-0 on Oct. 9 to proceed after reviewing a preliminary staff report. The inquiry concerns two possible violations; the commission has not determined that Wise broke the law. One issue involves the stipend from Seeding Justice, a nonprofit that funds social change programs. Elected officials file annual statements of economic interest to disclose certain income and help identify potential conflicts. Investigators said the payment did not reach the 10% household-income threshold for disclosure under one provision, but may have needed to be reported under a separate requirement covering income from entities with legislative or administrative interests. The preliminary review also found that Wise may have failed to list lobbyists associated with Oregon AFSCME, which appears as an income source on his disclosure. Investigators did not specify which lobbyists or what contact should have been reported. Wise, a Democrat representing a Southeast Portland-area district, said he had made an honest mistake and amended his filing with help from commission staff. He said the investigator he had been communicating with recommended closing the matter with an educational letter. In a statement to the commission, Wise said he had corrected his 2025 form and wanted it to be accurate and complete. Wise, 35, has worked as a labor organizer for Oregon AFSCME since 2019. He was appointed to represent House District 48 after the death of Rep. Hoa Nguyen. The district includes parts of Southeast Portland, Happy Valley, Damascus, Boring and Barton. Wise is running to retain the seat against Republican Andrew Morrison, a tech executive from Damascus.