HB3508: Oregon's New Civil Union & Anti-Discrimination Bill Hits the House
In a press release by bill sponsor Mary Nolan...
Nolan bill revives hopes for civil unions, nondiscrimination
HB 3508 gives the House one more chance to vote on critical civil rights issue
Salem-Representative Mary Nolan (D-Portland) introduced House Bill 3508 Tuesday, which would authorize same-sex civil unions and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The bill includes provisions from a bill that passed the Oregon Senate on July 8, with a bi-partisan vote of 19-10. Like similar legislation in Vermont, Nolan's bill also contains a separate Republican-backed measure to establish "reciprocal benefits" for unmarried people.
"This bill is one final call to the Speaker of the House, asking her to schedule an up-or-down vote on a critical civil rights issue-the issue of civil unions and discrimination," Nolan said. "We're not asking for the Speaker's personal vote for civil unions. But we are demanding the opportunity for the whole House to debate a matter that the Senate has already dealt with decisively. Each State Representative has the duty to vote his or her own conscience on how the state treats families."
Despite the Senate's passage of SB 1000, which would have established civil unions and banned discrimination based on sexual identity, Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village) and the Republican leadership last week maneuvered to block the bills' progress to the floor of the House, where a debate and a vote could take place. Nolan labeled Minnis' maneuver "underhanded," and called it an abuse of the House Rules.
"This new bill is not a symbolic effort," Nolan said. "We're giving the Speaker of the House one more chance to do the right thing. Her job as Speaker is to schedule debates of bills, not to dictate how other Representatives cast their own votes. The matter of civil unions and discrimination deserves a full and open debate on the floor of the House. The voters of Oregon are entitled to know where their representatives stand on these issues. it's not acceptable that one person, the Speaker of the House, should stand in the way and prevent the House from doing its duty."
Combining the civil unions and anti-discrimination measure with the reciprocal-benefits bill should broaden the appeal of HB 3508, Nolan suggested. "I see no reason why we shouldn't have both," Nolan said. "The important thing, however, is that we cannot walk away from an issue that's critically important to the people of Oregon. We must tackle it this session."
Posted by Bryan Harding
Nolan bill revives hopes for civil unions, nondiscrimination
HB 3508 gives the House one more chance to vote on critical civil rights issue
Salem-Representative Mary Nolan (D-Portland) introduced House Bill 3508 Tuesday, which would authorize same-sex civil unions and ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The bill includes provisions from a bill that passed the Oregon Senate on July 8, with a bi-partisan vote of 19-10. Like similar legislation in Vermont, Nolan's bill also contains a separate Republican-backed measure to establish "reciprocal benefits" for unmarried people.
"This bill is one final call to the Speaker of the House, asking her to schedule an up-or-down vote on a critical civil rights issue-the issue of civil unions and discrimination," Nolan said. "We're not asking for the Speaker's personal vote for civil unions. But we are demanding the opportunity for the whole House to debate a matter that the Senate has already dealt with decisively. Each State Representative has the duty to vote his or her own conscience on how the state treats families."
Despite the Senate's passage of SB 1000, which would have established civil unions and banned discrimination based on sexual identity, Speaker Karen Minnis (R-Wood Village) and the Republican leadership last week maneuvered to block the bills' progress to the floor of the House, where a debate and a vote could take place. Nolan labeled Minnis' maneuver "underhanded," and called it an abuse of the House Rules.
"This new bill is not a symbolic effort," Nolan said. "We're giving the Speaker of the House one more chance to do the right thing. Her job as Speaker is to schedule debates of bills, not to dictate how other Representatives cast their own votes. The matter of civil unions and discrimination deserves a full and open debate on the floor of the House. The voters of Oregon are entitled to know where their representatives stand on these issues. it's not acceptable that one person, the Speaker of the House, should stand in the way and prevent the House from doing its duty."
Combining the civil unions and anti-discrimination measure with the reciprocal-benefits bill should broaden the appeal of HB 3508, Nolan suggested. "I see no reason why we shouldn't have both," Nolan said. "The important thing, however, is that we cannot walk away from an issue that's critically important to the people of Oregon. We must tackle it this session."
Posted by Bryan Harding
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at 2:22 PM.
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ByLetter, Letter, Letter, Call, Call, Call, e-mail, e-mail, e-mail!! Make those legislators know that if they truly represent us that equal rights will happen this session!!
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Time for a phone bank!
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