We are excited to announce we wrapped up the 2023 Oregon Legislative Session and what a session it was! Although we faced several challenges, we were successful on several of our top priorities. Through our legislative efforts, we centered the experiences of African American Oregonians and by extension all Oregonians. This session we tracked over 100 bills, with 22 of those bills being our top priorities. Several of our top priority bills were also on the agenda for the Fair Shot for All coalition, of which the Urban League of Portland is a founder and Steering Committee member. For all bills, testimony was provided, while our top priority bills received additional support and efforts, such as community events and social media. Our priorities focused on criminal justice reform, economic justice, education, environmental justice, food insecurity, government reform, health, housing/homelessness, language justice, voting reform, and workforce development.
Our Top Priorities:
Criminal Justice Reform
- Public Defender Student Loan Reform - HB 2467
- Public Defender Student Loan Reform - SB 413
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Fair Shot for All Agenda Priority
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Failed
- Relating to Pre-Plea Probation - SB 817
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Fair Shot for All Agenda Priority
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Failed
- Oregon Public Defense Commission – SB 337
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Fair Shot for All Agenda Priority
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Passed
Economic Justice
- Debt Collection Protection - HB 2008
- Guaranteed Income Pilot - HB 2734
- Guaranteed Income Pilot - HB 2738
- Oregon Kids' Credit – HB 3235
- Race and Ethnicity Data Collection on Income Tax Forms - SB 1
- Child Tax Credit Reform - SB 446
- Pathways to Empowerment - SB 918 (SB 5506 & SB 5511 absorbed SB 918)
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Click here to visit the Oregon Housing website to learn more
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Failed
- Emergency Board Appropriations - SB 5506
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Click here to visit the Oregon Housing website to learn more
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Passed
- Financial Administration of the Housing and Community Services Department - SB 5511
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Click here to visit the Oregon Housing website to learn more
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Passed
Food Insecurity
- Food for All Oregonians - SB 610
Government Reform
- Opportunity to Serve Act - SB 786
- ULPDX is one of the leading organizations for this bill
- Click here to visit the Oregon Legislature website to learn more
- Status: Failed
Health
- Reproductive & Gender Justice for All – HB 2002
Housing/Homelessness
- Stable Homes for Oregon Families - SB 611
- Stable Homes for Oregon Families – HB 2001 (formerly SB 799)
Language Justice
- Indigenous Language Justice - SB 612
- Indigenous Language Justice – SB 911 (formerly SB 613)
Voting Reform
- Rank Choice Voting - HB 2004
- Guaranteeing the Right to Vote - SB 579
This past May, Oregon legislators carried out the longest walkout in Oregon history, which lasted 6 weeks. The walkouts greatly impeded the legislative progress made by the Urban League of Portland and our coalition partners. While there was talk of a special session to be held in August, the legislators who walked out agreed to return just a week before Sine Die, the Constitutionally mandated last day of Session. As such, many of the Urban League’s priorities died, leaving unfinished business for the next legislative short session.
To reflect on what was accomplished and where do we go from here, we are hosting Our Voices United: 2023 Legislative Session Debrief on August 23rd at 6-7 pm! We will discuss our agenda, what we accomplished, our unfinished business, honoring Legislative Champions, and much more. This event will be virtual via the Urban League of Portland’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Click here to register!
If you have any accessibility needs, please let us know. We look forward to connecting with you and we know with your support we can make Oregon a better place for our community. Please let us know if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and we hope to connect with you!
Urban League of Portland - 2023 Legislative Agenda-End of Session--Top Priorities
Urban League of Portland - 2023 Legislative Agenda-End of Session--Full Agenda
Urban League of Portland
phone: 503.280.2600 | fax: 503.281.2612
10 N Russell St | Portland, OR | 97227
Our Voices United: 2023 Legislative Session Debrief
To reflect on what was accomplished and where do we go from here, we are hosting Our Voices United: 2023 Legislative Session Debrief on August 23rd at 6-7 pm! We will discuss our agenda, what we accomplished, our unfinished business, honoring Legislative Champions, and much more. This event will be virtual via the Urban League of Portland’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Click here to register!
