FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2019
Mike Westling, Fair Shot for All
(503) 498-8161
Statement by Fair Shot for All on the end of the 2019 Legislative Session
Salem, Ore.—As the Oregon Legislature prepares to conclude the 2019 session, Fair Shot for Oregon Executive Director Heather Stuart issued the following statement on behalf of the coalition:
“Today, the 2019 Legislative Session will come to a close. While the final week of session was delayed by attacks on our democracy and underhanded tactics by corporate lobbyists, we moved Oregon forward with a number of historic policy victories that put workers and families front and center. This progress is evidence of the strength we have when we come together to advance economic, racial, and gender justice as part of a unified agenda.
“Together, we fought to pass the most progressive paid family and medical leave in the country, protect people who rent their homes, invest billions in Oregon’s public schools, and make driver’s licenses available to all.
“Even though the legislature failed to begin comprehensive reform of Oregon’s public defense system, we will not give up. We will continue fighting to implement the full set of reforms called for by the Sixth Amendment Center in 2020, along with the funding needed to carry them out across the state.
“Despite this progress, several important policies did not receive a vote this session because Republican Senators chose corporate interests over their responsibility to their constituents. Looking forward, Fair Shot for All will continue to hold our elected leaders accountable—for their votes on the floor and their actions outside the capitol. We will continue working toward a future where all Oregonians have a voice in the political process and get a fair shot.”
About Fair Shot for All
Fair Shot for All is a growing movement of community groups, racial and gender justice organizations and labor unions fighting together for the Oregon we believe in. We are united behind a vision of the future where all of us — Oregonians of color, people of all genders and abilities, LGBTQ communities, immigrants and working families —have a fair shot.
Fair Shot For All includes AFT Oregon, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, Basic Rights Oregon, Bus Project, Causa Oregon, Coalition of Communities of Color, Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT), Family Forward Oregon, Forward Together, Healthcare for All Oregonians, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project, Oregon AFL-CIO, Oregon AFSCME, Oregon Education Association, Oregon Latino Health Coalition (OLHC), Oregon National Organization for Women, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon Student Association, Partnership for Safety and Justice, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon, Portland Jobs with Justice, Rural Organizing Project, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Unite Oregon, Urban League of Portland, Voz Workers’ Rights Education Project, and the YWCA.
Learn more at www.FairShotOregon.org