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See the December All-Members Newsletter here .

CLIMATE LEGISLATION IS OUR TOP ISSUE Date: February 21, 2020 To: All League Members and Oregonians From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Julie Chapman and Claudia Keith, Climate Portfolio WE NEED SUPPORTERS IN THE CAPITOL DAILY THESE NEXT TWO WEEKS We want to be in the halls, in the House and Senate chambers, and in our legislators’ offices – making sure they know how important it is to pass climate legislation in 2020. The Oregon Greenhouse Gas Initiative ( SB 1530 and HB 4167 – identical bills) is broadly supported throughout the state. Thousands have submitted testimony and published opinion pieces, from public health providers, to your League . We recognize the urgency to address this Climate Crisis. If you have legislators who might walkout over the climate bill , please contact them immediately to let them know how important it is to you that they remain to vote. Find Your Legislators Here. If you are uncertain of their stand on the Oregon Greenhouse Gas Initiative, thank them for supporting this thoughtful approach to reducing our emissions . PLEASE JOIN US DURING THE NEXT WEEKS IN SALEM! WE WILL MAKE SURE LEGISLATORS KNOW WE ARE COUNTING ON THEM TO VOTE! Because schedules shift daily (even hourly now!), we encourage you to sign up for “Get Involved” updates from Renew Oregon, for the most up-to-date information on what is happening in the capitol. We rely on Renew Oregon, the large coalition LWVOR works with on climate legislation.

See the November All-Members Newsletter here.

LWVOR Action for Climate 2023 Proposed Rulemaking! Time-Sensitive Deadline: On or Before Oct 13, 2023, 4pm Date : October 9, 2023 To : All League Members From: LWVOR Co-Presidents Lisa Bentson & Rebecca Gladstone (Advocacy Chair) Claudia Keith, LWVOR Climate Emergency Portfolio Coordinator Arlene Sherrett, LWVOR Climate Emergency Portfolio ACTION: Contact DEQ RE: Climate 2023 Rulemaking REQUEST: We are asking local League members throughout Oregon to protect this critical piece of climate rulemaking by emailing DEQ at cpp.info@deq.oregon.gov . EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS to DEQ : Tell DEQ what matters to you! See our DEQ letter and tell DEQ what matters to You! We feel the Climate 2023 Rulemaking should: Ensure direct benefits for Oregon communities by only allowing biomethane (aka Renewable Natural Gas) compliance credits for production within Oregon, not from out-of-state. Restrict hydrogen for CPP compliance unless DEQ ensures it is green electrolytic hydrogen. Other hydrogen sources and types are far more polluting, with more risks for our energy system. Strengthen emissions reduction requirements for industries. BACKGROUND: DEQ is developing rules to implement the Climate Protection Program (CPP), passed with overwhelming community support after 18 months of work. These rules have been developed and won’t be reviewed again for another five years. The LWVOR Climate Emergency Team feels changes are still needed to close loopholes and guarantee robust emissions reductions. The CPP’s Community Climate Investment (CCI) program is designed to play a key role in generating community benefits and limiting greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon . However, those benefits have been cut back by utilities’ input. This is our last opportunity to persuade DEQ to make changes before the proposed rules are presented to EQC for final approval in November!

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear colleague, Alice Bartelt, who has been President since May 2023 and long-standing Action Chair, trusted informally as Parliamentarian for the League of Women Voters of Oregon. Read more about Alice's life and legacy in her obituary. A Celebration of Life for Alice Bartelt has been set for 4pm October 13. Lisa Bentson, our First Vice President, and Rebecca Gladstone, Second Vice President, will be Acting Co-Presidents of the League of Women Voters of Oregon. Please contact lwvor@lwvor.org with any questions or messages you would like to share. Responses from members: I always felt connected to Alice by her responsible activity on behalf of all us Leaguers and by extension all Oregonians. A loss for all LWVers of Oregon. My condolences you — and to family. Fran Greenlee, Bend This is so very sad. I send ALL of us sympathies for this unwelcomed event. She was one very special person. Barbara Klein This is truly sad news. What a loss for the League and all of us who worked with Alice for so many years. Marge Easley Oh dear! She will be so missed! She really cared so much about doing the right thing! Josie Koehne This is such sad news. What a great loss. Katie Riley Alice gave so much to the League for so long, as well as to her work as a parliamentarian. A great loss. Debbie Kaye Alice was a model for many of us. She could be responsible to groups, keeping up with her political commitments, but also keep an individual life. She could be generous and kind, and also keep things in order with Robert’s Rules. One of the lights in the room we were blessed to know. Jody Wiser Oh, my deepest sympathies to her family and friends. I had many positive experiences working alongside her at the capitol and in meetings. Alice, thank you for all you did for the people in this state. John Bartholomew My sympathies to Alice's family, friends, and her League family and friends too. Carol Moon Goldberg Condolences to all her family as well as to the League family. Abigail Bok In sadness I join you to mourn the passing of Alice Bartelt. What a woman. What a leader! Please continue to keep all of us in the loop regarding any memorial service and how her memory can be honored. Most Respectfully, Kathleen Mason A profound loss. Our condolences to Alice's loved ones and the LWV of Oregon community. League of Women Voters of the United States We will miss Alice, not only for her expertise, but for her grace. Carolyn Buppert Alice's passing has shocked and saddened so many of us. My sympathy to her family and to all those that love her. She had an impressive memory for Robert's Rules of Order and League protocol. At meetings I attended where she was Parliamentarian, she never referred to the rule book. She was organized, knowledgeable about so many things, gracious in conversation, and devoted to the League. Her passing is a loss to so many people. Judy Froemke, LWVPDX Member Education Chair I knew Alice as a dedicated, knowledgeable, respectful, and generous League leader. She was committed to helping the Oregon League achieve its advocacy priorities. She also kindly shared her time and expertise to serve as a parliamentarian and a speaker for local Leagues as well as LWVOR. Her death is a sad loss for all of us who knew her and who benefited from her service to the League and to Oregon. Margaret Noel We mourn the loss of this hardworking, effective leader. As chair of the League of Women Voters of Oregon's action on state issues, she made a difference to all Oregonians, and she will be sorely missed. Peggy Bengry I was so saddened to hear of the death of your president and wonderful League leader, Alice. I know her family and your league family are in mourning and devastated. I am reaching out to let you know that we are here to help in any way we can and mourn along with you. Take care and extend my condolences to your board and membership. Yours in League, Deborah Turner My deepest sympathies on losing Alice. She was a guiding light in our League as Chair of the LWVOR Action Committee and newly elected President. Her contributions and work ethic were an inspiration to us all. It was an honor to be a member under her leadership in the state Action Committee. She was a remarkable woman and her work will live on both in the League and in our hearts. My sincere condolences, she will be dearly missed. Fondly, Nancy Donovan, member of the LWVOR Action Committee, and Chair of the LWVPDX Education Committee I knew Alice in a variety of contexts — the American Association of University Women of Oregon and the Oregon League of Women Voters. I am profoundly saddened that I won’t see and hear her leading the LWVOR State Public Policy team, receive her informative emails about the legislature or experience her keeping AAUW of OR members on track with her wise leadership as Parliamentarian. I don’t usually use the signature I typed in below, but I thought it might give you an idea about how Alice and I intersected. There are many qualities I admired about Alice, but perhaps the most important to me was her generosity. When I took over from her, Kappy Eaton and Marcia Kelley as the AAUW of OR State Public Policy Chair some nine years ago, Alice was always helpful in getting me going, answering questions and so on. I frankly felt that she wasn’t given enough credit for the work she did before I came on, but I hope she heard my appreciation. Although I didn’t see her organize things, I experienced the results of that organizing talent. It’s hard for me to believe all the “balls in the air” that she balanced. Alice was very perceptive and I so very much appreciated her willingness to be honest. It is a quality I cherish and one which is all too often in short supply. I have some wonderful memories sitting at a luncheon table, trading a chuckle or two about this or that — sometimes about the state legislative world, sometimes about the AAUW and LWV worlds. I sought her company when she wasn’t sitting at the head table, although we shared that assignment as well. My sincere condolences to you, her family. I will miss Alice. Warm regards, Trish Garner, J.D., M.S.W. Member, State Action Committee, League of Women Voters of Oregon Member, Board and Portland Justice Interest Group, League of Women Voters of Portland, Oregon Member, National Inclusion and Equity Committee, American Association of University Women State Public Policy Chair, 2014 - 2022 and Current State Diversity Chair, American Association of University Women of Oregon I am so sorry to learn this. I worked with Alice on the state Higher Education study and was immediately impressed with her wealth of knowledge about the League and other matters, as well as her organizational skills and ways of dealing with people. She was one of the major influences on my becoming active in LWVPDX. We have all suffered a major loss. Linda Mantel, LWVPDX Development Chair Sorry to hear about this, she has been a dedicated and effective activist for so long. The world is a better place for her commitment and work. Mike Hiland What a devastating loss! Alice was an amazing woman and leader. I had the privilege of working with her on several league projects. Alice's attention to detail never flagged, so it's no surprise that she was a parliamentarian par excellence. I offer my sincere condolences to Alice's family and friends, and to her league family as well. Alyce Prudden, Past President, League of Women Voters of Curry County

