Grassroots Calendar

A summary of upcoming events is shown below, Click here for our event calendar which shows more details. 

• Rep Mitch Greenlick next two town hall meetings will be 7pm, May 22 at the Cedar Mill Community Library (NW. Salzmann and Cornell Rd.) and 7pm, May 29 at the NW Library (NW. 23^rd and Thurman).

• Rep. Chuck Riley and Rep. David Edwards – Education – May 24^th at 6:30PM at Hillsboro Civic Center, 150 East Main St. , Hillsboro  

• Susan Bonamici, Brad Avakian Town Hall:  May 30 from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at the Arts & Communication Magnet Academy. 

  They will be joined by State Labor Commissioner Dan Gardner.  Please join us for a legislative update and conversation about Oregon’s economy and job growth.

• Congressman Wu's 7th Annual Environmental Forum at the Cornelius City Council Chambers on May 29, 2007. This year the forum will focus on federal agricultural policy and our environment.

  Congress is set to reauthorize federal laws regarding the United States' agricultural policy, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill. This legislation funds food programs for low income families, sets price supports for farmers, and invests in numerous conservation programs. Our environment is influenced by policies set forth in the farm bill; it is important that we have an open dialogue among the agricultural and environmental communities so the bill includes proper and balanced environmental provisions as well as continued support for farmers and their families.

  The issues at hand in this year's bill include how growing influences such as climate change and trade will shape the traditional farm bill and its effect on our environment. Many groups are working to ensure this year's farm bill properly addresses various environmental issues.  This represents an opportunity to shape these federal programs in a way that helps our environment while keeping the United States, and especially Oregon, competitive in a global economy where the demand for food continues to grow.

  At the environmental forum, several experts and Congressman Wu will address innovative environmental policies to enhance the Farm Bill.  This event will give you the chance to learn about various local businesses and organizations committed to protecting our environment, and ensuring our nation's agricultural policies maintain a sustainable, competitive edge.

  Cornelius City Council Chambers

  1335 North Barlow Street

  Cornelius, Oregon  97113

  Tuesday, May 29, 2007

  4:00PM - 5:30PM

               We look forward to an informative and productive discussion, and hope to see you there.  Please feel free to share this announcement with your friends and members.  If you have any questions, please give me a call.

  Mary Rae Cunningham

  Field Representative

  Office of Congressman David Wu

  Phone (503) 326-2901

  f you have any events to add please send them to:
  webmaster@washcodems.org

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  Contact your Legislators

  Strengthening Food Stamps and Other Anti-Hunger Programs

  Congress may move forward this week on reauthorization of the Farm Bill which includes food stamps and other anti-hunger programs. The House Agriculture Committee is expected to begin consideration of key Farm Bill components before Memorial Day.

  Fortunately, a new bi-partisan bill offered by Representatives James McGovern (D-MA) and Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) demonstrates how Congress can win against hunger by expanding effective anti-hunger tools.

  The "Feeding American's Families Act" (HR 2129) would help families struggling against hunger by increasing food stamp benefits and strengthening the emergency food assistance system. It would invest $20 billion over the next five years for these anti-hunger priorities.

  Call On Congress To Fight Hunger
  

  
  Your calls on Tuesday, May 22 are needed to urge Congress to keep the battle against hunger a top priority.

  Make three calls on Tuesday or Wednesday, May 22 & 23. Call your U.S. Representative, and both Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith.

  Call 800-965-4701 (Capitol switchboard). Ask to be connected with your Member of Congress.

  Message for your House Member: David Wu
  I am calling to urge Representative _____ to communicate to Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) his/her support for improving the nation's nutrition safety net by strengthening the Food Stamp and emergency feeding programs. I also ask that the Representative co-sponsor the McGovern/ Emerson "Feeding America's Families Act" (HR 2129). A strong nutrition title of the Farm Bill is a must.

  (If you don't know your Representative's name, go to http://www.congressmerge.com/onlinedb/index.htm).

  Message for your Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith:

  I am calling to urge the Senator to communicate his support to Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin for improving the nation's nutrition safety net in the 2007 Farm Bill by strengthening the Food Stamp Program and emergency feeding programs. A strong nutrition title of the 2007 Farm Bill is a must.

  Call-in Day Partners:

  OCPP joins in this call-in day with its partners Oregon Food Bank, the Food Research Action Center (FRAC), Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and America's Second Harvest. The toll-free number is provided by the American Friends Service Committee.

