Aligning Intentions and Action
In Salem on Advocacy Day, April 7, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm, members of St. Andrew and others from the Oregon Synod will be supporting and speaking up for important legislative priorities. Advocacy Day is organized by the Sacred Organizing Coalition, a group of community based teams and faith communities working together toward a horizon where all Oregonians belong. This is an opportunity to support the following bills:
- House Bill 2953 (HB2953) is a bill in the 2025 Oregon legislative session that would remove the state’s cap on special education funding. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Courtney Neron, D-Wilsonville. The bill is intended to address the under resourcing of schools in Oregon, which is one of only seven states that caps special education funding. The cap has left districts having to raise revenue from other sources, which can impact other programs and services.
- Senate Bill 611 establishes the Food for All Oregonians Program in the Department of Human Services to provide nutrition assistance to residents of this state who would qualify for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program but for their immigration status. The bill requires the department to implement the program by January 1, 2027, and to conduct statewide outreach, education, and engagement to maximize enrollment in the program.
- Senate Bill 682, the “Make Polluters Pay Act,” refers to proposed legislation in Oregon that aims to establish a “Climate Superfund Cost Recovery Program” which would require large fossil fuel companies responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions to pay for the costs associated with climate change damage, essentially making the polluters financially accountable for the harm they cause.
- House Bill 3193, the Farmworker Disaster Relief Act, would create a relief program to provide money to farmworkers who have lost income due to a disaster. It requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish and implement a permanent farmworker disaster relief program.
Register at oregonsynodelca.regfox.com/2025-advocacy-day for the event. Also let us know if you plan to attend so we can try to coordinate a carpool for those attending from St. Andrew. Let’s align our intentions and actions.