Action: Attend Legislative Town Hall

Attend Legislative Town Hall Thursday, April 2, 7 pm

Your legislators (Senator Jackie Dingfelder and Representatives Ben Cannon and Michael Dembrow) are having a town hall Thursday evening, April 2nd. This is a great opportunity to hear directly from them about the critical decisions they'll make in the next few months that will shape Oregon's future. For those of you who signed up for our "Adopt your Legislator" project, this is a wonderful way to start getting to know your legislators. (If you want to know more about our "Adopt Your Legislator" project – call us!)

The meeting will be at PCC Southeast Center, Mt. Tabor Hall, Rooms 139 and 149, at the corner of SE 82nd and Division St., and will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 2nd.  (Parking will be free)

While hearing about their priorities, you can also let them know what you would like from them. We encourage you to not only attend but also to ask pointed questions. This is an opportunity to find out what they think on issues we care about.

If you attend, here are a few questions you might want to ask:

• Oregon spends a greater percentage of its general fund budget on our prison system than any other state. In these tough economic times, it seems like we need different priorities. What will you do to reduce the amount of tax dollars we spend on prisons?
• Currently there is a proposal to build a new prison in Junction City which will cost hundreds of millions of dollars. There is also a proposed budget that cuts over $100 million dollars from community-based addiction treatment and mental health services. This seems like a very poor choice of public safety spending. Are you committed to shifting this equation?
• Right now Oregon automatically treats 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds as adults when they are simply charged with a Measure 11 crime. The research around the country shows that taking kids out of the juvenile justice system increases future crime and damages the future of those young people. There are reforms being proposed to change this, like offering youth a second look hearing half way through their sentence. Are you willing to support this effort? By the way, the staff of Oregon Youth Authority who work with these kids on a daily basis support these reforms.
• Services for crime survivors are already underfunded, and the budget includes a 10% cut. In 2007, there were over 17,000 requests for emergency services that went unmet due to lack of funding. Studies have shown that violence against women increases as male unemployment increases. Are you committed to fully funding the Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Fund?

Tips:

• Time will be tight.
•  Keep your questions short and provide questions rather than make comments. We learn more from how legislators respond to questions.
• Take notes on how they respond and please forward your notes to us.

Your voice matters, especially to the elected officials in your district. Let’s work together to help make Oregon smart on crime!