President's Report Dear Members and friends, It’s a new League year and a very new board. The Board had its retreat in June and there was much enthusiasm and creative ideas from our members. I am definitely discovering the many talents that this group has, and I very much appreciate all of the energy and willingness to take on new tasks. In an effort to be more inclusive, board meetings will be held on Zoom and will occur on the 4th Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. We are hoping that this might make it possible for more members to join the board. Alice Bartelt LWVOR President Save the Date Fall Workshop – October 7, 2023 in Eugene Legislative Process Day – November 7, 2023 at the State Library in Salem Youth Voter Summit – January 19, 2024 in Salem You will receive more information about these events in the near future. Help Wanted LWVOR has an open board position: Voter Services Chair (formerly, Voter Education Chair). Voter Education includes Youth Outreach, Mock Elections, civics educational programs, etc., and no longer will oversee Vote411, Voters' Guides, or other General Election activities. We know that local activities are important, but we cannot be effective during the next election cycle without state volunteers to cover these important tasks. The specific duties can be sent to you if you have an interest in doing any of these. We want to thank Susan Cobb for leading the effort to revamp this position so that several folks can do the work for Voter Services at the state level. More News The Sine Die Legislative Report (sign up here)will be coming soon. It had to wait to confirm which bills would be signed or vetoed by Governor Kotek. This was a fairly successful legislative session in many ways for the people of Oregon. We hope that you will have time to read it to see how much work our volunteers do. As promised at the Convention in May, the Farmworker Issues position was amended by the State Board to replace “farmworker” with “agricultural worker.” This broadens our position to allow workers who do agricultural work to be included when we use our position in advocacy. This is especially important in this time of rising temperatures and other risks for these workers. If you have not visited the LWVOR website in the last month, you will find that it has been updated by Sarah Andrews and Abigail Hertzler. It looks fantastic and we hope that it is more user-friendly. You will need to sign up to access members-only information but most of it is available to the public. This was a huge undertaking and we appreciate the work of our staff on this. The Youth Council and the board advisors who liaise with them are very busy. They are planning the Youth Voter Summit in January, but are undertaking many projects before then. We are hoping to have a presentation by them at the Fall Workshop as well. If you were at our Convention in May, you had the opportunity to meet some of these energetic folks. We are extremely fortunate that this group has formed and that they are doing outreach to other youth.

Today, the US Supreme Court affirmed the importance of our system of political checks and balances. The Court rejected state legislatures’ exclusive and independent authority over federal elections as seen in the dangerous “Independent State Legislature” theory. The case, Moore v. Harper, involved the “independent state legislature theory” (ISLT), a fringe political theory that would give state legislatures nearly unrestricted authority to set the rules and manipulate the outcomes of federal elections. The case that brought the issue to SCOTUS - Harper v. Hall - raised concerns about the extreme partisan gerrymandering of North Carolina’s congressional maps. Though this case was overturned by the North Carolina Supreme Court on April 28, 2023, the question of ISLT at the US Supreme Court remained. In today’s decision, the Court rejected the ISLT. How the Ruling Affects Oregon If the US Supreme Court had ruled in favor of ISLT, it would have meant that the Oregon Legislature could gerrymander the state districts, and there would have been no avenue to appeal to the Oregon Supreme Court. Furthermore, if “legislature” was narrowly defined, then initiatives would not have been included. Fortunately, six justices decided that the rule of law and our system of political checks and balances was more important than the strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. “LWV Oregon stands with all 50 state Leagues of Women Voters to protect our elections from state government partisan gerrymandering.” - Rebecca Gladstone, Former President, LWVOR (October 2022) On October 26, 2022, the League of Women Voters of Oregon, alongside every state League in the nation and the League of Women Voters of the US, filed an amicus brief urging the Court to rule against the Legislature and protect state courts’ power to use state law to protect free and fair federal elections. Today’s SCOTUS decision is a major victory for our democracy because it rejects the dangerous idea that state legislatures have free rein to determine the rules for elections in their states. LWVOR applauds the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the ISLT and choose people over politics.

Date: June 24, 2023 To: All League Members From: Alice Bartelt, LWVOR President; Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR Action Chair; Barbara Klein, Election Methods Lead; and Norman Turrill, Governance Coordinator Support Ranked Choice Voting bill, HB 2004! Our League supports Ranked Choice Voting bill, HB 2004. We are now so close. The bill is up for a vote on the last day of the legislative session—which is this Sunday, June 25. Write as soon as you see this, no later than the Senate floor convening at 10am, Sunday. HB 2004 is the 6th vote on the roster, but they will be busy! Please consider writing your senator in support. There are 3 Senators that might be in need of hearing some encouragement to vote "yes": Senators Woods, Frederick, and Meek. Please send a short note asking them, or other senators, to vote yes. Contact them directly at: Senator Woods, Sen.AaronWoods@oregonlegislature.gov Senator Meek, Sen.MarkMeek@oregonlegislature.gov Senator Frederick, Sen.LewFrederick@oregonlegislature.gov For those in Benton County, please remind your senator that RCV here is appreciated; and it's easy to use and understand. We would like to see the option on the 2024 ballot. We are so close. Contact your senator now.

Personal information for nearly 3.5 million Oregonians could be vulnerable to a June 1st international “MOVEit” data breach. LWVOR supports increased cybersecurity awareness, by educating individual consumers and advocating in the state Legislature. Here’s what happened A cyber attack exploited vulnerable software Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) uses from a private vendor. ODOT uses “MOVEit” to securely transfer files and internal data. The vulnerability enabled hackers’ access to entire systems. Hundreds of government agencies and private companies that use this software have been affected by this global breach. According to ODOT, we should assume active Oregon driver's license drivers’ permit, and ID card information is part of this breach. ODOT imposed additional security measures to safeguard their systems when they learned of the MOVEit vulnerability. But defenses were breached for a significant amount of Oregon DMV data, from millions of Oregonians. While much of this information is available publicly, some of it is sensitive personal information. According to ODOT, we should assume active Oregon driver's license, driver’s permit, and ID card information is part of this breach. Protect yourself Make sure your personal information is not misused. Check your Credit Report(s). ODOT urges Oregonians to monitor their credit reports. Under federal law, you have the right to a free credit report every 12 months from each of the three consumer credit reporting companies. You have to ask for them at www.annualcreditreport.com or call: 1-877-322-8228. Check report entries. Recognize the transactions or accounts? See who got your credit history. If you see anything you don’t understand, call the phone number on the credit report or visit the Federal Trade Commission’s Recovering From Identity Theft. If necessary, ask each credit monitoring agency to freeze your credit files: Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 1-800-685-1111 Experian: experian.com/help or 1-888-397-3742 TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help or 1-888-909-8872 Start with Ask ODOT, for information, services or resolving ODOT issues. Email: AskODOT@odot.oregon.gov.

Date: February 7, 2023 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Alice Bartelt, Action Committee Chair Josie Koehne, LWVOR Forestry Climate Action Portfolio Contact Your Legislators to Support SB 530! ACTION: Contact your Legislators (2023 Find Your Legislators) and Senate Natural Resources Committee members: Sen Jeff Golden, Sen Fred Girod, Sen Floyd Prozanski, Sen David Brock Smith, and Sen Kathleen Taylor REQUEST: SUPPORT SB 530, Establish a state policy for Natural Climate Solutions. We are asking local League members throughout Oregon to advance this critical piece of climate legislation, to build support before the first public hearing. DEADLINE: ASAP, before February 15 A first hearing is expected as early as Feb 15. We need to build support to “give this bill legs!” Tell Legislators what matters to you. Background information on SB 530 can be found in Oregon Conservation Network's "Oregon’s Untapped Climate Solution" 1-pager. Tell Legislators that SB 530 will: Position the state to leverage federal funding and private investments in natural climate solutions on natural and working lands Create a source of state funding for voluntary actions to remove climate pollution from the atmosphere and store it in natural and working lands Fund and direct state agencies to provide incentives and technical support to forest owners, farmers, and ranchers to implement natural climate solutions on natural and working lands and Invest in a comprehensive Oregon natural and working lands inventory and study opportunities for workforce development and training.

Date: May 14, 2023 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President, Peggy Lynch, Natural Resources Coordinator This is a key moment to stop HB 3382! Passing this bill would pose a serious threat to Oregon’s largest estuaries, ecologically vital habitat areas where careful land use review is especially important. Share your personal story about why these Ports and critical estuaries are important to you. Ask them NOT to pass HB 3382 even with the -3 amendment. DEADLINE: 5pm May 16 Public Hearing 5pm May 18 for testimony Sign up NOW to testify in person or remotely. Attend the public hearing if possible. Write and submit testimony to the Joint Committee on Transportation before 5pm May 18. CONTACT: Joint Transportation Committee and your State Senator and Representative. HB 3382 exempts major Oregon ports from land use and environmental regulations, including allowing extensive dredging and channel modification in estuaries without local jurisdiction, public input, or environmental review. The current -3 amendment as proposed sets a dangerous precedent, allowing certain interests to fast-track development and bypass input and Oregon’s land use laws that protect communities, ecosystems, and economies across the state. League testimony explains our opposition. LWVOR has strong positions supporting our land use planning program, coastal management, water quality and quantity and climate change. Oregonians expect our elected leaders to support processes that allow public participation and protect Oregon’s special places. This bill says local elected leaders and the public who engaged in Comprehensive Plans, specifically Estuary Management Plans, other planning and zoning requirements and related regulations adopted by a local government…no longer matter. We implore the committee to reject this concept and oppose the bill. Proposed -3 amendment changes allow selected parties to apply for a new Goal 16 exception and provides an extensive list of “purposes” that would automatically be allowed to gain that new Goal 16 exception. Estuaries are nurseries for a wide variety of fish and wildlife species, including our iconic salmon. Eel grass that would be destroyed is essential habitat for many species and functions to improve water quality to support ocean health. HB 3382 is also at odds with Oregon’s Climate Goals by removing critical protections for estuaries, which sequester carbon 10x more efficiently than forests and serve as key species nurseries. The bill as submitted poses an additional threat. Land use regulations as applied to coastal areas are part of Oregon’s integrated Coastal Management Program under the Coastal Zone Management Act. This bill would weaken that program, triggering NOAA review for compliance with the CZMA. The CZMA-approved program provides the state leverage and review when faced with federal projects (including, for example, dredging in a federal navigation channel), as well as funding through CZMA grant programs. The bill could eliminate this “federal consistency” under the CZMA, at least where these estuaries are concerned. Thank you for adding your voice to stop HB 3382.

