Many people join Surfrider for their love of the ocean and sense of community, not because of interest in politics. In fact, many people have spent their lives trying to avoid politics altogether.
However, if we want to push for statewide efforts to protect our oceans, waves, and beaches, it is crucial to understand how state level government actually works and how to best connect with your legislators. It turns out it's pretty fun, too.
Our spring training on "State Government 101" was a great chance to refresh our political knowledge and to hear from our elected officials first hand. We are so grateful that Senator Michael Dembrow (District 23), Senator Jeff Golden (District 3), and Representative David Gomberg (District 10) were able to take the time to meet with us and share their personal experience!
Scroll to the bottom of the screen to watch the full recording of the live Zoom meeting and read below for a primer on our state government and excellent insights from our panelists!
Government Structure
The Oregon State Legislature website has a series of pages dedicated to Citizen Engagement. Take some time to browse through these resources on the details of Oregon's government and how to get involved.
Our focus is on the legislative branch as that is the arena in which we can work towards policy changes that better society and the environment. The legislature is made up of elected representatives, who consider matters brought forth by the governor or introduced by its members to create legislation that becomes law. The legislature also approves the state's budget and initiates tax legislation and articles of impeachment.
Oregon is one of only FOUR states to not have a lieutenant governor, a position which for most state senates is the head of the legislative body and holder of the casting vote in the event of a tie. Instead, a separate position of Senate President is in place, removed from the state executive branch. If the chamber is tied, legislators must devise their own methods of resolving the impasse.
One way this can have an impact is that the Secretary of State can become governor if the governor vacates the office mid-term. Governor Kate Brown had served two terms as Secretary of State before taking office after her predecessor resigned, and then was then reelected in 2018.
There are 30 members of the Senate, representing 30 districts across the state, each with a population of 127,700. Senators serve four-year terms without term limits. The State Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to state departments, commissions, boards, and other state governmental agencies.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. Representatives serve 2 year terms without term limits.
Find out who your legislators are and how to connect with them using information found in this blog post.
Across the country, only about one in four state legislators is a woman, but in Oregon, women account for a full third of the legislature. House Speaker Tina Kotek, is one of just six current female speakers in the country. The North Portland Democrat is also the US’s first openly lesbian leader of any state legislative chamber. The legislature is still largely white, but that’s changing, too, with the election in 2016 of Rep. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland), the state’s second Native American legislator, Rep. Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn), Oregon’s first Latina immigrant lawmaker, Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Clackamas), currently the only African American member of the House, and Rep. Khanh Pham (D-Portland), the daughter of Vietnamese refugees.
Committees are made up of small groups of legislators from both political parties, who deal with related issues such as transportation, revenue, education, labor and economic development.
House and Senate committee members, committee chairpersons and vice chairpersons are appointed by their respective presiding officers. The committee chairperson has the power to determine which measures will be on the committee’s agenda. If a measure does not get scheduled, then it has no chance of passing. In some instances, the committee chair may also appoint subcommittees.
Committee members consider the testimony of Oregon citizens; lobbyists; and business, education, and government agency representatives during public hearings on a measure. The number of public hearings held on a measure depends on the complexity of the issue.
The fate of a measure is determined during work sessions, when the committee debates and votes on measures. The committee may choose from several options when dealing with a measure. If they decide to report a measure out of committee, they may attach a recommendation to the body of do pass, do pass with amendments, or no recommendation. A committee may also choose to table a piece of legislation, thereby postponing its consideration.
You can subscribe to alerts and track legislation through the Oregon State Legislature website. Learn more about tracking legislation in this blog post.
How Laws are Made (Simplified Version!)
- Bills are drafted by sponsors in the House and Senate (you need both).
- Bills are referred to various committees.
- Committees hear the bills and decide whether to pass, amend, or vote down the bill. (Most bills won’t make it out of committee, and many are never even heard!)
- After making it through the committees, the bill heads to the full House & Senate for approval.
- Bills must be identical, so any differences must be reconciled.
- The final bill goes to the executive (Governor) for their signature.
More detailed version:
Legislative Sessions
The legislature convenes annually in February at the State Capitol in Salem, but sessions may not exceed 160 days in odd-numbered years and 35 days in even-numbered years, unless extended by a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
On average, 3,000 Bills are considered during the long legislative session in odd years. About ⅓ of those bills become laws. Learn more about what legislative session is like from our panelists later on in this post.
Session Interim
Building Relationships with Legislators
- Relationship building (getting acquainted and establishing trust) vs. Lobbying (see below)
- Outside of Legislative Session (the more relaxed "interim") vs. During Session (when it is BUSY)
- Relationship Opportunities
- Their terms: Town Hall, Constituent Coffee, etc.
- Your terms: Events, panels, etc.
Lobbying
- What is lobbying?
- In politics, lobbying, persuasion, or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.
- Direct vs. Indirect (Grassroots) Lobbying
- Direct: one-on-one contact and the provision of information to try to influence legislators
- Indirect: tactics are aimed at influencing the views of the general public, which will in turn affect the preferences of legislators.