  Contact your Legislators via their webforms (or goto our issues page for more info):

  • Sen Wyden's webform
  • Sen Smith's webform
  • Rep David Wu's webform
  • Webform for your State Representative/Senator
  • Webform for sending Letter to the Editor (via Oregon Food Bank)

   

  Salem Update

  The Healthy Kids Plan (HB 2201), Governor Kulongoski's plan to cover all Oregon children under the age of 19 with health insurance, was defeated on the House floor. Although it got a simple majority, it did not get the three-fifths majority needed to raise the cigarette tax.  The bill will be back though, and Sen. Avakian is confident it will pass in some form before the session ends. Please contact your state legislators (democrats and republicans) and ask that they support this measure.

   

  If you dont know who your legislator is, just click this link , enter your address and it will show you all your federal and state representatives!

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  Legislative Updates...

  Our Legislator's are working hard for all of us in Salem, click on the links below to see their latest news updates and newsletters. Some of these also list times they will be having in district coffees and meetings. Please check the times and drop in and say hello to our hard working representatives and senators (check the articles page on our website, I will be posting the latest updates there as well)):

  Oregon House Democrats : A mid-session progress report on issues that matter to Oregonians

  • Rep Chuck Riley Newsletter,  Plain Language bill signed by Governor
  • Rep Suzanne Bonamici Update : Fix double majority
  • Rep Dave Edward's update
  • Rep Larry Galizio's update
  • Rep Jeff Barker's update: Democratic progress report
  • Rep Mitch Greenlick Newsletters,  Ending unfair annexations
  • Rep Tobias Read Newsletter, previous newsletter
  • Sen Brad Avakian Newsletter
  • Sen Ryan Deckert Newsletter
  • Sen Richard Devlin Newsletter

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  Focus on Rep. Larry Galizio...

  Representative Larry Galizio Reaffirms His Commitment to State Troopers

   

  Representative Larry Galizio (D-Tigard) reaffirmed his commitment to funding Oregon State Police as part of a budget plan developed in the House and Senate.  The plan was recently considered by the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Public Safety, and would significantly increase the number of state trooper patrol officers beginning July 1, 2007.

   

  “The increased spending on State Troopers sends a message to the brave men and women who ensure a safer Oregon and will enhance public safety in our state,” said Representative Galizio.

   

   

  House Approves Safety Bill for Firefighters & Police

  Vote Restores Right of First Responders to Negotiate on Issues Affecting Their Own Safety

  Representative Galizio announced the passage of Senate Bill 400, which will restore the rights of firefighters, police officers and corrections officers to negotiate with employers on issues related to safety. The change is important because public safety officers are currently prohibited by Oregon law from striking. Previous to a change in the law in 1995, employees were allowed to negotiate on issues related to on-the-job safety.

        

  “Each of us is fortunate enough to live in communities where we are protected by men and women who allow us to breathe a little easier knowing that if something were to go wrong they would be there,” said Rep. Larry Galizio (D-Tigard). “This service, I believe, is part of a social contract that we must uphold—that we will do all we can to protect those who protect us. Today we kept that promise.”

   

  The bill now returns to the Senate for final consideration.

   

   

  House Approves “Responsible Employer Act”

  Top 40 companies with employees on public assistance will be reported annually under bill

   

  House Bill 3252, introduced by Representative Galizio, passed out of the House last week. The bill would require the Department of Human Services (DHS) to annually collect employment data and prepare a report listing the 40 employers doing business in Oregon with the greatest number of employees who receive state medical assistance and food stamp benefits.

     

  The bill will provide greater tools to Oregon consumers and policy makers and encourage greater accountability among Oregon businesses.

  “The goal of this legislation is to facilitate the kind of transparent exchange of information we need when deciding what kinds of businesses we want in our communities,” said State Representatives Larry Galizio (D-Tigard). “The question is: which companies contribute to our overall community health and which detract from it?”

                                                  

  Under the bill, the information will be collected and then reported to the Legislative Assembly by March 1 of each year and made available on the DHS website. Similar reporting systems already exist in states across the nation from Hawaii to Maine .

  The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

   

  Rep. Galizio Continues Fight for Free Speech

    

  Last week, Representative Larry Galizio’s legislation HB 3279, a bill protecting student journalists’ freedom of speech, passed out of the House.

   

  The bill provides public high school student journalists the right to exercise freedom of speech and press in school-sponsored media.