Dear Members and friends, Here’s to the most beautiful May Day! I’m sending virtual May Day doorknob baskets to each of you! As our LWVOR Convention nears, I invite you to look forward with me. We are seeing transitions, new growth in the League, and promising new leaders as we face chilling challenges to step up and defend our values. The last few years have been, well, an example of the probably English expression that is both a blessing and a curse: “May you live in interesting times!” With thanks to our hard-working Board, our members, our committees, our lateral communications work groups, our donors, our staff, and to our colleagues, I urge you to take care of yourselves and each other. To pace yourselves for the work ahead, to include time to refresh. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as President and to keep in touch with these 1st of the month newsletters. I am crossing my fingers to be elected as incoming LWVOR Action Chair and looking forward to hearing what you’ll each be doing! Thank you for being part of the League Team! Becky Gladstone, outgoing LWVOR President _________________________________________________ CONVENTION UPDATE It is truly time to REGISTER for the LWVOR Convention! Delegates, please register through your leadership (leaders will register their delegates as a group). Observers, we can still make room for you. One Action member, who will be coming and handing out bumper stickers, asked why she should attend. Here are some reasons: Speakers: Come to hear our keynote speaker Les Zaitz, a publisher of local Oregon newspapers, on “Free Press and the Survival of Democracy”. Feels *so very local* and newly urgent–last week, OPB reported “Rogue Valley station KTVL to lay off all news employees, staffer says.” Action! Talk to our Action volunteers about news from the Legislature. Bring your questions from reading our Legislative Reports and find out how you can help. Voter Service Reps: Meet and thank them! Vote411.org is live now and ballots are in the mail for our May 16 primary! All their work behind the scenes, collecting candidate contact info and reaching out to them, inviting them to share their campaign info with voters! Youth Outreach: Come to meet newly elected Youth Council leaders and members attending. They are extraordinary. They are *our future*! Bylaws changes: VOTE on a gradual transition to annual meetings and Nominating Committee changes. This will be a start to talk about our processes. Studies: VOTE on proposed studies. Workshops: A pre-Convention tutorial, Youth Engagement, a 1st Amendment Panel, and Climate Change, LWVUS activities. Caucus! Set up and offer one of your own, spur of the moment! RECOMMENDED READING Eugene author Lauren Kessler’s just won the Oregon Book of the Year for General Non-Fiction! "95% of the millions of American men and women who go to prison eventually get out. What happens to them?" From the book description: There's Arnoldo, who came of age inside a maximum security penitentiary, now free after nineteen years. Trevor and Catherine, who spent half of their young lives behind bars for terrible crimes committed when they were kids. Dave, inside the walls for 34 years, now about to re-enter an unrecognizable world. Vicki, a five-time loser who had cycled in and out of prison for more than a third of her life. They are simultaneously joyful and overwhelmed at the prospect of freedom. Anxious, confused, sometimes terrified, and often ill-prepared to face the challenges of the free world, all are intent on reclaiming and remaking their lives. What is the road they must travel from caged to free? How do they navigate their way home? A gripping and empathetic work of immersion reportage, Free reveals what awaits them and the hundreds of thousands of others who are released from prison every year: the first rush of freedom followed quickly by institutionalized obstacles and logistical roadblocks, grinding bureaucracies, lack of resources, societal stigmas and damning self-perceptions, the sometimes overwhelming psychological challenges. Veteran reporter Lauren Kessler, both clear-eyed and compassionate, follows six people whose diverse stories paint an intimate portrait of struggle, persistence, and resilience. The truth—the many truths—about life after lockup is more interesting, more nuanced, and both more troubling and more deeply triumphant than we know. Thank you for reading! To each of you, please accept my heartfelt gratitude for making this team work with your curiosity, dedication, dogged persistence, senses of humor, and civility. I am proud to be part of this organization and I hope you are too! Here’s to progress and sharing the joy with our new members! Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR

Hello Oregon League members and friends, **What does the state League DO for us??** 🡺 LWVOR State-Wide Convention! With only one month until the convention starts, we need you to commit to being there!! We will meet for the first statewide, in-person event we’ve held since our 100th Anniversary Centennial Celebration in Salem, March 7, 2020! 🡺 Be sure your leaders REGISTER your Delegation. Check with them to be a delegate! Read for more info on the May 19-21, 2023 LWVOR Convention, in Eugene, OR. Your State Board is SO excited to welcome you to Convention 2023! Join us in-person and meet members from our local Leagues, Advocates, Voter Service Reps, our new Youth Council and students members, scholars, and our speakers! _____________________________________________________ Here’s an Overview: LWVOR Convention Hotel Rooms Convention delegation/ observer registration Silent Auction Caucuses LWVUS All- Members’ (short) SURVEY: deadline April 22! Transformation news from LWV President, Dr. Turner (full letter) Recommended Reading from LWV Coos Voter Service (Inspiring!) LWVOR Convention LWVOR Convention Hotel Rooms: we have filled our initial room block and the hotel is expanding our initial discounted room allotment. Please make your hotel reservations ASAP so we can try to cover you with the discounted rate. Sooner is better! Details are on the LWVOR Convention page. Convention delegation/ observer registration: League leaders are registering their delegations. Please check with yours to be sure you’re included. Registered League observers are welcome. To avert any possible confusion, double check with your local leaders to be sure you do get registered and don’t get double-booked. We are looking forward to seeing you in-person! Silent Auction: Local Leagues, bring a Gift Basket to the LWVOR Convention, enter it in our traditional Silent Auction and take your top bid proceeds for your League! You’re Welcome! Caucuses: use these caucusing opportunities; reach out now and network in advance. Be sure your fellow strategists know You Want to Meet! One group (the local and state Fund Raisers?) are having breakfast together early Saturday morning. We know that our MLD, and Nominating Committee Groups are planning to get together.! For the rest of you, network in advance for the “lateral communication” we keep talking about! Strategize for 2024! LWVUS All- Members’ (short) SURVEY: LWVUS All- Members’ (short) SURVEY: deadline April 22! This survey of ALL members around the country is outreach to get your feedback on the TRANSFORMATION PLAN. From Dr. Deb Turner, President, LWVUS (full letter): Over the past few weeks, I have shared Transformation Journey updates and our current phase, Framing the Future. League voices are the foundation for this process, so we have assembled four core working groups and launched a League-wide membership experience survey. Thank you to the 7,000+ League members who have completed the survey! If you have not done so already, I encourage you to take our short survey and share it with your fellow League members. It is crucial that we hear from everyone in our League community, because all your voices are critical to our transformational success. The survey closes Saturday, April 22. If you have already completed the survey, you still have time to share it with your League members and in your internal League communications. This link is not personalized to you: you can share or forward the link directly to other members. For more information, please visit www.lwv.org/framingthefuture. As we celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Week, I wanted to thank you for all that you do. I hope you take time this week to celebrate yourself! I am honored and proud to serve with you and power our democracy every day. –Dr. Turner, President, LWV (US) Recommended Reading As a special treat to yourself, read this inspiring report from our Coos County Voter Service Representative. Abigail, thank you! Hi, Leaguers, from rural Coos! In this area we have a very active political group called Citizens Restoring Liberty (CRL). Associated with a local evangelical church. CRL has promoted hyper-conservative issues for several years. They sent 14 to the January 6 demonstrations in Washington. It is not clear whether any participated in the subsequent attack on the Capitol. In 2022 they started running members as candidates for local office and supporting other candidates. One was elected by a razor-thin margin as one of our three County Commissioners. They have also repeatedly sued our County Clerk over election issues, and they populate the Coos County Republican Party board of directors. So I wanted to meet them! I approached the new Commissioner at a town hall and asked if he thought CRL would allow a League delegation to attend one of their meetings and give a presentation about the League and its programs. They eventually agreed and I went with Carol Ventgen, a past president and longtime Coos League member. The Commissioner, I might add, bucked the trend last year by posting campaign info on Vote411 and participating in our candidate forum, afterward giving us mostly positive feedback. So I felt he was at least open to the League and willing to listen. He gave us a very cordial welcome and the group followed his lead, applauding and praising us for “having the courage” to show up. Carol led with a brief League history and a discussion of our “two hats,” advocacy and voter service. We picked the most neutral studies we could as examples of the way the League deeply researches topics and then brings them to members for consensus before adopting a position or advocating. (They loved the Privacy and Cybersecurity study especially.) We talked about Voter Service, detailing steps we take to make our forums as evenhanded as possible. The Commissioner backed this up. We talked about our current election efforts to reach many different groups to solicit candidate questions for our three League School Board forums. For instance, I was invited by the Democratic Party to a meeting to ask for question suggestions, so I immediately wrote to the Republican Party to do the same. When I didn’t get a response, I based some questions on a right-wing candidates’ campaign flyer I found and sent those to the Republican Party. I still got no responses, but some party officers were in the room when I talked about it. We stressed that the public is invited to submit questions. We talked about how our Voter Service programs are free publicity for cash-strapped local candidates, and how these programs serve our mission of promoting a well-informed and engaged electorate. Then we went into how Vote411.org and the Voters’ Guides are assembled. One of the group’s lawsuits last year cited a “partisan voter guide” the County Clerk had put outside the Elections Office in the primary, naming the League’s Voters’ Guide. So we explained that Voters’ Guide text is the same as on Vote411.org, word-for-word what candidates supply to us, and the ONLY difference is that the Voters’ Guides have a shorter deadline, so if candidates don’t respond quickly, they get onto Vote411 but not into printed guides. We suggested that if candidates CRL is interested in don’t appear in these publications, it’s because those candidates chose not to post, not because we didn’t ask them—and if CRL members want to see more of their candidates represented on Vote411 and in our forums, they need to pressure them. And we told them how to get candidates contact info. Then we asked if anyone wanted to join and opened it up to questions. Many questions were friendly or simply asking for more details or clearing up misunderstandings. One member had done his research on the League and pointed out that it was Republican women who were behind its founding as the primary women’s suffrage movers. (We added a pitch for the new Votes for Women board game.) A local right-wing radio personality was quite aggressive, detailing many National League positions as tracking with Democratic Party positions and demanding to know why conservatives should trust us if that’s the case. We agreed that both the national League and, to an extent, the state League lean left, but pointed out that the League is a grassroots organization, and choices are made by people who turn up in the room. (One of the most aggressive members of the group immediately stood up and asked for a membership form.) We were able to communicate a bit more about our process for reaching positions and the meaning of “nonpartisan,” using the Bucks County op-ed currently on the National League’s website (we’ve also put it on our website). One thing they really disliked was our practice of screening forum audience questions. Carol did her best, pointing out that we try to combine similar questions to reduce repetition, we don’t allow slander or profanity, and we usually get far more questions than there is time to ask. But for a group that is into performative political direct action, that answer wasn’t entirely satisfying. The Commissioner spoke up again to say he thought the questions were fair and on important topics. (We mentioned that it didn’t do him any harm to participate in our programs, because he won.) They tried to trap us into hot-button issue political discussions, especially “biological woman” and trans people in women’s sports questions. Sticking to the League’s “brand,” we said the League hadn’t studied women’s sports so we had no opinion, but maybe they could get back to us on in 3-5 years. We talked about ethical neutrality requirements for League leaders and noted that one Coos League board member resigned last year because she didn’t want to give up her partisan activity. I don’t know if we changed any minds, but I do think we made it harder to demonize the League or to spread misinformation about us, and if we’re lucky it MIGHT get more candidates to participate in our programs. We received a thank-you note from the Commissioner. It is exciting to be in the middle of our expanded Voter Service for the 2023 Oregon primary election season with many local races! Our Action Committee is meeting weekly during this intense, long legislative session. We’ve reviewed 147 proposals so far this session to speak to issues. Our Convention is coming together and you will be getting more frequent updates as we get closer. Happy Volunteer Appreciation Week! Please accept my heartfelt thanks to all of you for contributing to our efforts to defend democracy! I truly hope to see you at Convention, Thank you! Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR

