100% Oregon Congressional Delegation Co-Sponsors Jubilee Act - House and Senate versions!

In August, 2006 two Jubilee Oregon activists, Pat Rumer and Andy Szatkowski met with Judah Ariel, Washington DC staff for Congressman Earl Blumenauer to discuss future debt cancellation legislation. Judah suggested that Jubilee Oregon organize outreach to the entire Oregon delegation with the goal of bi-partisan support of the ACT. That became Jubilee Oregon’s goal for the 2007 Sabbath year.

Education and Outreach – Winter 2007
Andy, as chair of the Jubilee OR advocacy committee, worked with others to meet with Portland-based congressional staff to discuss the elements of the proposed Jubilee ACT. Jubilee Oregon collaborated with the Portland Area Global AIDS Coalition and the Oregon Fair Trade Coalition in these visits to make the links between debt and AIDS and debt and trade.

Jubilee ACT introduced – June 2007
Congressmen Blumenauer and Wu signed on as cosponsors as soon as the ACT was introduced. Jubilee OR hired a summer intern who set up appointments and organized visits with other members of the Oregon delegation.

Fall 2007 – Rolling fast and Senate version of the bill introduced:
Jubilee Oregon and many individual Oregonians participated in the rolling fast with Rev. David Duncombe during September and October. Jubilee OR collected paper plates to send to their Congressional representatives, signed postcards and organized a special Fast Day action on Debt and AIDS.

Five Jubilee Oregon volunteers participated in the Lobby Days in mid-October and met with both Senate and House staff asking them to cosponsor. Rev. Duncombe’s fast was critical to Representative Greg Walden’s decision to cosponsor.

November-December – Advocacy with Oregon’s Senators:
At every public event for six weeks we asked people to sign letters and petitions asking Senators Smith and Wyden to cosponsor. The week before Christmas Pat Rumer received calls from both Senators advising Jubilee OR that they had signed onto the ACT as cosponsors.

Jubilee OR’s board sent thank you notes to the entire Oregon delegation. In early 2008 Jubilee OR board members met personally with Senator Smith and Congressman Blumenauer to say thanks in person and presented each with a Jubilee t-shirt.

What did we learn?
Organization, setting a clear goal, persistence PLUS lots of letters, phone calls, and personal visits convinced Oregon’s representatives and Senators that their constituency cared about this ACT and the impact it would have on debtor nations as a first step towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.