Editor’s note: Following is the latest update from AAUW of Oregon Public Policy Chair Trish Garner. Trish also shared several attachments along with the message. Please contact us to obtain copies of the attachments:
The Legislature is proceeding full steam ahead. March 19th is the date by which a Work Session must be scheduled for a bill or it won’t advance in this Session. That’s “scheduled,” not held. Work Sessions have to actually take place by April 13th. A Work Session is just that — the Committee meets to determine whether a bill should be sent on to the full house with a “do pass” recommendation. Contrary to Public Hearings, testimony is not given at Work Sessions, although sometimes the Committee meets for a Work Session immediately after taking public testimony. An exception to these deadlines is when bills have been referred to the Rules and Ways & Means Committees.
That might be more than you want to know, but I want to bring you up to date on issues that we do need to take action on NOW, plus some Session tidbits.
- Civics in Schools / Senate Bill 513 – WE NEED YOUR LETTER OF SUPPORT! [Directions Below]
- AAUW of OR Virtual Lobby Day– Thursday, March 18, 2021, 6:30 pm. Topic: “What Does It Take to Get A Bill Passed?
- Update on the Corporate Board Diversity Bill – I’ll let you know when we need your letter of support, but Gear Up!
- Update on the Age Discrimination Task Force Bill
- Session Tidbits
- Civics in Schools / Senate Bill 513 – WE NEED YOUR LETTER OF SUPPORT!
The Classroom Law Project is leading an effort to get civics education in our schools. We are also working on the bill’s passage, and AAUW of OR needs you to send in testimony in favor of the bill. It really has a chance of passing!!! No guarantees, but we need to give it our best shot.
Here’s what the bill says:
Senate Bill 513 / Dash 1 Amendment provides that as of January 1, 2026, (1) in order to receive a diploma and out of 24 total required credits, (2) a student must have taken at least 1/2 credit or one semester in civics instruction.
At present, some students receive civics instruction, but it’s mostly an elective. There is a requirement to complete 6 semesters of social studies courses, including a mix of history, sociology, economics, financial literacy, civics, geography, etc. It’s similar to an existing requirement that one of the 8 required semesters of English/Language Arts must include written composition.
I’ve attached below a copy of the bill and the Dash One Amendment. They are meant to be read together, and you can spot the changes by identifying the bolded text. The Dash One Amendment was submitted by us in order to respond to some concerns shared by our stakeholders.
Needed Action Item:
The hearing on Senate Bill 513 / Dash One Amendment will be held next Wednesday, March 10th, at 3:15. You can sign up to give oral testimony or you can send in a written letter of support. I am asking you to SEND IN WRITTEN TESTIMONY. If you are looking for some language to include in your letter, attached below is the written testimony that AAUW of OR will be filing shortly and the one-pager that The Classroom Law Project has written up. Feel free to lift language from these sources. [If you wish to give oral testimony, just let me know and I’ll guide you through the process.]
How To File Your Letter of Support
(1) First step is to write a letter addressed to the Senate Committee on Education in support of the bill. It’s officially designated as “testimony,” but that’s really just fancy talk for a letter expressing why you support a bill. The simpler, the shorter, the more sincere, the better. You also don’t need to worry about adding a “Dash 1” reference – I just included it here for your info.
(2) Save your letter as a PDF file.
(3) On your computer, go to https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Testimony/SED. You’ll see a Testimony Submission Form. The date and time of the hearing is 3/10/21 at 3:15. You’ll see some circles below, and check SB 513. The next page is more or less self-explanatory, but after filling in your first and last names and email address, list AAUW of OR as your organization, but leave “on behalf of” blank. Make sure and check “support.” You’ll then see “Submit text or upload a PDF,” and you choose “Upload a PDF.” You’ll see a “Select a file” box. Choose that. You will be automatically be taken to your desktop. Find your letter in PDF on your desktop. Press “Choose for Upload” and you’ll be back on the Testimony Submission Form page. Make sure and press the “I’m not a robot” button. Sometimes they will show you some photos and ask you to make a choice — Easy peasy. Then hit “Submit Testimony.” Yay!! Mission accomplished!!
(4) When it’s filed, you’ll get a “Testimony Submitted Successfully” message. I suggest you copy that notification and either keep it, and/or send it to me.
If you have any questions whatsoever — changing a Word document to a PDF, navigating the filing process — just let me know. I can file it on your behalf if you wish.
