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:
Representative Wally Hicks (R-Grants Pass) introduced HB 2962 that would have brought Oregon’s speedy trial rules in line with protections provided by the U.S. and Oregon constitutions. Under existing law, Oregon’s statutes provide greater protection of the right to a speedy trial than do the constitutions.
The Oregon Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) was passed in 2009 over the ACLU’s strong objection and set up a mechanism for the government to collect, store, and track information about Oregonians’ prescription drug records for Schedules II, III, and IV drugs.
The ACLU has always believed that information we provide in exchange for a specific purpose, service or benefit should only be used for that purpose unless we consent to an additional use of our personal information. Any data collected, maintained and stored by the government, especially data about our private medical history should be as secure as possible and access to the data strictly limited.
Counter to these values, SB 470 was introduced this session with a long list of provisions to expand the program – both in the number of entities with access to the data collected and the scope of information collected.
Immigrant rights advocates had been working for over a decade on the issue until the Legislature finally passed HB 2787 this session, promoting equal access to education for all eligible Oregonians regardless of citizenship status. Introduced with strong bipartisan support from members in both the House and the Senate, HB 2787 enables Oregonians who have grown up in Oregon but are unable to prove lawful presence in the country to still apply for in-state tuition at Oregon colleges and universities.
March 2012 - Oregon voters approved a ballot measure in 2010 to send their legislators to Salem annually, rather than every other year, and this 2012 session marked the first annual session under this new law. The constitutional provision caps the session at 35 days in even-numbered years. Though members of the legislature proceeded through much of the session with the ambitious expectation of adjourning at the end of February, the final gavel fell just one day short of the constitutional limit in the evening hours of March 5th.
Read full legislative report (PDF).
To see how your legislator voted on civil liberties issues, download the ACLU of Oregon's 2011-2012 Legislative Scorecard (PDF).
November 2012- The ACLU of Oregon made recommendations on 2 ballot measures. Here are the final results:
In addition to making choices about elected leaders and statewide issues, voters in Gresham will have the opportunity this November to make a decision on an important voting rights issue: should the Gresham City Council return to a system of district elections? In 1986 the Gresham voters chose to replace its district elections system with at-large elections, which is the system that exists today. Gresham Ballot Measure 26-141 would preserve the at-large election of the mayor, but would require Gresham City Council members to reside in and be elected from one of six council districts.
Because at-large elections too often dilute minority voting strength or obstruct the ability of minority communities to elect candidates of their choice, the ACLU of Oregon supports Measure 26-141 and urges Gresham voters to vote YES.