Received from OFIR tonight:
Today, as many Legislators pander for political power and dismiss citizen concerns with an AYE vote, Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) will force a closer look at SB 833 and the ultimate authority of all Oregon citizens is considered.
OFIR is in the process of filing a citizens referendum on SB 833, the retrograde bill that seeks to put Oregon government back into the business of legitimizing the presence of illegal aliens in Oregon, which also flies in the face of their sworn oath of office. SB 833 proposes to regress the state back to before 2007 when the DMV provided official identity documents to illegal aliens.
Public safety is the issue, they say. Yet, according to the Dept. of Transportation, uninsured/unlicensed driving rates have not changed since the 2008 driver license bill went into effect. So why the great rush to pass this bill? Many Legislators insisted that “undocumented Oregonians” need driver licenses to get back and forth to their jobs. This is outrageous and it’s against the law. Not a single Legislator that supported SB833 mentioned…not once, the 167,000 unemployed Oregonians. “The Bureau of Labor statistics ranks Oregon the state as 4th highest in unemployment and underemployment.
Also, “the enactment clause of SB 833 is a joke” said OFIR President Cynthia Kendoll.
“’Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon’ could not be further from the truth. The “people of Oregon have not been consulted.” In fact, they were purposely excluded from any dialogue regarding this bill. Only people that supported the bill were included. Law enforcement was asked to participate in the discussions, but their suggestions were dismissed.
OFIR intends to open an honest conversation with every registered voter in the state via this Referendum.” “Following the successful collection of 58,142 signatures every Oregon voter will be given the opportunity to reject SB 833; a bill ramrodded through the Oregon legislature in less than a month so that Governor Kitzhaber could celebrate with hundreds of illegal aliens occupying the Oregon Capitol this May Day 2013. Oregonians deserve better from their elected officials.
