Ballot Measure Endorsements
Oregon Action's endosement committee reviewed all the ballot measures on the statewide ballot this year.  The following positions were supporting unanimously by the Electoral Committee and the Board of Directors.

Yes on 33: Amends Medical Marijuana Program

Oregon Action believes patients, consulting with their doctors, have the right to use the medi-cine of their choice to relieve pain. So do the majority of Oregonians who voted to legalize medical marijuana. However, patients who are prescribed the drug may be too ill to grow their own and find it difficult to find a safe, adequate and affordable supply. This forces people into an underground market that many find difficult to navigate. If we, as a state, truly support medical marijuana, we must also endorse open, daylight access to the drug. See the Yes On 33 campaign for more information.

Results: Initiateve Failed

No on 35: Sets Medical Liability Cap For Malpractice

Medical Malpractice Insurance accounts for two percent of health care costs, but it does provide a smokescreen to divert attention from the real problem of pharmaceutical and insurance industry profiteering. Malpractice insurance premiums are driven more by the success and failure of insurance company investments than by the cost of lawsuits. Many investors lost money in 2001, the insurance industry just made up for it by raising premiums. States with caps experienced median premium increases of 48 percent compared to an increase of 36 percent in states without caps. Oregon doctors and hospitals would do better to form a professional liability pool and work for insurance reform. There is an extensive report on this issue from Public Citizen. Also see the No on 35 campaign for more information.

Results: Initiateve Failed

No on 36: Changes Constitution to Prohibit Gay Marriage

This measure is not just about the rights of gay couples to get mar-ried; it’s about health care, home mortgage rates, children’s security and well-being, and dozens of other economic and social questions. Here's a list of 100 ways Measure 36 hurts families. At its heart, this measure is about whether we, as a people, believe our rights are in-alienable or not. Every time anti-gay activists put the rights of the gay community on the ballot, they endanger the rights of all people by saying that our rights are determined by popularity and majority rule. Don’t write discrimination into the Oregon Constitution. See the No on 36 campaign for more information.

Results: Initiative Passed

No on 37: Attacks Land Use Laws

Measure 37 has two goals: to eviscerate Oregon’s land use laws and to bankrupt Oregon’s government. Oregon Action believes that communities have the right to regulate land use to enhance everyone’s quality of life by reducing urban sprawl, encouraging public transit and promoting neighborhood cohesion. We also believe that government money should not be spent on the “coulda-woulda-shoulda” claims of landowners wishing they had done something different with their property (the measure allows retroactive claims.) Measure 37 is a bureaucratic nightmare and a magnet for opportunistic damage claims from disgruntled landowners. See the No On 37 Campaign for more information.

Results: Initiative Passed

No on 38: Eliminates SAIF

Oregon’s State Accident Insurance Fund (SAIF) is an ongoing demonstration of the efficiency and savings of public insurance over private insurance companies. While worker’s compensation insurance rates went up 29% in Washington and 20% in California last year, Oregon’s basic rate has not in-creased in 14 years. This is good for Oregon employers. Liberty Mutual, the Boston insurance company that is fronting this campaign cannot compete on cost or service, so they put Measure 38 on the ballot to eliminate their competition. Rather than eliminating SAIF, Oregon Action would like to see a similar organization created to provide health insurance for all Oregonians. Until then, we appreciate SAIF’s daily demonstration of the efficiency and economy of state-sponsored, public insurance. See SAIF-keeping or Oregonians for SAIF for more information.

Results: Initiateve Failed

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Updated February 25, 2007