The Oregon State Legislature (The Joint Ways and Means Committee) will be holding a series of hearings statewide over the next several weeks. They are asking the public to tell them which state programs they consider important and should be funded this biennium with state funds. These town halls will allow Oregonians to provide input into the 2023-25 biennial state budget. All of these hearings will probably have standing-room-only crowds. They will have very strict time limits both for individual testimony (2/3 minutes) and total hearing time. If you want to testify make sure you get there early. This is Ways and Means; if you have programs you want to be funded be sure and tell them how they should be funded because unfortunately there is not enough money to go around for everything people want. If you have ideas for additional revenue then let our Legislators know these ideas also. We feel that it is important that these hearings away from the capital are monitored. We encourage local League members and friends to attend the hearing in your area and help by being the eyes and ears of the action team. The state League will not be testifying so all you need to do is listen and pick up any of the handouts (and send them to the state office). A short written report of what occurred would also be helpful. We encourage members to attend as individuals and express their opinions on any of the state funded programs that are important to you because it is your taxes they are spending. If you wish to testify please leave your League pin at home but if you are just helping us as monitors wear your League pin for everyone to see. They would like to see and hear from everyone. Friday, April 14th 5:00 PM Newport Newport Performing Arts Center 777 W. Olive St. NEWPORT Register Friday, April 21st 5:00 PM, Roseburg Umpqua Community College Jacoby Auditorium 1140 Umpqua College Rd. ROSEBURG Register Friday, April 28th 5:00 PM Ontario Four Rivers Cultural Center 676 SW 5th Ave. ONTARIO Register Wednesday, May 3rd 5:00 PM Salem at the capital This meeting is being held in person at the Capitol. To view a livestream of the meeting, go to: https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Committees/JWM/Overview Register

Date: March 13, 2023 To: All League Members From: Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Alice Bartelt, Action Committee Chair Claudia Keith, Climate Emergency Coordinator Arlene Sherrett, Climate Emergency PortfolioContact Your Legislators to Support ACTION: Contact your Legislators (2023 Find Your Legislators) and Senate Energy and EnvironmentCommittee members: Sen Janeen Sollman, Sen Lynn Findley, Sen Jeff Golden, Sen Cedric Hayden and Sen Kate Lieber REQUEST: SUPPORT The Resilient Buildings Package (SB 868-1, 869-1, 870-1, 871-1) Oregon's legislature must take action in 2023 to give more Oregonians access to more resilient and safer homes and buildings. Align state policies for Energy Efficiency and Greenhouse Gas Reduction in the Residential and Commercial Buildings Sector. We are asking local League members throughout Oregon to advance this critical piece of climate legislation, to build support before the first public hearing. LISTENING SESSION: March 14, 2023, 1:00 PM HEARING: March 16, 2023, 1:00 PM TESTIMONY DEADLINE: ASAP, before hearing date, March 16, or up to 1pm March 18. Tell Legislators what matters to you. Background information on the Resilient Buildings Package can be found at: We Are Building Resilience Tell Legislators the Resilient Buildings Package will: Align energy efficiency programs with state climate goals and establish a one-stop-shop information source for energy efficiency technologies and incentives. (SB 868-1, Healthy Heating and Cooling for All) Align building codes with Oregon energy and emissions targets and establish a goal of 60% reduction in energy use in the construction of new buildings. (SB 869-1, Build Smart from the Start) Establish a standard for large commercial buildings to reduce their energy use and climate emissions over time. (SB 870-1, Building Performance Standard) Remove barriers to accelerate energy retrofits and upgrades in state buildings. (SB 871-1, Smart State Buildings) Address the 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon that come from the residential and commercial buildings sector.

