11/25/1981 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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. v any public stand, either on behalf of the City or on behalf of the commission ~ alone, their recommendations were presented to the council's legislative subcom- . mittee for approval or information. A concerted effort was made to coordinate efforts with those of Paget Engen, the City's lobbyist. Additionally, the commission participated in the Women's Rights Coalition, which is a broad-based group organized to hire a professional lobbyist to work on behalf of women's issues with the Oregon Legislature. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts continued, saying that the commission took positions on approximately 30 bills. Of these, seven bills were passed by the Legislature, and five were signed into law by the Governor. The specific bills, as well as the position taken on them, are included in the council's packet of materials. They feel that the highlights of the session were: 1) no bills which directly opposed equal rights for women passed the Legislature this session; 2) funding for shelter homes was obtained through the imposition of an additional $20 marriage license fee (Current estimates are that the passage of House Bill 2308 will generate approximately $800,000 during the 1981-83 biennium. Of this amount, approximately $600,000 will go to shelter homes for battered women, and $200,000 will be used for child abuse-related services. At this time, it is not possible to estimate the amount which will come to Womenspace. However, this bill will make a significant difference in their ability to continue to provide service to our community); and 3) the passage of three companion bills--SB 355, 356, and 357--which expanded the definition of abuse to include involuntary sexual relations and introduced some major reforms in the court procedures concerning obtaining restraining orders and other abuse-related procedures. The passage of these bills should foster more effective enforcement of the spousal abuse prevention laws. . Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts stated that the issues fared fairly well in a session preoccupied with issues of budget reform and revenue loss. Some of the Women's Commission's key bills passed; others did not. Of particular concern was the failure of the Legislature to pass HB 2926, which would have provided funding for displaced homemakers' services. This is a critical need facing this commun- ity and one which they will continue to support. The commission's legislative task force is currently focusing on Federal legislation concerning women. However, they expect to begin focusing on Oregon legislation again if the Governor calls the Legislature into special session as anticipated. They feel that the commission's lobbying efforts, along with the willingness of the City Council to take an active role in furthering women's issues, has had a strong impact on the treatment of those issues by the Oregon Legislature. She thanked the council on behalf of the entire commission for their continued support for the Women's Commission activities during the legislative sessions. She intro- duced Sheri Oeser, Legislative Vice President, Oregon Women's Political Caucus. Ms. Oeser stated that on behalf of the Oregon Women's Political Caucus and the Women's Rights Coalition, she wanted to expr'ess appreciation to the Women's Commission and the City Council for taking a position on the various bills. It helped their credibility immensely. . MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 25, 1981 Page 5 I I