Legislation

Our policy team is a constant presence in Salem and local municipalities to pass bills that advance or defend civil liberties and civil rights, and to defeat those that do not. In addition to our mission to defend and advance civil liberties and civil rights, we are committed to:

  1. Making progress towards achieving a decolonized workspace and culture through a shift in language and centering indigenous sovereignty in internal and external work;
  2. Prioritizing and holding ourselves accountable to the organization’s values of anti-Black racism, equity, and racial justice education and reflection;
  3. Leading with race and centering those most directly impacted by racism and white supremacy in policy decisions, including but not limited to BIPOC/BIWOC communities, immigrants and refugees, people with varying abilities, LGBTQ communities, and people experiencing poverty or other socio-economic injustices.
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A Trailblazing Bill for Women's Health

As part of a diverse coalition of organizations committed to expanding access to women’s health care, we are thrilled to announce that Senate Bill 894 has been introduced in the Oregon Legislature.

March 6, 2015

PRIVACY: Prohibit Unwarranted Access to Electronic Communications and Location Information (SB 640)

Electronic communication – through email, cell phones and social media – has increasingly eclipsed postal mail and other hard-copy methods as our primary means of communication. Unfortunately, some government agencies interpret our outdated privacy laws to allow them to intercept and access a treasure trove of information about who you are, where you go, and what you do – the information being collected by search engines, social networking sites, and other websites every day.

February 13, 2015

PRIVACY: Require a Warrant to Search Cell Phones (SB 641)

Data stored on a smartphone or other portable electronic device can paint a near-complete picture of even the most intimate and personal details of our lives. Before the age of smartphones, it was impossible for police to gather this much information about a person’s communications, historical movements, and private life.

Today, police officers routinely search the contents of a person’s cell phone during an arrest or after a cell phone seizure. With increasing frequency, officers perform such searches with the aid of electronic devices that strip a cell phone of its data on the scene. Such searches are a highly concerning invasion of privacy and are, in our opinion, unconstitutional.

February 13, 2015

Digital Privacy Highlights Upcoming Legislative Session

2015 Legislative Preview

We had great success with Oregon legislators in 2013 on key privacy measures – one to guard against privacy invasion by law enforcement use of drones and the other to protect employees’ and university students’ digital privacy from unwarranted online snooping. We will continue to advance this agenda this session with a package of bills to curb mass surveillance.

January 29, 2015