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:
In 2009, the ACLU successfully sponsored legislation (HB 2371) that restricts the swiping of the barcode on Oregon Driver Licenses (ODL) through an electronic reader. The barcodes contain significant personal information, including name, date of birth (DOB), address, height, weight, gender, driver license number, driving restrictions and donor status.
HB 3133, the statutory companion to HJR 25 was intended to place uniform statutory requirements if law enforcement were to use roadblocks (assuming HJR 25 passed).
As noted in the article on HJR 34, the ACLU challenged portions of the 2007 laws that made it a crime to provide sexually explicit material to minors in Powell’s Books v. Kroger. Because the 9th Circuit held one law unconstitutional and a portion of another law unconstitutional, we looked for an opportunity to repeal those unconstitutional provisions.
The ACLU proposed SB 266, which would have provided consumer privacy protections if Oregon implements toll collection for roadways. We believe it is important that prior to use of toll collection in Oregon sufficient privacy protections for consumers be put in place. These protections include allowing a person to travel on a toll road anonymously (allowing for some means of cash payment), restricting the use of any personal information collected for any other purpose other than toll collection and requiring the government to provide sufficient information to consumers about their privacy protection options and rights.
Currently, school districts are required to provide their students with the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance once a week. HB 3604 was introduced to expand the current requirement by allowing for daily recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance.
HB 3512, sponsored by almost all of the House Republicans, would have prohibited a woman from obtaining an abortion after 20 weeks except in limited circumstances. Banning abortions starting at 20 weeks – which is a pre-viability stage of pregnancy – directly contradicts longstanding U.S. Supreme Court precedent.