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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Portland Should Stay Out of FBI's Spy Program

The Portland City Council voted 3-2 to rejoin the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). The council will consider the proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the FBI on February 25.

January 28, 2015

Open Letter to Oregon District Attorneys

Criminal justice advocates and leaders call upon you to start now on implementing important drug policy reforms.

November 20, 2014 – Although Oregon voters passed Measure 91 with a 12-point margin, implementation of this better, smarter approach to marijuana policy will not be complete until the first half of 2016. We don't have to wait until then to start to mitigate the damage done by decades of criminalization, wasted law enforcement time and squandered taxpayer money.

Prosecutors in Oregon's largest county have already decided to dismiss, and stop prosecuting, marijuana-related offenses that would no longer exist under Measure 91. Other county prosecutors should follow Multnomah County's lead. 

A strong majority of Oregon voters have directed the state to stop treating marijuana as a crime and to better prioritize our limited law enforcement resources. With so many lives and so much money at stake, waiting would be unreasonable and clearly damaging to Oregon's communities. We should work quickly to limit the damage already caused by a feckless war against marijuana.

We urge you to cease enforcement of marijuana laws that will no longer exist when provisions of Measure 91 take effect in July.

November 21, 2014

Election Results - 2014 Ballot Measures

November 2014- The ACLU of Oregon made recommendations on four ballot measures. Here are the final results:

November 5, 2014

Oregonians Were Asked the Wrong Question on Driver Cards

Confusing ballot title obscured public safety intent of Measure 88

November 5, 2014 - Measure 88 would have increased public safety in Oregon by ensuring that all drivers who travel our roads have demonstrated safe driving and knowledge of the rules of the road – and can obtain liability insurance. This election has done nothing to eliminate the very real and very urgent need for all drivers to be licensed in our state. 

Our coalition knew from the beginning that this was going to be a very difficult campaign. A confusing and misleading ballot title obscured the public safety and community intent and actual effects of the law. We believe this measure, as it was described on the ballot, skewed voters against the underlying idea that anyone who drives on Oregon’s roads should be licensed, because the ballot title focused on individuals who lack “proof of legal presence in United States” and stirred up fears among many voters who thought it meant that some immigrants would be granted a special privilege.  

The purpose of the driver card law, passed with bipartisan support by Oregon lawmakers and signed by the Governor, was not to grant anyone special privileges, but to increase highway safety by extending the opportunity to obtain driving privileges to all Oregon residents by subjecting them to the same testing, registration and insurance requirements as all other drivers.

November 5, 2014

YOU DECIDE on Measure 90 - Top Two Primary (2014)

Measure 90 (the “top-two primary” measure) raises two civil liberties interests: meaningful access to the ballot for minority party and independent candidates and voters, and the right of association for political parties. Because of the competing civil liberties interests raised by the top-two primary, the ACLU of Oregon is neutral* on the measure and encourages voters to carefully examine arguments on both sides in order to make an informed decision as to their vote.

September 18, 2014

Equal Protection: YES on Measure 88 - Driver Card (2014)

The ACLU of Oregon’s work is rooted in the notion that all persons in Oregon deserve protection under the law and the right to be free from discrimination. We also believe that the purpose of requiring that every driver be licensed should be to ensure that drivers know the rules of the road, have liability insurance and have the skills to drive safely – not to act as a proxy for enforcement of federal immigration law.

We strongly opposed the changes to Oregon law in 2007 that added the requirement for all Oregon driver license applicants and renewals to provide proof of lawful presence in the U.S. Measure 88 is a common sense measure designed to make our roads and communities more safe by creating a limited purpose and limited duration driver “card” that would be available to those that would otherwise qualify for a license but, for whatever reason, cannot “prove” their lawful presence in the U.S.

September 16, 2014