Dear LWVOR Members and friends, March is a time of optimism for me, a time to look ahead, eyes open, to face making the seasons ahead productive. We have our work cut out for us and it can be rewarding. Please read and think about how you can help a little more with the longer days coming. Consider reaching out to lighten the load for another League member who can then build our leadership bench and help fill our concerning leadership gaps. Job sharing is a really good idea! Ask a friend to step up with you! More hands make light work and you’ll be glad you didn’t sit this one out. Thank you for being part of the team by reading and helping as you are able! Yours In League! Becky Gladstone LWVOR President Table of contents: CONVENTION, LWVOR in Eugene, May 19-21, 2023! Keynote: Les Zaitz! Nominating Committee - gaps LWVOR Study and Concurrences, March recommendation review Voter Service news, Spring primary Vote411 & OSME Youth Outreach, OSME wrap, moving forward! Action, legislative update Announcements, please send yours! Recommended reading LWVOR CONVENTION Keynote Speaker Les Zaitz Our Keynote Speaker for “Free Press and the Survival of Democracy” will be Les Zaitz, Editor of the Salem Reporter and The Malheur Enterprise. Thanks to the Marion-Polk League for this: Zaitz established an online subscription-based publication because he thinks requiring people to pay for journalism allows him to be aware of which stories attract readers and thus to know the community needs for news. The Salem Reporter covers city news, schools, politics, economy, community, and Oregon news so readers can look for articles that interest them and learn about local events before they happen. All articles are archived on the website. The Salem Reporter will closely follow candidates before the next School Board election to provide unbiased reports on their campaigns; Zaitz believes news story readers should not be able to tell journalists’ personal views. Zaitz said the staff also relies on readers to let them know if a candidate is lying or hiding information about themselves so the journalists can check it out. Convention Attendance Information The LWVOR room block is active, make your reservation today! There are two ways you can make reservations using the League’s discounted group rate: Call 844-888-4723. Use BOOKING CODE: 0519WV Use this booking link: League of Women Voters of Oregon – Guestrooms *** The cutoff date to book rooms at the discounted group rate is April 28th *** See the First Call to Convention in our February News. NOMINATING COMMITTEE We need a powerful, full slate of Officers and Directors to guide our well-organized Board and Committees. The President and First VP for Voter Service slots are still open. Some of our local Leaders would step up if they knew you could fill their shoes locally. This is about building our bench and we need you! Our Nominating Committee took initiative with a Task Force as the “lateral communication” that is now strengthening most of our state-wide work, from local League Leaders to Membership, as directed at LWVOR Council 2022. The Task Force, with LWVOR Membership guidance, is bringing together local League Nominating Committee members from across Oregon. Read more in The VOTER and contact the Task Force and LWVOR Nominating Committee through our staff: lwvor@lwvor.org. STUDIES, UPCOMING AND ONGOING! Thanks to Program/Study Chair Annie Goldner for organizing study and concurrence proposals for this year’s Convention. The LWVOR Board will review them for recommendation status at our March 10 Board meeting. Thank you also for re-invigorating our review of local League Program planning! Please see the full report in The VOTER and send questions to Chair Annie Goldner. VOTER SERVICE Thanks to our strong local League network and Chair Peggy Bengry, Voter Service will gather candidate and local ballot measure information for the May 16, 2023 primary election! We look forward to hearing who will step up to take Peggy’s place. YO! YOUTH OUTREACH LWVOR Youth Liaison We officially welcome Chris Walker to the Board. Read his bio and the ambitious service plans in The VOTER. You can reach Chris at youthcrew@lwvor.org. Youth Council Our Youth Outreach Committee is establishing this Council, with a first project to support OSME, the Oregon Student Mock Elections. Celine Ioffe will lead a diverse team of Youth Council members to build effective power in their communities to achieve their goals. Read full coverage in The VOTER. Reach out to start Oregon Student Mock Election (OSME) local versions for this 2023 Primary! To help develop an active presence in your local schools, reach out to: LWV of OREGON YOUTH OUTREACH | youthoutreach@lwvor.org OREGON STUDENT MOCK ELECTION (OSME) | mockelection@lwvor.org ACTION This is week 7 of 24 for our 2023 long legislative session. We have reviewed and approved almost 80 pieces of testimony submitted so far. Subscribe for the weekly briefs linking to full Legislative Reports! We like to feature our Action Coordinators at Convention and hope they can attend and report, despite being in the middle of the session, at least on a weekend. Facing legislative process deadlines, another thousand-odd bills dropped last week and we are busy sifting through them, advocating, and reporting. Day at the Legislature planning is stymied by Capitol access trimmed for construction, as reported last month, and for want of an organizer –is that you? Please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org if you are interested in spearheading this exciting event, where you can learn about League positions, priority legislation, and the latest happenings at the legislature. The 2023 legislative session is well underway with over 2,000 bills filed. You can help! Worthy causes go unaddressed for lack of League volunteers. If you see a need and can offer your expertise, please contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org. SUPPORT OUR ADVOCACY The People Not Politicians campaign is back with Initiative Petition 14, which would create an independent commission to draw Oregon legislative districts. This effort is supported by a broad coalition including LWVOR, Common Cause, Forward Oregon, business groups, and many everyday Oregonians. This good governance effort needs our support! IP14 is a large endeavor and every volunteer will be needed to collect signatures and to database those signatures. Sign up to help here, and donate here. Download the signature petition. Contact Betsy Schultz for further information. ANNOUNCEMENTS Caring for Our Children March 22, 7:00pm Please register for the Zoom webinar here. Join us for a webinar on the state of child care in Oregon! The topics will include: Why affordable, quality child care is critical for Oregon; challenges and successes of childcare providers; and a report from the nascent Oregon Department of Early Learning and Childcare. Our moderator will be Terry Styner from the League of Women Voters. We are looking forward to an informative panel discussion from our knowledgeable speakers: Martha Brooks, Oregon State Director, Western Region States Regional Director, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids and ReadyNation, Council for a Strong America Julie Hurley, Co-Leader of the Child Care Coalition, Douglas County and Executive Director Early Learning, Douglas ESD and Heather Freilinger, Co-Leader of the Child Care Coalition, Douglas County | Program Coordinator Douglas ESD | Care Connections and Education Program David Mandell, Chief of Policy & Research, Early Learning Division, Oregon Department of Education State Legislator TBD RECOMMENDED READING In the interest of defending the fun side of being LWVOR President, I can admit that a friend, a League member and Legislator, recommended this volume. I read it this past weekend: Eva Sleeps, by Francesca Melandri. I loved the German and Italian dialect, the place names familiar to me from high school. My husband appreciated the political history of borders and control shifting through upheavals. No other recommendations for League reading landed on my desk this month! Lots of my screen time goes to reading bills, testimony, committee emails and so forth. We all need to balance our work and play. YOUR LEAGUE COMMS Stay informed on League happenings at the state and local levels! You can sign up and manage your LWVOR newsletter subscriptions directly. Don't miss our event updates, Action Alerts, newsletters, and other important information. Questions? Contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org. My best to all of you. Step up, it is your turn. Thank You for reading! Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR

