On Feb.18, the Oregon capitol was filled by supporters for the March for Our Students, and lobbying groups for the Clean Energy Jobs bill, Senate bill 501 for gun control, and the ACLU.
The March for Our Students was in support of increased funding for schools in light of large class sizes and understaffing. Educators and students from schools across Oregon stood outside the capitol, marched and wrote testimonies to legislators. The march was organized by the Oregon Education Association.
OYLI, a student led organization from Eugene, organized a lobby day at the capitol for the Clean Energy Jobs bill, or House bill 2020 (HB2020). 100 kids from across Oregon participated in the lobby day. They received training on the bill and lobbying, and met with legislators from their district. Students testified in front of the Joint Committee on Carbon Reduction to urge voting yes on HB2020. Both Governor Kate Brown and President of the Oregon Senate, Peter Courtney, have stated they will support the bill and will not end the legislative session without passage of the bill.
“I went lobbying for house bill 2020 because I believe that Clean Energy jobs will lead to a better future for ourselves and our planet. If Oregon passes this law it will mean that we will be leading the way in holding big polluters accountable and investing in clean energy solutions. I am so proud to be involved in this historic piece of legislation,” Eddy Binford-Ross ‘21 said.*
Lobbying also took place at the capitol in support of Senate bill 501, a student written gun safety bill organized through Oregon March for Our Lives. The American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU) also lobbied at the capitol for “juvenile justice reform, privacy protections, and immigrant rights,” according to their website.
*Binford-Ross, a news editor for the Clypian, was the only current South student present at the lobby day.
