Congress should improve, not repeal, Obamacare
Senate Republicans introduced yet another health care bill on September 13 in a final effort to repeal Obamacare by using a special budget procedure to advance the legislation with a simple majority by the end of September. League of Women Voters of the U.S. president Chris Carson issued the following statement:
“This last-ditch effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act is more of the same: cuts to Medicare and the loss of health coverage for millions of Americans.
“Senators are, once again, trying to rush through irresponsible legislation before the window closes this month…
“The Affordable Care Act is not a perfect law but it has provided health care to millions of Americans who previously went without coverage.
“It is high time Congress stopped trying to repeal Obamacare and started focusing on ways to improve the law.”
Tell the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to Support Voters and Democracy
The freedom to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Protecting our voting rights is part of the mission of the League of Women Voters. Politicians should not be putting up barriers that prevent people from voting, purging eligible registered voters and collecting their personal information.
The Commission on Election Integrity met on September 12 in New Hampshire. Reports about the meeting from NH TV stations can be found here and here.
Please help us encourage commission members to make voting easier, not more difficult. They should be protecting, not suppressing, the votes of Americans and building trust in our democratic process.
Public comments may be submitted at any time prior to the submission of the Commission’s final report. To submit a comment for future meetings of the Commission, please visit Regulations.gov and click the Comment Now button on the top right portion of the screen. For more information, see lwv.org.
LWV Oregon Stands with Children to Address Climate Change
On September 6, the League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) joined the League of Women Voters United States (LWVUS) to file an Amicus Curiae Brief in Federal Court in the case of Juliana v. U.S. The press release from LWVOR states, “The Leagues support the 21 young people from across the United States who have filed a landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit against the federal government, via the Eugene, Oregon- based organization, Our Children’s Trust. The complaint asserts that, in causing climate change, the federal government has violated the youngest generation’s constitutional rights to life, liberty, and property, as well as failed to protect essential public trust resources.” Read the entire press release here.
The Impact of Oregon Fires
We are saddened by the effects of the Columbia Gorge fires and other Oregon wildfires on our environment and on Oregonians. Our hearts go out to those who have had their lives disrupted; have lost property, cherished places or animals; or have experienced the fear and anxiety caused by these disasters. We also want to express our gratitude to the firefighters, rescuers and government employ
ees who are working to contain the fires and protect people and property.
If you also are concerned about the economic impact of these fires, you may be interested in this post on the impact of natural disasters from the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis.
Updates about the Eagle Creek and other fires are posted regularly here by a federal inter-agency incident information system.
Sept. 12 Civic Education Event YouTube Video Available Now
Back to the Future – Revisiting Oregon’s Budget
The League of Women Voters of Portland’s kick-off Civic Education Program for 2017-18 was a panel discussion on how Oregon will move forward in the current fiscal environment. Panelists were Senator Michael Dembrow from the Oregon Legislature and Jeremy Rogers, Vice President of the Oregon Business Council. The original event was held on Tuesday, September 12, 7 – 9 pm, at the Multnomah County Boardroom, 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
MetroEast Community Media will rebroadcast this event and it will be available for online streaming at www.lwvpdx.org.
Watch a Replay of this Forum
Comcast Frontier
Fri 9/22/17 6:00 p.m. 29 37
Mon 9/25/17 2:00 p.m. 21 32
Fri 9/29/17 6:30 p.m. 21 32
Sun 10/1/17 3:00 p.m. 29 37