What do you want the 2015 Legislature to take on?

Kari Chisholm

Next year, the Oregon Legislature will convene with 18 Democrats in the Senate and 35 Democrats in the House. As I mentioned last week, Oregon was the only state where Democrats gained seats in both houses of the legislature.

A bit of a historical sidenote: 2014 was only the fourth election in the last five decades to break the trend in the Oregon House. The others were 1974 (post-Watergate), 1982 (Reagan recession), and 2006 (Bush broke America). What happened in Oregon in 2014 was stunning -- even more so considering that a Democrat was in the White House. If that's not a mandate, I don't know what is.

In 2016, we can expect Democrats to expand those majorities even further. After all, it will be a presidential year, and Oregon Democrats almost always gain legislative seats in presidential years. So, Democrats can afford to be bold.

So, the question is: What will Democrats do with their strong election mandate? What are your priorities?

Here's an incomplete list of random thoughts from me. I'd like to hear yours.

• Raise the minimum wage.
• Make low-wage employers pay a fee to offset the costs they impose on the social safety net.
• Pass some reasonable gun safety legislation.
• Do whatever needs to be done to keep moving the ball forward on health care.
• Pass GMO labeling.
• Pass the low-carbon fuel standard and take action on climate change.
• Make a big investment in Portland State and our community colleges.
• More school funding to reduce K-12 class size.
• Basic infrastructure -- roads, bridges, water systems.
• Stop toxics in products for children.

I'm sure I've missed some very important things.

So, consider this an open call. Whether you're a professional advocate or an interested citizen (and especially, if you're a legislator), let's hear it: What are you hoping to see from the 2015 Oregon Legislature?

By Kari Chisholm Dec. 30, 2014