   

  “If we want to stand up for our first amendment rights, we must also not ignore the rights of student journalists” said Rep. Galizio. “This bill sends the important message to future generations of Oregonians: they will not be restricted reporting on important events that affect their lives. This legislation ensures they have a voice”

   

  The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.

   

   

  House Approves Predatory Lending Rate Cap

  The House of Representatives approved a bill to impose a 36 percent interest rate cap on state-regulated consumer loans in Oregon . The bill, HB 2871, provides strong protections for borrowers of the more than 850,000 short-term payday and car title loans issued each year in Oregon .

  Oregon , one of only 16 states that do not cap interest rates on consumer loans, had a 36 percent cap on consumer loans until 1981 when the legislature lifted it. Since then predatory lenders have flourished, charging rates on consumer loans that have at times exceeded 500 percent. That means a person who borrows $200 could end up paying an additional $1000 or more for the privilege of borrowing that money.

  Oregon will hopefully join the other states that have eliminated caps and are now are reinstating them. Interest rate caps in other states range from 17 percent in Arkansas to 60 percent in Georgia , but most states have determined that a 36 percent rate cap best guarantees access to credit while keeping usury in check. At the federal level, Congress recently enacted a 36 percent cap on consumer loans to all active duty military members and their families, underscoring the problem nationwide.

  The Oregon Predatory Lending Cap Act passed the House on a vote of 37-21. It proceeds now to the Senate for further consideration.

   

   

  Keeping Oregon on the Cutting Edge of Medicine

   

  HB 2801, introduced by Representative Galizio hopes to give Oregon the chance to join California , New York , Illinois , and Connecticut , and other states that have all passed ballot measures or legislation allowing for embryonic stem cell research. The bill allows Oregon to remain on the cutting edge of the next generation of stem cell research nationwide, while operating under clear and consistent ethical guidelines.

  HB 2801 allows for discarded blastocysts from in vitro fertilization to be used in research. In other words, cells that could not develop outside the uterus and would otherwise be destroyed are used to study the potential of stem cells in creating life-saving treatments and cures.

  The bill has been passed out of the Subcommittee on Health Care Access and has been referred to Ways & Means.

   

   

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  VISIT OUR NEW WEB SITE 

  Check our website for the latest updates.

  Our New Website!!!

  Our new website is ready and will be connected to the www.washcodems.org address in a few days. For now, you can use the www.washcodems.com address to link to it. The new website makes it much easier for PCPs, house district leaders and committee chairs to add content directly to the website.

  To get access to the site you register for an account, initially you will have public access rights, but if you are a PCP we will grant you PCP access which allows you to view the Precinct Leader pages. This gives you access to our PCP list, training materials, and updates from our various working committees.

  Each PCP will also have their own public blog where they can post articles, thoughts, or just give an update on what your working on and the issues that are important to you. You will also be able to participate in group forum discussions. The platform committee in particular will be using this to gather comments on the issues they are working on. You can create new forum topics or write responses to existing topics. PCPs can also add events to the calendar.

  There will also be House District pages maintained by the house district leaders which will list events and discussions specific to a house district and have updates from candidates and our state representatives.

  Registered users will also be able to add comments to various pages on the site. The idea is to make our web page a participatory community forum and organizing tool for the county party. Stay tuned for upcoming training events for those interested in hands on training. As you begin to use it, please send any comments and questions to webmaster@washcodems.org.

   

  Blue Oregon Blog Articles

  • Wyden's Health Plan Getting Attention
  • Fix Measure 37 - Time is Running Out 
  • Landmark Anti-Discrimination Bills Clear the House

  Local Groups

  • The Oregon Center for Public Policy
  • Our Oregon Coalition (state budget group)
  • Citizens for Oregon's Future (state budget group)
  • Oregon Bus Project
  • NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon
  • Oregon AFL-CIO
  • Oregon League Of Women Voters
  • Onward Oregon
  • Democracy for Oregon
  • Blog for Oregon
  • Blue Oregon
  • Oregon Center for Christian Values
  • Planned Parenthood - Columbia/Willamette

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  Washington County Headquarters

  12250 SW Broadway Ave.

  Beaverton, Oregon

  503 626 7018

  (Get Map)

  Regular Hours:

  M,Tu,Th:  12-5 Sat: 10-2

  Help Support our office!

  Click here to join the Blue Horizon fund

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  Volunteer Opportunities

  Please join us by filling out our online volunteer form.   Or fill out the paper form and send it to us. We highly value our volunteers and recognize special contributions each month.

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