By LWVOR Action Committee Member Trish Garner There are really two -- or more -- interrelated issues that are raised here. One, of course, is whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the authority to allow the dispensing of Mifepristone by mail instead of requiring an in-person dispensing process. The other issue relates to court-shopping and the conservative leaning of the Fifth Circuit's judiciary, and, in particular, Federal District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk whose docket currently includes a case that presents this very issue. The Mifepristone / Misoprostol Abortion Regimen These medications are taken together. The regimen usually involves first taking Mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex) up to 10 or 13 weeks since the last menstrual period, and then two doses of Misoprostol. Multiple randomized controlled clinical trials have shown that this combination is effective with success rates ranging from 95-98% up to 9 weeks of gestation.[1] The FDA approved this regimen in 2000 as a safe and effective way to end early pregnancies. Mifepristone is also frequently used in the US, as shown in a 2020 Center for Disease Control Report which found that about 51% of abortions in the US were performed by taking Mifepristone at or before the 9th week of pregnancy.[2] Mifepristone's regulatory history is somewhat complicated.[3] When the FDA initially approved dispensing the medication in 2000, it required that it be dispensed only by qualified physicians and administered in hospital, clinic or medical office settings. In 2007 the FDA deemed these restrictions constituted a proper "Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy" (REMS), and in 2011 it approved the existing REMS with additional "Elements to Assure Safe Use" (ETASU). The ETASU requirements included a mandate that the drug be prescribed only by specially certified physicians, that it be dispensed only in hospitals, clinics or medical offices and that a patient needed to sign a special patient agreement form. In 2016 the FDA issued a report that resulted in the modification of some of its these restrictions, including that Mifepristone could be prescribed by certain nonphysicians as long as they met certain certification requirements and the medication could be dispensed in a clinic, medical office or hospital, which the patient could then swallow at home. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led the Trump administration in March, 2020 to declare a national emergency and in response the FDA suspended enforcement of REMS in-person requirements for a number of medications and procedures -- but this action did not extend to the dispensing of Mifepristone.[4] Patients still had to travel to a health center to receive the pill in person. First Go-Round in a Federal Court In May, 2020 and on behalf of medical associations, physicians and reproductive justice advocates, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecology "ACOG" v FDA) seeking to suspend FDA's in-person pill pick-up requirement, noting that this was the only medication out of 20,000 FDA-approved drugs that patients were required to pick up in a clinical setting but free to self-administer at home.[5] They also asked that a preliminary injunction be issued to bar enforcement of FDA's in-person requirements. On July 13, 2020 US District Court Judge Theodore Chuang issued that preliminary injunction, but on August 16, 2020 the government, still under the auspices of the Trump administration filed a motion requesting that the injunction be placed on hold pending the conclusion of the litigation. On January 12, 2021 the US Supreme Court granted the FDA's request for a stay of Judge Chuang's preliminary injunction by issuing a rather controversial one-page, unsigned opinion.[6] Chief Justice Roberts concurred in the opinion, stating the question for the Supreme Court was not whether requirements for dispensing Mifepristone imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to an abortion as a general matter, but whether Judge Chuang made his own evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic rather than according sufficient deference to the "politically accountable entities with the background, competence and expertise to assess public health," i.e. the FDA. On December 16, 2021 the FDA, now under the Biden administration, announced that it would permanently allow patients to receive Mifepristone by mail instead of requiring them to obtain the pills in person from specially certified providers.[7] Again, in making its decision the FDA could point to a 22-year history of Mifepristone’s safety and effectiveness. Should approval for prescribing Mifepristone be overruled by court action in the future, a re-approval process would likely take years. As we will see below, it is considered likely that shortly after February 24, 2023, US District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will in fact overrule the mail-in dispensing of Mifepristone. We can also add in the time it takes for his decision to reach the US Supreme Court. Its reception there may also be problematic for those needing Mifepristone. Background of Federal District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk Judge Matthew Kaczmarek was first nominated by President Trump to sit in the Federal Court for the Northern District of Texas located Amarillo in 2017, but the nomination died at the end of the Congressional Session. President Trump resubmitted his name to the Senate on January 23 and his judgeship was approved on June 19, 2019. Only one Republican, Maine Senator Susan Collins, publicly opposed the nomination ahead of the 52 to 46 vote. He had received a "qualified" rating by the American Bar Association, which is a ranking below "well qualified."[8] Judge Kacsmaryk has long standing affiliations with the religious right. His photograph[9] communicates a great deal. Prior to his appointment to the federal bench he represented the Oregon bakery "Sweet Cakes by Melissa" that refused to provide a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. He served as a former deputy counsel at the First Liberty Institute, a conservative group that litigates religious liberty cases. On September 4, 2015, he wrote an amicus ("friend of the court") brief that opposed same-sex marriage and policies allowing transgender students to use restrooms that match their gender identity on the grounds that it contradicted the "Abrahamic" or "Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical, Jewish, Mormon, Muslim" principles defining marriage as the "sacred union of one man and one woman." In this article, he also criticized the "sexual revolution" and said it was "spearheaded by secular libertines."[10] According to Judge Kacsmark, transgender people have a "mental disorder" and gay people are "disordered." He was a member of the Fort Worth Chapter of the Federalist Society since 2012.[11] Judge Kacsmaryk's decisions run true to his political and religious orientations. He has been characterized as "a favorite judge for litigants opposing Biden administration policies." The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has also implicitly concurred with this approach. In September, 2022 the District Court adopted rules that any civil case filed in Amarillo would be assigned to Judge Kasmaryk. Before that, litigants had a 95% chance of getting Judge Kacsmaryk.[12] As we will see, the Supreme Court has not exactly distanced itself from Judge Kacsmaryk's approach either, particularly in light of its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Background of Some Decisions by Judge Kacsmaryk Prior to the Mifepristone Cases In Deanda v. Becerra (Health and Human Services Secretary; December 2022) Judge Kacsmaryk awarded summary judge to the plaintiff, an avowed Christian who had claimed his statutory and parental rights under the US Constitution had been violated by a Title X program that provided grants to health providers to fund family planning and contraceptive care.[13] Legal commentary has taken issue with this decision on the basis the plaintiff lacked the standing[14] to sue. The plaintiff was a father who did not claim he had ever sought Title X funded care, did not allege his daughters had ever sought this care and didn’t even claim they intended to seek such care in the future. Judge Kacsmaryk also ruled that Title X federal regulations do not preempt Texas state law regarding parental notification and consent requirements, a decision which is a "clear misinterpretation of the law" and "ignores decades of established law."[15] There is also Neese v Becerra in which Judge Kacsmaryk (November, 2022) held that a federal law prohibiting certain forms of discrimination by health providers does not encompass protection against anti-LGBTQ discrimination. Legal commentary indicates that this opinion cannot be squared with the Supreme Court's decision in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) which established that statutes prohibiting "sex" discrimination also ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity because "it is impossible to discriminate against a person for being homosexual or transgender without discriminating against that individual based on sex." It has been noted that Judge Kacsmaryk seems to "revel" in defying the law. An example of this attitude is seen in his Neese opinion which he opens with a quote from Justice Samuel Alito's dissenting opinion in Bostock. Needless to say, a dissent is by definition not the law.[16] Another interesting case (Biden v Texas) relates to Judge Kacsmaryk's decision regarding the Remain in Mexico program. The program had been initiated in 2018 under the Trump administration and required asylum seekers arriving at the US Southern border to stay in Mexico while they awaited a hearing on their asylum claim. President Biden sought to terminate the policy and on June 1, 2021 the Secretary of Homeland Security announced that it would end the program. Texas filed this lawsuit against President Biden and on August, 2021 Judge Kacsmaryk issued a permanent injunction requiring the government to reinstate the program.[17] His order gave the administration one week to do so. His ruling rested on his conclusion that he could only give the government two options regarding those seeking asylum: mandatory detention or return to a contiguous territory. Upon appeal to the Supreme Court, six Justices agreed that Judge Kacsmaryk had misread immigration law when he required the federal government to maintain the Trump-era program by his ignoring that fact that federal law explicitly gives the government more than two options in these situations, including the option for immigrants to parole into the United States “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” The Supreme Court also commented that the judge had engaged in “unwarranted judicial interference in the conduct of foreign policy,” because his opinion effectively forced the United States government to bargain with Mexico in order to reinstate the Remain in Mexico policy.[18] What seemed to be a victory for the Biden administration, however, became a hollow one when the Supreme Court also returned the case back down to Judge Kacsmaryk to resolve other issues raised in the case and in doing so rejected the government's request to temporarily block the injunction issued by Judge Kacsmaryk. An Earlier Mifepristone Case filed in Maryland On May 17, 2020, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and others sued the FDA (ACOG v FDA) in the District of Maryland (federal court) seeking a declaratory judgment that the in-person requirements for the dispensing of Mifepristone during COVID-19 epidemic should be overruled.[19] The Complaint described the long history of Mifepristone’s safety and efficacy, and that of the more than 20,000 FDA approved drug products, the FDA subjected only 16 drugs to a REMS requirement that the patient obtain the medication in a hospital, clinic or medical office, two of which are Mifeprex and its generic Mifepristone. ACOG also noted the increased use and efficacy of telemedicine. The legal bases for ACOG's complaint were based on patients' rights to privacy and liberty as guaranteed by the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment (substantive due process) and the equal protection clause under the Fifth Amendment. ACOG also requested the issuance of a preliminary injunction to bar enforcement of signature and in-person dispensing requirements for Mifepristone while the lawsuit was pending. On July 13, 2020 US District Court Judge Theodore Chuang granted the ACOG's request, but on January 12, 2021, in a controversial format, i.e. a one-page, unsigned opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed enforcement of Judge Chuang's issuance of the preliminary injunction pending appeal. Justice Roberts wrote a concurring opinion, stating that the question before the Court was not whether requirements for dispensing Mifepristone imposed an undue burden on a woman's right to an abortion as a general matter, but whether the District Court properly ordered the FDA to lift those requirements on the basis of Judge Chuang's own evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Mifepristone use. The case was then returned to Judge Chuang. On April 13, 2021 the FDA under the Biden administration temporarily halted the enforcement of Mifepristone's in-person requirement.[20] On December 16, 2021 the FDA permanently lifted the in-person requirement.