Directory of state leaders and leader’s calendar:
Attached you will find a copy of the state directory, with links to useful resources and the AAUW of Oregon Leader’s calendar. Please consider this a draft. Send any corrections to Kelli Matthews and me. A final copy will be posted in the member’s section of AAUW or Oregon website and linked in the October. 2022-AAUW-OR-DIRECTORY.docx – Google Docs
AAUW Oregon State Meeting Report, April 7-9, 2022 (Sheila Ramerman)
Some stats, to start off with:
With 91 delegates, it was the SECOND annual state meeting where all 23 state branches were represented. Eugene-Lane Branch’s delegates were Jean Simutis and Sheila Ramerman.
Note that all sessions were recorded and are available on the AAUW Oregon YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJOb-EcZjf55EiP_r8upeYQ
Friday April 1: virtual wine tasting. Tasting and Learning with a Wine Expert, Scott Burns,
Prof. Emeritus of Geology, PSU. A geologist and well-known wine expert, Dr. Burns is particularly interested in terroir, the natural environment where wines are produced, and the different AVAs in Oregon.
Thursday, April 7: Can We Get Along: Examining our Personal Experiences of Connection and Community, Chisao Hata, Oregon Humanities Conversation Project Leader. Chisao Hata is an artist, facilitator, community activist and highly regarded presenter. Ms. Hata facilitated an interactive session exploring the theme of conversations with those who hold opposing views.
Friday, April 8:
Saturday, April 9:
Note that neither amendment will affect our branch bylaws.
The 2023 Annual Meeting will be in April 2023 in Ashland, at the same location that THIS year’s Annual Meeting was supposed to be held. I believe the dates are April 7 – 9.
The Annual Meeting Workbook (agenda and details needed for each item on the agenda) and the Officers Reports can be accessed at the AAUW Oregon website here: https://aauw-or.aauw.net/2022-conf-annual-mtg/
The Awards program can be accessed at the AAUW Oregon website here: https://aauw-or.aauw.net/2022-conf-annual-mtg/
Hi Everyone –I’m hoping that our Public Policy Updates will look more snazzy than this one is — I’m learning about how to use graphics, etc., but I’m not quite there yet. Meanwhile, I intend to make the Updates more brief. We all have too much going on to wade through a lot of text, but feel free to contact me if you have a question, concern or comment.1. Signing up for 50/50 Women on Boards (virtual) conference. I know this is egregiously late notice, but the Oregon chapter of 50/50 Women on Boards is presenting a conference about the need for women on corporate boards this Monday, November 15 from 11:00 am to 1 pm. You can still register. Information about the event and the rather impressive Oregon-based panel can be accessed at this LinkedIn site: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/5050-women-on-boards_5050wob-gcbd2021-portlandconversation-activity-6864004023280922624-GL59. For a more direct registration link you can use: https://5050wob.com/events/portland-or/. As you know, one of our primary legislative priorities is to pass a corporate board diversity [See below].2. Branch Public Policy Chair Project. The State Public Policy Committee, has launched an effort to foster State-Branch collaboration regarding AAUW of OR public policy. Our goals are to make sure all of us know the good public policy work that Branches are doing and to open the lines of communication about public policy advocacy between Branches and the State. Here we are with the nuts and bolts:(a) Our Branch Public Policy Chairs will provide information about branch public policy activities to our District Directors. These activities can include any kind of PP activity – even reading books that relate to public policy. The District Directors will provide this information to the State Public Policy Committee which will then collate it and report back to Branch PP chairs and District Directors – maybe through Google Docs. I’m sure there are a goodly number of great PP projects which branches are planning and working on even as I write this PP Update. Sharing this information will allow other branches to copy and expand upon these ideas, and the State Public Policy Committee to join in too! As a note, I believe the Central District doesn’t currently have a District Director. I hope this will encourage someone to step up, but in the interim branch public policy information can just be forwarded to me (garner37@mac.com). Thank you District Directors for being willing to serve in this liaison role!(b) Peggy Shippen, Georgia Applegate and I are also working on a handbook for Branch PP Chairs. [Did you just hear another round of applause, and this time for Peggy and Georgia? Thank you!].3. AAUW of OR Legislative Priorities. We’re waiting for the 2023 Session (January – June) to re-introduce the corporate board diversity bill. As you may recall, the bill passed on a bipartisan basis in the House in 2022 but stalled in the Senate Rules Committee when the Session adjourned. We could file it in the Short 2022 Session (February – March 8), but a Short Session doesn’t provide sufficient time to get a bill of this kind to pass through the many legislative hurdles. A Short Session literally races to a conclusion and we wouldn’t want to mount two unsuccessful bids for passage.The State Public Policy Committee carefully considered the pros and cons in making this decision to wait until 2023. Thank you members of our State PP Committee !Conclusion: I can’t believe we are charging ahead to Thanksgiving and then Christmas-Chanukah-Kwanzaa, etc. celebrations. I wish you all the best, and let’s hope the public policy news will improve.Warm Regards,TrishTrish Garner, J.D., M.S.W.
