I cannot stress enough how important it is for people who care about clean air to speak up at their local and state level. So many important decisions get made “close to home.” We often think that our voices are so small, and the federal government is so far away, that we cannot meaningfully make change. I hope everyone understands that is not true. In this post, I want to walk Oregonians through how to make their voices on clean air heard.
For those of you who listened to the podcast about tobacco and teens, you know that we have no Statewide tobacco retail licensing here in Oregon. This is embarrassing. It means we do not really have a reliable way to ensure that tobacco is being sold in accordance with our laws. There is finally a bill this session in the Oregon legislature that has a chance of passing. The American Cancer Society is advocating it for it passionately. Unfortunately, it does include a provision that makes it harder for local municipalities to prohibit sales of tobacco in pharmacies. Therefore other very well meaning organizations oppose it. This is pretty tricky. On balance, I think it is worth having a Statewide law since many in our rural communities are disproportionately affected by tobacco. I am someone who thinks that better is good, and that we can address additional problems once we make a statewide program to at least better understand the scope of the current problem. I plan to testify in support of this measure today at 1pm, even though I held deep respect for those who may oppose it due to the pharmacy issue. Let’s walk through how I am actually going to express that.
First, how do you find out what bill to even care about? There are a huge number of bills each year, and many of them overlap on similar issues, and whenever you try to talk to a legislator, they always want the bill number, and you just want to talk about the issue. I recall wandering around the Capitol building on my own meeting with legislators and trying to talk to them about the diesel problem or tobacco taxes, and they would always be asking for a bill number, which I never knew. It is a challenge. I would recommend partnering with an advocacy organization that is science-based, has a good track-record, and has professional staff who work on these issues and track different bills carefully. They can help point you to where a bill is, whether the current version is still strong, when public hearings will be held, etc. For example, I often work with American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Lung Association, and Neighbors for Clean Air. There are many more. I have testified at the invitation of all of these organizations as well. Sometimes they will help sign you up for testimony, or sometimes they will ask you to sign up to give testimony on a particular bill number. You may also read about a bill number in the news, or hear about it in an email. It’s important that you actually go read the text of what’s being considered, since some different organizations may have their own ulterior motives and be misrepresenting a bill to you. Finally, if you have a lot of time, you can explore all the individual bills off the Legislature’s homepage- they really do want to hear from you!
Go to OregonLegislature.gov. If you have never been to this homepage, take a minute. They have information on how to find your State Representative and Senator, as well as other elected officials. I always recommend learning who they are, and calling or sending them an e-mail to introduce yourself and tell them issues in your community that need improvement. They hear from a lot of lobbyists, and hearing from ordinary citizens is important. There is information on the left of the screen to review bills, and how to interact in these COVID19 times.
To keep going and find the bill when you know the number, click on OLIS (Oregon Legislative Information System). Then click on “Bills.” I’m looking for SB (Senate Bill) 587, so I click on that. (See, there are a lot of bills!)
To keep going and find the bill when you know the number, click on OLIS (Oregon Legislative Information System). Then click on “Bills.” I’m looking for SB (Senate Bill) 587, so I click on that. (See, there are a lot of bills!)
We are now at the overview for the bill. This page has a lot of information, and you can click through the tabs to find the text of the introduced Bill, amendments, and also supporting testimony that’s already been submitted. Is important the testimony is submitted so that the committee reviewing the Bell has the information and different perspectives, including yours. Therefore, you generally need to submit the testimony in time for the public hearing for the bill. You find that under “Scheduled Events,” and then you click on the specific date and time that that committee is meeting.
You can then confirm that the bill you are planning to testify on is being discussed at that session. If you go to the bottom of the page, there are instructions for how you can submit written testimony if you can’t be present during the time of the bill. Or, if you want to testify live, you can fill out a form to be able to testify by live by remote video. That means you need to request that before the start of the session, and they will send you a Microsoft Teams link. You then need to log on and be available to be called on before the bill in question. The schedule gives you a rough estimate, but times often run over. For some people it may be simpler to submit written testimony. If you want to watch the proceedings, you can see on the right a whole host of video links. Every session is recorded, and you can watch the video later at your convenience or live.
Now go forth and speak up for clean air!
TLDR= Don't Light Things on Fire and Breathe them into your Lungs
To Do:
1- Look up who represents you, and send an e-mail to them telling them how important tobacco control and air pollution control are to you.
2- Go to the ALA, ACS, or Neighbors for Clean Air to learn about important issues in your community and raise your voice about them.
3- Submit testimony on an issue that is important to you. Consider signing up to testify in person as well!
4- If your time is limited, consider “being a billboard” by wearing an Air Health Our Health shirt (proceeds to ALA) or donating to other clean air organizations.
