Summary of Our 2023 Legislative Results
Sunday, June 25th, the Oregon legislative session came to an end. This session was an important one for the state, we are thrilled to have helped pass bills in critical areas such as housing, climate resilience, and more. Unite Oregon’s policy team worked hard with our members and elected officials to fight for our communities!
The team met in August 2022 to discuss the legislative priorities for the session. Following the Unite Oregon Action Summit and conversations with our members and chapters, we chose to focus on the bills that addressed the top priorities for our communities. These included Emergency Housing for All (EH4A: HB 3462), Stable Homes for Oregon Families (SHOF: HB 5019, HB 2001, SB 611), Community Resilience Hubs (CRH: HB 3409), Food for All Oregonians (F4AO: SB 610), Guaranteeing the Right to Vote (GRV: SB 579), and Housing Minimum Wage (HMW: concept).
We had a new policy team this year, and they came in ready to learn and get work done. We drafted concepts for the first time this year, including EH4A and CRH. We also were lucky to be able to join powerful coalitions throughout the state and work together to get these bills passed. This legislative session highlighted how important community working together is for achieving actual change. We saw members join from chapters throughout the state, including Rogue Valley, Metro Area, Bend, the coast, and Willamette Valley. There are many steps to this process, and we saw people participate in listening sessions, testimony trainings, hearings, lobbying, and advocacy actions. Every act of participation matters and helps achieve our goal!
Together we passed Emergency Housing for All, Stable Homes for Oregon Families, and Community Resilience Hubs. However, we also must remember the opportunities that were missed during this session. Oregon lawmakers opted not to pass SB 610 Food for All Oregonians, thereby missing the chance to expand access to food security. Over 62,000 individuals and families will continue to experience higher levels of food insecurity as a result.
Another missed opportunity during the 2023 session was SB 579, Guaranteeing the Right to Vote. This bill did not make it to a final vote, and as a result, 12,000 Oregonians are still being denied their right to vote. Voting is both a civic responsibility as well as a fundamental pillar of democracy, and should be granted to all Oregonians.
Although we worked hard with our partners to ensure these rights, the outcome was utterly disappointing. However, this disappointment will not stop us from continuing our work and expanding our goals moving forward..We look forward to coming back in a future session to pass Food for All Oregonians (F4AO: SB 610), Guaranteeing the Right to Vote (GRV: SB 579), and Housing Minimum Wage (HMW: concept). For more information on SB 610, visit https://www.foodforallor.org/. For more information on SB 579 and the coalition in support of Guaranteeing the Right to Vote, visit https://www.guaranteevotingrights.org/.
Here below is the list of bills we advocated for during the 2023 legislative session. The list includes the bills that were passed as well as those we will continue to advocate for until the needs of our community members are fully met. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the legislators and partners listed in the Key Stakeholders column. We are honored to be part of such an amazing ecosystem of talents dedicated to building an inclusive state where no one is left behind.
|
Bill |
Summary |
Status |
Implementation |
Key Stakeholders |
|
Community Resilience Hubs |
Establishes centralized locations for people and resources to gather before,during, and after natural disasters. |
Passed and on the way to the governor's desk to be signed. |
Effective immediately |
Representative Marsh and Khanh Pham and entire Community Resilience Hubs Coalition |
|
Emergency Housing for All (HB 3462) Rent Assistance Eviction Reform Reasonable Rent |
Ensure emergency housing meets fair housing standards. |
Passed and on the way to the governor's desk to be signed. |
Effective immediately |
Representative Hartman and the entire Emergency Housing for All Coalition |
|
Stable Homes for Oregon Families (SB611) |
Provides tenant rent stabilization protections |
Passed and on the way to governor's desk to be signed |
To Be Defined |
Senators Campos, Gelser Blouin, and Jama; Representative Valderrama, Neron, and Gamba and the entire Stable Homes Coalition |
|
Food for All Oregonians (SB610) |
Creates a state-funded food assistance program for people who currently meet the income threshold to qualify for SNAP but are excluded solely based on their immigration status |
Died |
Senator Campos, Manning Jr, and Gorsek; Representative Ruiz, Bowman, Dexter, and Gamba and the entire Food For All Oregonians Coalition |
|
|
Guaranteeing the Right to Vote (SB579) |
Restore voting rights / Allow incarcerated Oregonians to register to vote, update voter registration, and participate in elections based on where they resided prior to incarceration. |
Died |
Senator Prozanski, Gelser Blouin, Dembrow, Jama, and Manning Jr and the entire Guaranteeing the Right to Vote Coalition Democracy USA |
|
|
Housing Minimum Wage (HB2699) |
This was our first session working with Rep. Gamba on this housing bill. This groundbreaking policy would connect the minimum wage formula to the cost of housing - a working person's wage would be required to be at least equal to that of ⅓ the cost of a 1 BR apartment in the region. |
HB 2699 died in its initial House committee |
Rep. Mark Gamba and staff |
