Capitol May Update

We've made a lot of progress on our 2013 legislative agenda:

HB 2787 Tuition Equity - Passed! Provides in-state tuition for immigrants to public universities.

SB 833 Safe Roads Act - Passed! Restores drivers licenses for immigrants in Oregon. English Language Fact Sheet on OR Driver Card (thanks to Causa Oregon)

HB 2134 Uniform Data Collection of Race, Ethnicity and Language - After passing the House 55-0, we had our Senate committee hearing this week with testimonials from Rep Alissa Keny-Guyer, Dr. Connie Nguyen-Truong and Rev. Joseph Santos-Lyons. Led by our Policy Coordinator Victoria Demchak, we submitted over 20 letters of support and have 48 organizational endorsements. We expect the Senate committee to vote with a "do adopt" recommendation next week and send the bill to the full Senate for a floor vote.

HB 2611 Cultural Competency for Licensed Health Professionals - Successfully passed the House with a strong bipartisan vote of 46-12. Senate committee hearing featured the Urban League of Portland, Oregon Action, Oregon Nurses Association and the Oregon Medical Association alongside APANO testifying in support of this important health equity measure. We expect this bill to move from committee to the Senate floor in the next few weeks.

HB 2517 Driver License Restoration for COFA Citizens - Passed the House 56-0 and is scheduled for a Senate hearing this week. The bill is expected to pass. APANO is working with the Micronesian Islander Community based primarily in Marion County.

Check back regularly for more updates.