Another good editorial on Measure 37

The Oregonian‘s Editorial Board today previews the Legislature’s referral on Measure 37 that citizens will be voting on in November. I support both passage of the measure and the O‘s arguments.

The Governor’s Office Summary (pdf) of House Bill 3540-C, the legislation passed to refer the Measure 37 changes to the voters, identifies the key features of the new proposal. Note, the Legislature could have chosen to enact the changes without referring them to voters, since Measure 37 contained statutory provisions rather than Constitutional changes. So claims the referral “ignores the will of the people” are without merit. The Legislature chose to ask Oregonians, “Is this more like what you thought you were voting for?”. We will find out whether the electorate says Yes or No in November. I applaud the referral. While it would have been courageous to simply make the changes within the Legislature, and I would have been satisfied with the new laws if legislators had done that, by referring to the people we will all know for sure what voters “meant” by approving Measure 37. And/or, whether seeing it play out in practice has caused Oregonians to change their minds.