[21] In June, 2022 The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization case. Judge Kacsmaryk and the Alliance for Hippocratic medicine vs FDA We now get to the case regarding Judge Kacsmaryk's decisions regarding the dispensing of Mifepristone. On November 18, 2022 the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit in Amarillo along with a request for the issuance of a preliminary injunction against the FDA asking that it reverse its lifting of the in-person requirement for dispensing Mifepristone (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA[22]). The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine was incorporated only 3 months (August 5, 2022) in Texas, of course, before they filed this lawsuit. As an aside however, it is interesting to note that AHM's official mailing address is in Tennessee. The Alliance Defending Freedom is a Christian organization that played a central role in Dobbs.[23] The Alliance claimed that (1) the FDA abused its authority by using an accelerated process to approve the use of Mifepristone in 2000 which is reserved for new drugs which would benefit patients with serious or life-threatening illnesses, (2) FDA's approval of Mifepristone "puts a woman or girl's health at risk," and (3) its decision violates the Comstock Act (Title 18 US Code Section 1461,enacted in1873) which declares anything designed or intended to produce an abortion as nonmailable. The government countered on both substantive and procedural grounds. It stated that (1) pulling Mifepristone from the market would put more women's health at risk, and risk overcrowding and delays at clinics that provide surgical abortion, (2) contrary to Mifepristone being approved under an accelerated path as claimed by the plaintiffs, its approval was based on extensive scientific evidence, and (3) the Comstock Act [see below] does not prohibit the delivery of Mifepristone. It also characterized the lawsuit as "extraordinary and unprecedented," noting that it "could not find any previous example of a court second-guessing an FDA decision to approve a drug."[24] It also added that a decision in favor of ADF would “upend the status quo and the reliance interests of patients and doctors who depend on Mifepristone, as well as businesses involved with Mifepristone distribution.” The Comstock Act of 1873 which was cited by the plaintiffs as a basis for their cause of action currently declares that "'[e]very article or thing designed, adapted, or intended for producing abortion,' as well as '[e]very article, instrument, substance, drug, medicine, or thing which is advertised or described in a manner calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion,' to be 'nonmailable matter' that the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) may not lawfully deliver." That might seem to apply to the mail order distribution of Mifeprestone. However according to settled law, the Comstock Act has a much longer and more complicated history and in fact prohibits delivery of abortion medications only when the sender intends to violate the law. This argument was detailed in a US Attorney General Opinion (December 23, 2022) issued in response to a request from the US Post Office. As stated there, in order to be unlawful under the Act and based upon "a longstanding judicial construction of the Comstock Act, which Congress ratified and USPS itself accepted," the mailing must be accompanied with an intent on the part of the recipient that the drugs will be used unlawfully.[25] The FDA also argued that the 6-year federal statute of limitations barred the lawsuit and the plaintiffs lacked the standing to sue. As to the former, FDA's approval of Mifepristone was in 2000 and the lawsuit was filed in 2022. Also, Congress had enacted the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 that deemed any medication which was approved before the effective date of the Act was in compliance with relevant federal legal requirements.[26] On the standing issue, the government pointed out that none of the individual nor the organizational physician member plaintiffs' had established standing or an "injury-in-fact." The complaining physicians were not themselves regulated by the FDA and did not purport to prescribe Mifepristone. Instead, they contended they "will" be injured because "other" physicians will prescribe it and the Mifepristone will cause adverse events, thereby forcing patients to seek care from other physicians, subjecting them to potential exposure to liability and insurance costs, and "potentially causing the patients to suffer grief, distress and guilt.[27] Not buying these arguments, the government countered, "Here, Plaintiffs do not even attempt to allege facts supporting the chain of causation. They do not corroborate any of the pecuniary harms that they purport to fear, nor any of the intangible concerns that they raise." The reason that analysis of these substantive and procedural (standing, statute of limitations) issues is so critical is that in order for the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine plaintiffs to prevail on their motion for a preliminary injunction, they must demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits which includes passing procedural hurdles. The government appears to have established that the plaintiffs this have not met this standard. Before concluding this analysis of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA, it is interesting to note that in January, 2023, Danco Laboratories filed a motion to intervene in the case, claiming that forcing FDA to withdraw a longstanding approval would "seismically disrupt" the agency's governing authority as to whether drugs are safe and effective and would cause Danco "direct and immediate harm by shuttering its business." Because of Danco's entry into the case, briefing on a preliminary injunction is scheduled to end this February 24th. A decision from Judge Kacsmaryk is anticipated to follow shortly after this date. The problem we face here is that given Judge Kacsmaryk's past history, there is more than enough reason to fear that, regardless of the above-cited law, he will grant the plaintiffs' motion for a preliminary injunction. Because this is a federal case, the impact would be felt nationwide. An appeal of that decision would go to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals which is a conservative court, with 12 of its 16 active judges appointed by Republicans. And then to the post-Dobbs Supreme Court. Senator Wyden and Court-washing It is into this maelstrom that on February 16, 2023 Senator Wyden made his claim of improper "court-washing."[28] Anticipating Judge Kacsmaryk's decision to grant the preliminary injunction, Senator Wyden said "Enough" to the "rigged game." In a historically significant move the Senator also pleaded that the FDA ignore Judge Kacsmaryk's anticipated ruling, just as President Lincoln ignored the "historically egregious" Dred Scott v Sandford ruling which held that black people could never be citizens of the United States. The Senator noted that the use of Mifepristone has fewer complications than Tylenol and that "a wealth" of evidence had demonstrated its safety and effectiveness, adding "Legal logic be damned, the plaintiffs know that Judge Kacsmaryk won't let pesky obstacles like standing or precedent to get in the way of the agenda they share." Wyden also pointed out that on 41 occasions the Trump administration had asked the US Supreme Court to put a hold on adverse lower court rulings for the duration of the government's appeal and in 28 of those cases, the Supreme Court, "aiding these polarization efforts," granted the stay. In comparison, the Biden administration has sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court 9 separate times. The Supreme Court has granted it on only two occasions. And "incredibly," the Court has granted emergency relief against the Biden administration four times, something that did not happen during the "lawless" days of the Trump administration. Oregon State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has entered the fray by officially writing to Walgreens and CVS expressing appreciation for the recent announcement of their intention to start offering Mifepristone in their retail pharmacies.[29] Attorney General Rosenblum joined the Attorneys General from Washington and California, and 20 additional states in her plea; 20 Republican Attorneys General warned CVS and Walgreens that they could be violating the Comstock Act if they send the pills by mail.[30] Attorney General Rosenblum vigorously disagreed with the claim of the Republican Attorneys General that abortion pills are "far riskier than surgical abortions" and providing this medicine increases "coerced abortions." To the contrary, she states that providing abortion medications offer more private and flexible options for these personal and confidential choices. Conclusion As stated above, the web that is woven here is tangled indeed. Not only are the implications for women and families with the withdrawal of Mifepristone significant, but Judge Kaczmarak's legal prevarications and legalistic teasing threaten the fabric of a democracy based on the rule of law. [1] https://www.ipas.org/clinical-update/english/recommendations-for-abortion-before-13-weeks-gestation/medical-abortion/mifepristone-and-misoprostol-recommended-regimen/ [2] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/11/23/abortion-pill-most-common-way-to-end-pregnancy-cdc-says.html; and Guttmacher Institute, Medication Abortion Now Accounts for More than Half of all US Abortions, https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/02/medication-abortion-now-accounts-more-half-all-us-abortions, updated 12-1-22 [3] https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/20/20A34/151289/20200826115344506_20A- FDA v. ACOG Appendix FINAL a.pdf [4] https://www.aafp.org/dam/AAFP/documents/advocacy/prevention/women/LT-WH-Mifepristone-030121.pdf [5] American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists v. US Food and Drug Administration, https://www.aclu.org/cases/american-college-obstetricians-and-gynecologists-v-us-food-and-drug-administration [6] https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20a34_3f14.pdf [7] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/16/health/abortion-pills-fda.html [8] https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/2019/06/19/in-middle-of-pride-month-senate-confirms-texas-judge-who-defended-bakery-that-turned-away-gay-couple/ [9] https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/12/17/23512766/supreme-court-matthew-kacsmaryk-judge-trump-abortion-immigration-birth-control [10] https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/09/15612/ [11] https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kacsmaryk SJQ.pdf [12] https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/meet-the-texas-judge-who-is-a-favorite-of-conservatives-in-hot-button-lawsuits-including-abortion-pill-litigation [13] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district courts/texas/txndce/2:2020cv00092/330752/63/. The standard for granting summary judgment is that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The decision is made on briefs, not after a trial. [14] Standing to sue is basically whether a plaintiff has or will sustain direct injury or harm and that this harm is redressable. State laws differ but in federal court a plaintiff has to demonstrate: (1) an "injury in fact," meaning that the injury is of a legally protected interest which is (a) concrete and particularized and (b) actual or imminent; (2) there must be a causal connection between the injury and the conduct brought before the court; and (3) it must be likely, rather than speculative, that a favorable decision by the court will redress the injury. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/standing. [15] https://www.everybodytexas.org/january-11-2023-statement-on-deanda-v-becerra [16] See footnote 7 above. [17] https://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/21A21.pdf [18] See footnote 8; https://www.vox.com/2022/6/30/23189965/supreme-court-biden-texas-remain-in-mexico-john-roberts [19] https://www.aclu.org/cases/american-college-obstetricians-and-gynecologists-v-us-food-and-drug-administration; https://www.acog.org/-/media/project/acog/acogorg/files/advocacy/acog-v-fda-complaint-mifepristone-covid19.pdf?la=en&hash=2C5C6C65F3E6C8A693ACD649C7C12129 [20] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/13/health/covid-abortion-pills-mailed.html [21] https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation - :~:text=On December 16, 2021, the,in-person dispensing requirement”) [22] https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23505124-alliance-for-hippocratic-medicine-sos-document [23] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/24/abortion-pill-fda-challenged-in-lawsuit-seeking-to-pull-mifepristone-from-us.html [24] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/02/10/abortion-pill-judge-extends-deadline-in-lawsuit-seeking-to-pull-medication-from-us.html; https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067.28.0.pdf [25] https://www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/file/1560596/download. [26] https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/2/17/23603182/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone-ron-wyden-senate-fda-matthew-kascmaryk [27] https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067/gov.uscourts.txnd.370067.28.0.pdf [28] https://www.facebook.com/senatorronwyden/videos/879092286541141 - video; https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-delivers-floor-speech-calling-on-president-biden-and-the-fda-to-keep-mifepristone-on-the-market-regardless-of-outcome-in-texas-case - the text of Senator Wyden's speech; https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/2/17/23603182/supreme-court-abortion-mifepristone-ron-wyden-senate-fda-matthew-kascmaryk - commentary. [29] https://www.doj.state.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Multistate-Pharmacy-Letter-2023-02-16.pdf [30] https://www.opb.org/article/2023/02/16/attorneys-general-support-letter-abortion-pills-by-mail/

