Oct. 21: Gov. Brown responds to national executive order, says Oregon will accept refugees
In response to a recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump, Oregon Governor Kate Brown announced that Oregon would accept refugees into the state. The executive order, signed on Sept. 26, requires the secretary of state and the secretary of health and human services to develop a process in which state and local consent is considered when refugees are being resettled within 90 days of its signing. According to The Oregonian, states that do not consent through the process would not have refugees resettled in their state.
Oct. 22: Ballot measure to repeal driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants fails
Initiative Petition 43, which would overturn legislation that allowed undocumented immigrants to own Oregon driver’s licenses, was rejected by Oregon Secretary of State Beverly Clarno, who announced the decision. According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, while the petition had gained enough signatures to be on the 2020 ballot, it was rejected due to not having provided the “full text of the approved law” as required by the state constitution. While the initiative called to repeal House Bill 2015, which was passed in this year’s legislative session, it did not specify any legislation that would be replacing it.
Oct. 23: Oregon State Police end contract with Oregon State University
Oregon State Police is ending their contract with Oregon State University, which according to Oregon Public Broadcasting, was announced by the Oregon State Police. The reason the OSP provided was staffing shortages. This will take effect when their current contract expires June 30, 2020. OSP provided OSU with law enforcement in the past and currently provides one lieutenant, one sergeant, 10 troopers and two administrative staff. The decision comes two days after OSP released a campus officer’s body cam footage of the arrest of a black female student. Students questioned the use of force in the footage, and the NAACP denounced the officer’s actions during the arrest. When asked if the decision was at all related to the incident, OSP said they had no statement at the time.
Oct. 25: Executive order expands LGBTQ+ equal rights in Oregon
Governor Brown signed an executive order to prevent state agencies from discriminating against people based on their gender identity. The order expands upon one that was previously signed in 1987, originally preventing states from discriminating based on sexual orientation. According to PortlandMonthly, in addition to expanding protections for the LGBTQ+ community, the order also requires that state agencies expand all-gender restroom access and modify forms to include a third gender option, “X,” along with “M” and “F.”