Click here to download our 2022 legislative agenda, “Toward Prosperity for All Oregonians.”
All Oregonians deserve to live in dignity. Everyone — Black, brown, and white; rural and urban; immigrant and Indigenous — should enjoy economic security and the ability to flourish. In the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers can take meaningful steps to achieve this vision. In 2022, OCPP will work to:
Add racial and ethnic identity to the Oregon personal income tax form (SB 1569)
(Click here to read OCPP’s testimony)
Oregon’s tax system has deep roots in our racist history as a state; tax policy is not race-neutral. Partnering with the Oregon Education Association, Sen. Majority Leader Wagner, and a growing coalition of legislative leaders and community-based organizations, OCPP is working to expand the information available on how the tax system impacts Oregonians of different races and ethnicities. SB 1569 adds a voluntary question on race and ethnicity to Oregon’s income tax form. This information will help Oregonians better understand, among other things, whether particular tax breaks advantage particular racial groups. Better information is vital to ensure our tax code advances racial justice.
Enact Universal Representation (SB 1543)
(Click here to read OCPP’s testimony)
Deportation hampers Oregon’s economy and undermines key industries in the state. It wreaks havoc on family bonds and finances, with the brunt of harm falling on Oregon children. Despite the damage, Oregonians routinely are wrongly deported because they lack access to a lawyer. While immigration law is a federal matter, Oregon can reduce the harm of deportation by ensuring Oregonians have a lawyer in immigration court. OCPP supports legislation to enact Universal Representation, promoted by Causa, Latino Network, and Innovation Law Lab.
OCPP supports additional proposals in 2022:
- Farmworker Overtime. Farmworkers are key to Oregon’s agriculture industry; their labor deserves the same guarantee of overtime pay provided to other workers. (OCPP’s testimony)
- State-based Marketplace (HB 4035). A state-managed health insurance marketplace instead of the federal healthcare.gov could offer an affordable public option for people buying private health insurance. (Coalition sign-on letter)
- Transforming Justice (SB 1510). Policing reforms and investments in disproportionately policed communities would improve justice and safety for all Oregonians. (OCPP’s testimony)
- Oregon Worker Relief Fund (budget ask). Investing in working families harmed by the ongoing pandemic, but excluded from federal assistance, would improve family stability and child outcomes.
- Taxpayer Assistance (HB 4117). Accessible, culturally-appropriate taxpayer assistance would enable low-paid families to get life-changing tax credits that boost income. (OCPP’s testimony)
- Genuine Progress Indicator (HB 4093). Advance a comprehensive metric of the social, environmental, and economic progress of our state. (OCPP’s testimony)
- Cash for Low-Income Workers (HB 4157). A one-time $600 payment to help eligible low-income workers afford their necessities. (OCPP’s testimony)
We also stand at the ready to defend against efforts to undermine resources for important core programs. We will fight against new, wasteful tax breaks benefiting the rich and corporations.
You can take action today by writing to your lawmakers, encouraging them to support these policy proposals.
If you want more information on these policies, please contact Daniel Hauser, dhauser@ocpp.org.
