Legislative Update

The 2005 Legislative Session came to a close in the wee hours of the morning on August 5. It was a long and frustrating session characterized by gridlock, a lack of substantial progressive leadership (with a few notable exceptions), and victories marked more by what was defeated than what was passed. Harmful bills that would have lowered the minimum wage, denied farm workers collective bargaining rights, limited a woman’s right to choose, denied drivers licenses to undocumented workers, increased mandatory minimum sentencing, and denied adoption rights to same sex couples were defeated or left to die in committee. These victories were a direct result of grassroots lobbying efforts — testimony, letters, and phone calls — that demanded our representatives stand up for rural democratic values. Unfortunately, many of our legislators chose not to listen to us as we were drowned out by the roar of corporate lobbyists. Most notably were the revenue giveaways and corporate tax loopholes totaling more than $287 million that were considered this session. Most of these bills did not pass, but many of our representatives chose to support corporate interests over our schools, healthcare, and other vital human services.

So, what do we do when our elected officials take us for a ride? They promise to work for the children, the seniors, the poor and working families — and then they vote for tax cuts for the wealthy and slash funding for education and healthcare. Well, to start with, we find out about it. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that we can open the paper and read about how our elected officials have betrayed the public trust — those of them that have. So, we do the research on their voting records and then we figure out how we can get the word out locally in our own community. One example of this is in rural Marion County, where ROP member group PALS has taken on a campaign to expose the poor voting record and attendance of their state representative. Through a letter to the editor campaign they are exposing the representatives record and calling for a change in leadership. At every turn, they are meeting him with questions and a call to accountability. At the same time, they are looking for someone who can run against the incumbent representative and at least change the debate, if not win.

If you are wondering what concrete steps you can take to move your local group’s accountability strategy along, consider the following.

1. Demand accountability! Check out the following links to compile information on your state senator’s and representative’s service this session.