State Public Policy Chair
American Association of University Women of Oregon
Editor’s note: Following is the latest update from AAUW of Oregon Public Policy Chair Trish Garner:
Hi Everyone –
By Elena Rae and Sheila Ramerman
Virtual Lobby Day was held via Zoom on Thursday, March 18. First, Trish Garner gave a tutorial titled “Tips for Communicating with Legislators” that was full of practical advice such as how to find out what’s in front of the Oregon legislature, how to prepare for a conversation with a legislator, how to find out who’s in favor and who’s opposed, how to identify a legislator’s staff, how to present your information, how to listen to what the legislator is saying (nuance is important!), and how to close the conversation. It’s important to be prepared – not only with what you want to say, but with information or data to counter opposition.
Then Trish introduced a panel that consisted of:
This is Rep. Power’s 5th year/3rd term in the legislature. She is an environmental law attorney, who enjoys learning about things she previously knew nothing about. She has worked on Oregon’s environmental policy (cap & trade). This term she is working on early childhood issues, and is also on I-5 bridge replacement committee, among 3-4 other committees. She is also championing the bill to require publicly traded corporations to have a minimum number of women and people from underrepresented communities on their boards of directors.
Her strengths are being able to look at the landscape and figure out what’s feasible, who’s needed, what needs to be done, what’s not working, how to make progress in this session. She’s helped finish the Clean Air Oregon Program, helped to get Cap & Trade and Diesel phase-out bill for the Portland area passed in the House, and removed ‘very old’ trans-phobic language that has been in law for a long time and others were afraid to tackle.
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.
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
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:
I NEED YOUR HELP EMAILING LETTERS OF SUPPORT FOR AAUW OF OR’s # 1 PRIORITY BILLS TO THE RELEVANT COMMITTEES — NOW!!!
This may seem confusing — although I surely hope not!! — but our two priority bills are scheduled to be heard in Committee soon. I usually try and separate out my requests for your help, but no can do this time. You may have heard of the expression “hurry to wait,” but this is “wait to hurry!!” All the info you will need to complete your letters of support is set out below.
This said, we need to have the bill schedules officially published in the Oregon Legislative Information Service (https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2021R1) BEFORE you can actually send in the testimony. I will send you an email when that takes place. Here are the two bills:
Editor’s note: Following is the latest update from AAUW of Oregon Public Policy Chair Trish Garner:
Hi Everyone –
At the time of writing this Update, I’m not entirely sure how the official first day of the 2021 Legislative Session is going to go. That said, the legislators have been installed and many bills have been filed (see below). A lot of work is taking place behind the scenes. Imagine that — there are behind-the-scenes activities in a political/legislative body!! Here are today’s PP topics:
Editor’s note: Following is the latest update from AAUW of Oregon Public Policy Chair Trish Garner:
Update from Hi Everyone –