As an organization deeply concerned about the large number of Oregonians facing homelessness and housing instability, the League of Women Voters of Oregon commends Governor Tina Kotek for her focus on increasing the production of all types of housing. We are pleased she plans to appoint such broad representation to the advisory council, and in particular people with experience in permanent supportive and affordable housing. Those are the units that will be the most challenging to produce and where we have the greatest need. From Governer Kotek's press release: The Governor is looking to appoint housing developers with expertise in permanent supportive, affordable, and market rate housing, representatives of rural and coastal communities, communities of color, local government representatives, and experts in land use, fair housing, permitting, workforce development, and construction. Oregonians interested in applying for the Council are encouraged to submit an application, found here. Applications are due February 15, 2023. Appointees will begin work on the Council in early March. Read Governor Kotek's full press release. You can follow LWVOR's weekly Housing summaries in the Legislative Report (found under Social Policy).

Dear LWVOR Members and friends, February is a busy month for us! Action is “in” the Legislature (see building photos!). Voter Service will run Vote411 for the 2023 primary! Youth Outreach is preparing for an odd-year Student Mock Election. This newsletter has a link to reserve rooms at The Graduate in Eugene for LWVOR Convention, May 19-21, 2023. Please try to join us. We have missed so many opportunities to see each other, now at the third anniversary of COVID. Attending virtually is an equity issue so we are working on hybrid attendance, too. There are trade-offs either way, we understand and will do our best. Thank you for being part of the team by reading and helping as you are able! Yours In League! Becky Gladstone LWVOR President This month... First Call to CONVENTION, LWVOR in Eugene, May 19-21, 2023! LWVOR Studies’ status Voter Service news, Spring primary Vote411 & OSME Youth Outreach, OSME wrap, moving forward! Action, see the Capitol ACCESS, see the photos for yourself! Your League Comms, how to keep in touch with the state League Civics ED from Donna Cohen Recommended reading FIRST CALL TO CONVENTION 2023 CONVENTION Is the biennial State Meeting of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, which is held on alternate years to the State Council. First Call is issued so that local Leagues can begin to plan and discuss matters that will be presented at the convention. TIME & PLACE The 2023 State Convention will be held Friday through Sunday, May 19-21, 2023 in Eugene, OR at The Graduate Hotel. HOSTS League of Women Voters of Lane County PURPOSE The convention shall consider changes to the Bylaws; shall consider and authorize for action a program; shall elect the president, first vice-president, secretary, three directors (two-year terms), and a chair and two members of the nominating committee; shall adopt a budget for the ensuing year; and shall transact such other business as may be presented. DELEGATES The convention shall consist of the Board of Directors of the LWVOR and delegates chosen by members through the local Leagues. Each local League shall be entitled to two delegates for the first 40 members or fewer. If possible, one delegate should be the President. An additional delegate is allowed for every 20 additional members or major fraction (10 or more) thereof belonging to the local League as of January 31, 2023. Each approved State Unit of members-at-large (MALs) shall be entitled to one delegate. For those MAL’s not in an approved unit, MAL representation at convention shall be one delegate for every 20 MALs or major fraction (10 or more) thereof. If there are fewer than 10 MALs, the interest of the MALs shall be represented by the LWVOR Membership Chair. OBSERVERS Any member of the LWVOR (in a local League, a State Unit, or as a general MAL) may attend as an observer. Observers may not vote, but may, upon recognition of the Chair, have the privilege of the floor. All League members are urged to exercise this privilege, and members are encouraged to register as observers. BASIC COSTS Registration fees will be announced in the next update. Hotel reservations can be made online or by phone: Call 844-888-4723. Use BOOKING CODE: 0519WV. Use this booking link: League of Women Voters of Oregon – Guestrooms Studies, Upcoming and Ongoing! Focus now on submitting materials to allow adequate time for board consideration this month. Send study and concurrence proposals to Study Chair Annie Goldner by March 1 so the board has time to read them before our March 10 board meeting. We have been reaching out since August to promote your campaigning for study (or concurrence) proposals, to build support among local Leagues for passage at convention in May. Send to Studies Chair Annie Goldner, a.goldner@lwvor.org. The Election Methods study update is in final review. We are pleased to announce board adoption: Biocides and Pesticides position (study). Child Care re-study, updating much needed since 1988, no position change. Voter Service Thanks to our strong local League network, thanks to Chair Peggy Bengry, Voter Service Reps have committed to gathering candidate and local ballot measure information for the May 16, 2023 primary election! The LWVOR Board has voted to sponsor state-wide access to Vote411.org, covering the $6,000 annual subscription fee for this calendar year, expanding our usual even-year coverage. Youth Outreach The Youth Outreach (YO!) committee is expanding opportunities for the Oregon Student Mock Election (OSME) local versions for this 2023 Primary! The committee is establishing a local League liaison network. To help develop an active presence in your local schools, contact Diana DeMaria, youthoutreach@lwvor.org. Action The Legislative session is underway in the third week and Action is galloping with hail and farewell for a number of volunteer transitions. Basically, we can always use more help! Thanks to Chair Alice Bartelt organizing! Please read the LR (Legislative Report) and consider helping out. We are meeting weekly as a committee, processing and presenting testimony, collaborations, and preparation for a Day at the Legislature. If you can help, please contact our staff, lwvor@lwvor.org. This powerful and energetic group of issue advocates needs support from organizers who can help with committee logistics. Many issues need coverage. We continue to welcome volunteers who want to learn our process to observe and learn to cover additional specific topics. Subscribe for the really useful weekly email Legislative Report summaries and see the comprehensive reports online. Your League Comms! Stay informed on League happenings at the state and local levels! You can sign up and manage your LWVOR newsletter subscriptions directly. Don't miss our event updates, Action Alerts, newsletters, and other important information. Questions? Contact our staff at lwvor@lwvor.org. Capitol Access Curious about Capitol building access and seismic work? Senator Dick Anderson’s staff featured Capitol construction maps in their newsletter. It inspired me to take these photos recently! This is House-side access, only for exit by the public. Underground staff and member parking is closed so these street parking spaces are reserved for them. Let’s appreciate the construction sentiment, “Get Us There Safe”! This is Oregon and we really care about our trees! This public art was displayed sitting on temporary cushioned mats. Announcements Civics for Adults Update, January 29, 2023 ** Portland League member Donna Cohen shares her Civics Education information and has served on our Election Methods Update committee. Upcoming Citizen Activism 101—Making Change Happen Sunday, Feb 5, 2:30-4pm. PST. Hillsboro Public Library [OR]. Virtual Register: WCCLS website if WCCLS patron or TBA § Historical perspective § Examples of successful advocacy § Types of advocacy § Who makes the rules? § Tools / strategies for change § Engaging with government / lobbying for influence § Tracking legislation in the Oregon Legislature and having your say on bills! Legislature has just begun! Beyond Voting: Elections and Campaign Finance Wednesday, Feb 15, 3pm. EST! Stoughton Public Library [MASS]. Virtual Register: One week in advance; check website § Right to vote? § Voter suppression § Election 2024 issues § Redistricting / gerrymandering § Electoral College § Alternative voting systems § Campaign financing issues and tracking Boston Globe about my workshop! Local groups want to put civics education back on the front burner ** If you've been confused about CRT, read this article, summing up how divorced from reality it is. School Ends Dr. Seuss Reading When Students Recognize Its Racism Lesson ** See League testimony supporting SB 579 in the Oregon Legislature now, to allow those who are incarcerated to vote. It is easy to submit written testimony [aka your opinion] or to sign up for in-person or virtual testimony now. [We have one of the best systems in the country for doing so!]. Just go to the link and look around: information, sign up, follow the bill via email alerts, etc. It's a hotly contested topic. Check out what people have submitted as testimony. ** National Archives Resources from Martin Luther King Day, January 16, 2023 Donna L Cohen, MLIS, MEd Portland, Oregon Civics for Adults – and Others Facebook: Civics For Adults Workshops: To Enhance Civic Knowledge and Inspire Political Engagement Ask your local library or community group to sponsor a workshop! See Flyer “My philosophy is very simple. When you see something that is not fair, not right, not just – stand up, say something, speak up!” Rep. John Lewis Recommended Reading My husband and I had just visited and seen the 9th, 10, 14th, and 15th US House votes, trying to elect the House Speaker, now Kevin McCarthy. The drama was intense! Thanks to 4th CD Rep Val Hoyle for the photo of us up in the gallery. By 2am on Saturday, January 8th when all of the House Congressional members were finally sworn in, it was very crowded! Congratulations to all, we’re counting on you! Nancy Pelosi: A study in power From the WaPo review: Pelosi was part of the first generation of women to take office by winning on their own merit. By the time she was pushing 80, she’d be supporting, and sometimes clashing with, another generation of politically ambitious women who didn’t want to play the old games or follow the old rules. Page delves into the issues of gender and sexism with depth and nuance, illustrating how social norms for women, and Pelosi’s alternate embrace and then defiance of them, shaped her rise — and how she learned early on not to talk about sexism as an impediment, lest she be branded a whiner and excuse-maker. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t notice or resent it. “There had never been another politician at her level who wore Armani suits and four-inch Manolos,” Page writes. “In a slight she never forgot, Time magazine didn’t put her on its cover through her entire first tenure as Speaker, despite the history she HAD made. Two weeks after the 2010 midterms gave back the House majority to Republicans, the magazine’s cover featured a flattering photo of John Boehner and the headline ‘Mr. Speaker.’ ” Thank You for reading! Becky Gladstone President, LWVOR

Date : December 6th, 2022 To : All League Members From : Rebecca Gladstone, LWVOR President Alice Bartelt, Action Committee Chair Claudia Keith, Social Policy: Immigration & Refugee Portfolio Call on Congress to Protect Dreamers in Lame Duck Session The League of Women Voters of Oregon strongly supports legislation that would permanently protect recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Individuals who benefit from DACA live in every state around the country and contribute to their communities. For decades, they have lived in fear of deportation while hearing promises of reform. People who are protected by DACA deserve to have peace of mind regarding where they call home. House and Senate leadership have stated that protecting the Dreamers is a high priority for the remaining time of the 117th Congress. A true democracy includes fair and equitable immigration policies with a path to citizenship. With just a few short working weeks left this year, please call on your members of Congress to take immediate action to protect the Dreamers for once and for all. To take action : Copy and paste the following text into an email or letter. Then you will use this link to look up your legislator contact information. Simply type your name into the search bar under "How to Contact Your Member" to bring up their contact information. --- Subject: Protect Dreamers Dear [ Recipient's Title and Name ]: As a member of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, I was pleased to hear from Senate and House leadership this week that protecting Dreamers is a high priority in the remaining time of the 117th Congress. I urgently request Congress to pass legislation to protect Dreamers from future attempts to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and give these individuals the desperately needed security to plan productive futures in the United States. There should be no delay in taking action to protect the Dreamers. For far too long, these individuals who are part of the fabric of America have not been fully recognized. There should be no doubt that these individuals are worthy of protection from deportation and a path toward permanent status and citizenship. People who are protected by DACA, their families, and their communities deserve the peace of mind to build their lives and futures, which so many of us born in this country take for granted. I strong urge you to protect Dreamers in the remaining time of the 117th Congress. Sincerely, [ Your Name ]