- AAUW of OR Virtual Lobby Day– Thursday, March 18, 2021, 6:30 pm.; “What Does It Take to Get A Bill Passed?”
After an initial kick-off at 6:30, we are fielding a great panel discussion about our topic. Representative Karin Power, who is our champion on the corporate board diversity bill, will participate in the panel, along with her Chief of Staff Carrie Leonard, and Alicia Temple, Legislative Advocate for the Oregon Law Center and co-Chair of the Human Services Coalition of OR.
Attending this Lobby Day will give you a real picture about how an idea can eventually become law. Even more importantly, the information will help AAUW of OR and yourself learn how to access and be successful in the legislative process. No guarantees that your idea will become law, but you’ll be able to give it a great shot!!!
For registration information, please find the registration link in the email from AAUW OR Communications sent to you on March 3. You can also request access to registration at aauw.or.events@gmial.com if you can’t find the email, or just let me know (Trish Garner, garner37@mac.com). Look forward to seeing you there.
- Update on the Corporate Board Diversity Bill – I’ll let you know when we need your letter of support, but Gear Up!
We are still waiting for a hearing to be scheduled regarding the bill (House Bill 3110). Because the bill is in the House Rules Committee, we don’t need to worry about the deadlines I mentioned in my first paragraph, but I’m still a tad anxious about it. I anticipate that there will be an Amendment — yes, a Dash 1 Amendment. It’s one that we suggested in consultation with Representative Karin Power, the bill’s champion [who will also be speaking at our Virtual Lobby Day, see item #4 below]. It changes the definition of “female” and reduces fines that will result for violation of the law.
So stay tuned and be thinking about what you are going to say when I ask you to send in your letter of support. Demonstrating that support will not only represent a crucial step for corporate board diversity and all that goes with it, but you will also be highlighting AAUW of OR’s presence in Oregon’s public policy field. Our pitch — Diversity in corporate boardrooms is not only fair, it’s good for business! I’m attaching our one-pager below to give you an expanded idea about what I’m talking about here. Many thanks go to Nancy Brown for formatting the one-pager. She is a genius! Thanks Nancy!!
- Update on the Age Discrimination Task Force Bill
Because of the inclement weather, the initial hearing on this bill (House Bill 2938) was canceled. I anticipate that it will be rescheduled for March 15th. A number of us have already filed letters of support which can be identified at https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Measures/Testimony/HB2938. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!! I hope it felt good to weigh in!! There is no need to resubmit the testimony, but if any more of you are interested in sending in a letter of support, you have a second chance. Let me know and I’ll get it going for you.
- Session Tidbits
As referred to in my intro, bills are being scheduled for public hearing fastly and furiously, so to speak. The process winnows the bills down, but we also have to keep in mind that there are certain “placeholder” bills that are likely out there that can be “gutted and stuffed” with a whole new bill, albeit related to the topic addressed in the placeholder bill. There are some other exceptions too.
House Bill 2510 proposes to require that firearms be safely secured. I anticipate there will be a number of people weighing in on the issue. A hearing has been scheduled in the House Committee on Health Care for March 11, at 3:15. If you wish to file written testimony, here’s the link: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1/Testimony/HHC. Follow similar directions as I gave you for the civics testimony. This is not the only firearms bill pending in the legislature, but it’s the only one AAUW of OR supports. It does so on the grounds that gun violence is a public health crisis.
As you know, so far we have had only had one brief walkout. There are a couple of bills which might challenge this status. One is Senate Bill 254 which removes the ability of a parent to decline required immunizations against restrictable diseases (like measles) on behalf of their child for a reason other than the child’s indicated medical diagnosis. The bill is currently in the Senate Rules Committee and if the leadership moves it forward, it will encounter a lot of pushback. Whether it will result in a walkout, I don’t know.
There are some interesting proposals regarding the walkout issue. Not sure whether or where they might go. There is Senate Joint Resolution 4, a Constitutional Amendment, which changes legislative quorum limits. Senate Joint Resolution 3 is also a Constitutional Amendment, and it provides that a legislator who without permission or excuse fails to attend at least 10 floor Sessions will deemed to be engaging in disorderly behavior and is disqualified from holding office as Senator or Representative for the term following that member’s current term of office.
Conclusion
There’s a lot more out there, but this is it for now. PLEASE SEND IN YOUR LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR CIVICS INSTRUCTION IN OUR SCHOOLS. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.
Best,
Trish Garner, J.D., M.S.W.
State Public Policy Chair
American Association of University Women of Oregon