AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE           FOR ALL OREGON

Hearing Monday May 13, 2013 Oregon State Capitol

    The House Committee on Health Care will hold a hearing on HB 2922, the Affordable Health Care for All Oregon Plan (Single Payer), at the State Capitol in Salem on Monday, May 13, from 1-2:45 p.m. The entire hearing will be devoted to testimony on our issue. We will also be lobbying our legislators (representatives and senators) and testifying at the hearing on that day. Please make appointments with your legislators ahead of time (now) to lobby before and after the hearing. A list of House Committee on Health Care members, with contact information, is at http://hcao.org/health-care-legislation/.
Terry Rogers will give a training on lobbying in Room 50 at 9:30. Plan to attend a surprise  media event, 11:30-noon in Room 50, with performers from the TREE Institute and stories from several patients about the impact of insurance claim denial on their health and lives. Lunch (brown bag) will be at noon, also in Room 50. Please wear Health Care is a Human Right (red) t-shirts if you have them..
Visit http://hcao.org/hb-2922-hearing for more information on HB 2922, updates on the hearing schedule and transportation options. Terry’s tips for lobbying your legislators are at http://hcao.org/legislative-tools/.
Good news from Salem! HB 3260 update   An amended version of HB 3260 passed unanimously in the House Committee on health Care and is now headed for the Ways and Means Committee before a possible floor vote. See http://hcao.org/health-care-legislation/ for the engrossed version of the bill. This is the financial feasibility study that is essential if Oregon is to achieve cost-effective health care. The study does not require taxpayer funding, yet it can potentially save millions of dollars in taxpayer spending.

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DOES SALEM NEED A BRIDGASAURUS?

City Council Hearing on 3rd Bridge continues on May 13, 2013 at 6:30 pm City Hall

Concerned about the $800 million, redundant, sprawl-inducing 3rd Bridge AKA Salem River Crossing?  Come to the City Council hearing on May 13.  This continues the hearing begun on April 22 when both sides packed the Council chambers. NO 3rd Bridge  called the 4/22 hearing a victory for for the great show of support and compelling arguments against the bridge spelled out by many speakers. NO 3rd Bridge keeps up with what public officials are doing, combats bad information with good data, offers less expensive more practical options for traffic flow across the river, and provides a voice for citizen concerns. Come to the City Council Hearing on 5/13 to say NO 3rd Bridge!
( http://www.facebook.com/pages/NO-3rd-Bridge/350926584998087 ) 

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Oregon Climate Action Day
May 22, 2013 from 11 am – 4 pm. At the Capitol

Folks from Southern Oregon are calling for a state-wide Day of Climate Action at the Capitol – a rally with speakers and lobbying state legislators on climate issues, including a revenue neutral carbon tax. They are bringing their magnificent salmon, a huge community art project created for an event in Medford in solidarity with the national Forward on Climate demonstration in February against the Keystone XL pipeline.

Like pieces of a giant jigsaw puzzle, dozens of cutout cardboard panels were distributed to community members to be decorated. Assembled, the pieces form a giant salmon to symbolize the potential harm that climate change could do to Oregon’s ecosystems and natural habitats. See a photo of the salmon here and see it in person on May 22. For the Salem event, a more cardboard pieces will be decorated and assembled to form an outline of Oregon around the salmon.

If you would like to create some cardboard art for the Oregon outline, or help coordinate Salem logistics and outreach or want to schedule an appointment with your legislator, contact OSO member Laurie Dougherty – lauriedougherty@gmail.com

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Oregon PeaceWorks Closing

Sadly, Oregon PeaceWorks, which was instrumental in starting Occupy Salem Oregon and has been a great friend to OSO since the beginning, is unable to continue financially and will close at the end of this month. Although OPW will no longer exist as an organization, the board, staff and members are committed to continuing their activism for peace, social justice and sustainability. OPW is trying to pay off its debt and welcomes contributions. The organization is also liquidating office furniture, kitchen equipment and peace-related items. Contributions can be sent to Oregon PeaceWorks, 104 Commercial Street NE, Salem, OR 97301 or submitted securely through OPW’s website. Please visit the OPW website and Face Book page to learn more.
http://oregonpeaceworks.org/
https://www.facebook.com/OregonPeaceWorks

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We the people of Occupy Salem recognize the blatant injustices that are being perpetrated by the political and economic structures in our own nation and around the world. In solidarity with groups such as Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Portland, we support was to re-empower the individual and society, so that we may identify and discuss solutions to resolve expressed issues, through recognizing our common humanity. Occupy Salem is an all-inclusive, ongoing action in which people may engage in meaningful conversation to find common ground. We invite you to add your voice.

Occupy Salem holds an informal general assembly on Friday nights at 7 pm at the Friends Meeting House located at 490 19th Street NE, Salem, Oregon. Please check the calendar for activities held by Occupy Salem and allied organizations.  http://www.osoga.com/calendar

General Assembly Minutes
Occupy Salem Committee List