Policy Battle Royale:

Concepts at a glance

Building livable communities and protecting farm land: A campaign to protect our best farm and forest land while also managing growth through the designation of urban and rural reserves.

Carbon Tax: A tax on carbon use intended to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and the use of nonrenewable resources while also stabilizing Oregon’s revenue stream.

Climate Change Package: A comprehensive program for reducing Oregon’s global warming pollution and building statewide consensus for such efforts. Includes participation in the Western Climate Initiative and development of a carbon-friendly transportation package.

Fighting the Expansion of Mandatory Minimums: The campaign to stop Initiative Petition 40, which would create a new set of mandatory minimum sentences for drug and property-related crimes at a projected at over $400 million a biennium.

Fusion Voting: Calls for statutory change allowing candidates to appear on a ballot as the nominee of more than one party.

Green Building: Calls for all state-owned buildings to be built and/or renovated with green building standards, as well as for a campaign encouraging green building in the private sector.

Health Insurance for Young Adults: Requires health insurance companies to keep adult children up to the age of 30 on their parents’ health insurance policies. Allows for but limits increases in premiums to cover those adult children.

The HOPE Initiative: A constitutional amendment stating that every Oregonian has the right to affordable and effective health care. 

Informed Growth Act: Requires environmental and economic impact analysis to be conducted on large “big box” retail establishments, giving local communities more power over the placement of such developments.

Meeting the Challenge of Autism: A two year effort to raise public awareness, document needs, develop strategy, and organize grassroots support for legislation during the 2009 Legislative session in order to provide effective care, treatment and education for autistic kids.

Open Primary: Allows voters to choose any one candidate, regardless of their political party affiliation, for each office during the May primary. The top two finishers in the primary, regardless of political party, move on to the November election.

Pro-Government Campaign: An effort to reverse the widespread distrust of Oregon government through the collaboration of various progressive organizations in a media and messaging campaign.

Real-Estate Transfer Taxes: A tax on the value of a piece of property when real estate is bought or sold. The revenue from this tax would go toward affordable housing and for setting aside areas for habitat and land conservation.

Real ID Repeal Campaign: A coordinated effort to lobby both federal and state lawmakers in order to avoid the adoption of Real ID requirements here in Oregon and to repeal it nationally.

Same Day Voter Registration: A constitutional amendment allowing individuals to register to vote up to and on Election Day.

Teacher Mentoring: Establishes a statewide program ensuring that all new teachers and administrators have a mentor.

Voter Owned Elections: Sets up a system of public financing for campaigns for state offices.