- Lobbying rules
- Different rules and state and federal laws determine how much time and money individuals spend engaging in these activities. In Oregon this is defined by 1) compensation for activity 2) more than 24 hours of activity in calendar year 3) more than $100 spent in calendar year.
- Oregon Lobby law requires most lobbyists to register and file quarterly reports of their expenditures.
- Who are lobbyists?
- Lobbyist are often thought of just political professionals who work to lawfully influence policies, decisions, and actions of government officials. But really anybody that acts to influence polices and decisions could be considered a “lobbyist."
- Communication Methods: phone, email, letters/mail, constituent meetings, lobby days (group and guided).
- Best practices and Key Tools: talking points, fact sheets, sign-on letters, action alerts, etc - Your legislator RELATIONSHIP will help inform which tool is most effective and which tool may be a turn off.
- Connect with key legislative staff members (staff members are the gatekeepers)
- Participating in public hearings (In virtual and in-person context)
Highlights from Our Panel Discussion
Introductions:
Senator Golden:
- Represents Rogue Valley area. "Rolled into there" after college and never left!
- Homesteaded for 10 years before turning to a career in media and politics.
- Fun fact: he's an amateur banjo player!
- Gets energized and stimulated by the people dynamics endemic to politics.
- Has a "quaint belief in representative democracy," and as our founders made it clear, there's no way to get there without civic engagement.
- Quote from Helen Keller that is a touchstone: I'm not all of human kind, I'm only one person. I can not do all things, but I can do some things. I'll never refuse to do what I can do. He thinks about that daily, and politics is something he can do. "Politics is exasperating and frustrating and wonderfully stimulating."
- Like most people, he wants to look at his loved ones at the end of his life and say I brought it. I brought all I could bring.
Senator Dembrow:
- Represents Northeast and Southeast Portland since 2009.
- Currently serves as Chair of the Senate Education Committee. He also sits on the Judiciary Committee, the Energy and Environment Committee, and the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education.
- Taught writing and film studies at Portland Community College's Cascade campus in North Portland beginning in 1981, and served as the President of the PCC faculty union for 16 years.
- Fun fact: He's very absorbed in recycling and waste reduction. Recalled his first experience with recycling: growing up in rural Connecticut and helping his grandfather earn a living by gathering grain bags from farms to return for re-use. That was his first experience with agriculture and recycling.
Representative Gomberg:
- Represents the Central coast from Yachats to Tillamook, and inland to Sheridan.
- Most of his legislative involvement has been in budgets.
- Serves as vice-chair of the Joint Ways & Means Committee, is co-chair of the Transportation & Economic Development subcommittee, sits on the Ways & Means General Government subcommittee, and serves on the Emergency Board. He is a member of the Governor's Commission on Senior Services, the Ocean Science Trust and the Oregon Innovation Council.
- Legislative efforts have focused on small business, reviving our public education system, government efficiency, environmental sustainability, and ensuring independence and dignity for seniors.
- Fun fact: His wife and he own a kite business and did public performances around the world and at one point owned the largest kite in the world! (And he has the second best parking space at the capitol.)
What are the best ways for people who want to engage in civic matters to build relationships with you?
Senator Golden:
- Likes to build relationships over time.
- More open to the input of people who are working hard on problem solving rather than "tearing things down."
- "Not thrilled about getting approached in public. It happens and that's okay," but he would prefer to keep boundaries between public life and private life.
- Really appreciates personal calls and emails, but is not "moved" by form emails. He pays more attention when someone is making a genuine effort.
- He also likes to hear from people who have taken time to be a bit informed, and who "understand that there's a counter argument and that people on the other side are not complete fools."
- "Catch us doing something right! If there's some legislation or vote or statement that really rings with you, tell us that!" Like everyone else, politicians like positive recognition. Especially if there is an elected official you are NOT all that aligned with...if you can find something you can appreciate, tell them. It's positive reinforcement and it opens ears better to what you have to say. "It's simple, but it helps."
Representative Gomberg:
- Agrees that personal letters are more effective...but also at the end of the day, there is something to be said for getting 100 identical and then only having to craft one response letter!
- He encourages building relationships before legislative session and mentions what a "grinder" the session is! He reminds us that politicians live in our communities, are normal people and are "people people." So try building that rapport with them before the legislative session starts, preferably on something more fun and personal and not just advocacy. That will give you an entree when they are in legislative session. When looking at their call sheet at the end of the day, they are more likely to call back a friend than a potential foe.
- Differs from Golden, because he doesn't mind strangers approaching him in public! He loves being out and about and going to gatherings, interest groups, and so forth.
- As for advocacy, in person meetings are most effective. They are set up to be paperless at the Capitol, so while sending a hand-written letter is meaningful, unfortunately it gets lost quickly. Emails get entered into the record and can be reviewed later on. Specific advocacy days are great, when people come to the office and they can sit down and talk and build upon the relationship they already have.
