Hello, Oregon Progressive Party members and supporters. Welcome to the second of our now monthly newsletters of what the Oregon Progressive Party is up to and other items of interest to the Oregon Progressive community.
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Connect with the OPP

OPP has a monthly public party meeting on the fourth Monday each month at 7 PM. Currently we are meeting via Zoom; we might be moving to in-person again soon in Portland, but we will continue to have the Zoom option. To receive notification of future meetings, please join our Google Group. Complete the form on the OPP home page or click on this Sign Up Link.

Visit our website at www.progparty.org, We are on Facebook here.
OPP comments on OR 2021 legislative bills

OPP commented on more bills before the OR legislature than any other Oregon political party. View and read our OPP testimonies. If you want to see our comments on a specific bill, you will need the bill number.

As an Oregon registered voter, you can give a tax refundable donation of up to $50 once a year and then deduct it off your Oregon income taxes. There is no reason to wait to the end of the year. Do it now. Learn more and make a donation here.
SAVE THE DATE

Friday, August 13, Sen Wyden office in Portland and in Salem.
Actions to support expansion of Medicare

6:30 - 7:30 PDT

Senator Wyden's offices
Salem office - 911 NE 11th Ave 707 Salem OR
Portland Office - 13th St SE Portland OR


Americans have a fleeting window of opportunity to expand healthcare for older adults and to lower prescription drug prices for all.

We are urging Congress to deliver these critical healthcare priorities in the final reconciliation package:

  • Strengthening Medicare to include hearing, dental, and vision benefits as well as an out-of-pocket cap
  • Expanding Medicare by lowering the eligibility age from 65 to as low as possible
  • Enabling Medicare to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for everyone.

Join us on Friday August 13th, shortly after the 56th anniversary of Medicare being signed into law, as we rally and deliver signatures to Sen. Wyden, who sits on a key Senate Committee (Finance), urging him to support including the above-mentioned priorities in reconciliation so that Medicare can help the most number of people. RSVP on above links.
These events organized by our progressive friends at Our Revolution!

Note that Oregon Progressive Party supports Medicare for All - NOW as introduced by Rep. Jayapal and, at least last year, by Sen Sanders. But we also cannot oppose measures like the above which only go part way. We cannot oppose an expansion of Medicare to cover 28 million more people, as the lowering of the eligibility age to 60 years of age would do. But we keep our eyes on the major goal - Improved Medicare for All Now, HR1986, introduced in the by Rep. Jayapal. This has not been introduced in the Senate yet this year.
For a bit of insight into the politics of Medicare for all, please read this from Corporate Crime Reporter.

Peoples' Action to enact
campaign finance limits
available soon.
Sign up to help get this on Nov 2022 ballot.

In spite of the clear call by the people of Oregon that they want effective and strict limits on political campaign contributions and expenditures to be enacted, the 2021 session of the Oregon Legislature did nothing. We voted 87% yes on Portland (M26-200) in 2018 and 89% yes on Multnomah County M26-184) in 2016% and then followed that up in 2020 with a 78% "yes" vote on an Oregon Constitutional amendment to allow contribution limits and disclosure requirements to be enacted by the Legislature or local governments or the people using the initiative process.

Oregon is still one of only 5 states with no limits on money flowing into our political campaigns, making OR elections among the most expensive in the nation!

Therefore, Oregon Honest Elections, which bought us the 3 ballot measures noted above, is busy now writing an initiative measure for the Nov 2022 ballot. WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP getting this on the Nov 2022 ballot. Sign up here to help the OR Progressive Party help with the campaign gathering of signatures when the time comes.
Oregon People's Rebate
Could you use $750 annually for each of your family members?

Oregon Progressive Party has expressed support for the Oregon People's Rebate, an initiative petition campaign for the November 2022 election.

The initiative would increase the state corporate minimum tax on sales in Oregon of over $25 million per year and distribute the additional revenue raised to every bona fide Oregon resident. The campaign estimates that increase will support a individual rebate of $750 per person who resided in Oregon for at least 200 days during the prior year.

The campaign has received a Certified Ballot Title, and petition sheets are now available to start collecting voter signatures. Interested in being part of the team? Please send an email expressing interest to the Oregon Progressive Party and/or to the Oregon People's Rebate campaign directly.

Learn more on the campaign website.