- If you do form letters, get the name right! It's amazing how often people address mail to the wrong legislator.
- He adds that they are honestly more interested in mail from their constituents. There's so much mail that comes in, it's really not possible to go through all of it so they focus on constituents. So know that if you write everybody, you may not hear back from people who do not represent you.
Senator Dembrow:
- When session starts, it's too late to begin a relationship. Sometimes you have to because there's no alternative, but the best relationships start in the interim when legislators are much more relaxed. During session, it's like a "meat grinder" or a "pressure cooker," and they are meeting new people every 15 minutes on wildly different topics.
- On the other hand, during the interim, there is time to actually sit down in person. Or if the communication is through email, they really have time to think about it and generate a thoughtful response.
- Note that if you have a problem that needs a solution, it takes time!
- He agrees with Golden re: form letters. Yes, it's easy to just read the first and disregard the rest...but is that really what you want? Try to put a personal spin to it, use your own subject line, and address to the correct name!! He gets lots of emails with some other legislators name! In general, the more personal the better.
- Most of legislators hold regular town halls, constituent coffee gatherings, etc. One of the great things about these events is it allows other people to hear your concerns. Yours may not be an issue that other people are thinking about, but it may resonate with them and become an issue for them. It's good community building and and helps move your cause forward.
What makes testimony compelling, especially in virtual sessions?
Representative Gomberg:
- How to give compelling and soulful testimony, in 2 minutes? You have to be concise, prepared, and get points across quickly and clearly. AND you can always follow up with written testimony.
- Even if your testimony is in writing, don't read it...speak it!
- Also, for virtual meetings, don't look at the people you are testifying to, speak to the camera!! People may not realize what a big difference that makes.
Senator Dembrow:
- Understands that people get nervous and read testimony from a script, but it's actually less affective than just talking. You can submit written testimony later, especially if it has statistics or factual information or you forgot to mention something. It's most important for the legislators to get a sense of who you are and why you care.
- He actually likes the virtual format. Feels like he can see people up close and personal, whereas in the capitol building, you are pretty distant and the setting often makes people nervous. The virtual format can make people more comfortable and it brings together people from all over the state.
- One of the challenges we are going to face is how we can blend these two formats in the future; how do we take the benefits of the virtual and add them to the immediacy and human element of in-person?
What's a good way for groups like ours or individuals to communicate issues with respect to the budget?
Note: Staffed by the Legislative Fiscal Office, the Joint Committee on Ways and Means is the legislative appropriations committee that determines state budget policy. It is a large committee of both Senate and House members and which employs six to eight subcommittees to facilitate adoption of a biennial budget.
Representative Gomberg:
- There's a flow to the development of the budget. "The governor drafts and the legislature crafts." There are several committees and subcommittees who work on budget drafts. Legislative fiscal staff are key players to know and communicate with. "Those are the people who really know what is going on."
- Any bill that has a fiscal impact goes to Ways and Means before the floor. If a policy committee sends a bill to Ways and Means, we are not looking at policy any more, we are looking at costs and are not generally amending bills.
Senator Dembrow:
- The Ways and Means committee also looking at bills coming out of policy committees. The bills probably have a chief sponsor or two that have gotten the bills through the policy committee. The big mistake is letting those sponsors off the hook after it goes to Ways and Means. The sponsors need to keep advocating for it. So many of our bills do have budget implications. It can be the best bill in the world, but can it can die in Ways and Means simply out of neglect.
The Ways & Means Road Show is a series of meetings where Oregonians can come share their budget priorities with the budget writers of the Oregon Legislature. The road show travels all around Oregon so that people can come and share their opinions with the budget committee about the proposed budget. What is the best way for everyday people to effectively show up in those two hours?
Representative Gomberg:
- Normally these events happen in person, with a stage and people are invited to come up and testify in groups. Often when we do those live meetings, testifiers have have friends in the audience who hold up signs that say agree or disagree. With the remote setting, it is more difficult to do that.
- Facilitators often can't get to everybody who signs up, so groups should agree on a lead testifier and their allies can yield their time to the lead testifier. This is a good technique for getting visibility in front of the committee.
- Once the lead testifier is figured out, they still only have two minutes to testify, so spend less time introducing yourself and more time making your points!
Final advice or inspiration for citizens trying to get involved in state legislation?
Senator Dembrow:
- Reiterates that this kind of event is great and we should keep on doing it! Person-to-person interactions are crucial and he would be happy to do this again (maybe after the session!). Let's set one of these up in the future to talk about these issues.
- And take advantage of the interim and find a way to connect with your representatives once the session is over and then build on that relationship during the session.
Representative Gomberg:
- Don't doubt for a moment how significant and impactful you can be in the process! This session, 4000 bills were introduced and they were all someone's idea. People saw a problem, had the passion and the commitment to try making a difference and brought that idea forward.
- You can have an impact as an individual and an even greater impact working together.