Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
Preamble
We, the Oregon Republican Party, affirm that the United States of America is one sovereign nation under God and that unalienable rights are granted to us by our Creator. These rights, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence, confirm in each individual the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We believe in the freedom and equality of every individual as set forth in and protected by the Constitution of the United States of America, including the Bill of Rights, which also limits the powers of the government. All other powers are reserved to the states and the people.
The Oregon Republican Party advocates for limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility, religious liberty, free markets and a strong national defense. We support ethical and accountable candidates and public officials who advocate these principles and those stated in this platform.
Law and Criminal Justice
The Oregon Republican Party believes that the laws of the United States and the State of Oregon should convey the principles and constraints of the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Oregon; that laws for the punishment of crime shall be founded on these principles: protection of society, personal responsibility, accountability for one’s actions and reformation; to preserve and protect the rights of crime victims.
2.1 We support the highest budget prioritization for the funding of public safety with appropriate truth in sentencing and mandatory minimum sentences; using enforcement as a deterrent, even including the use of the death penalty.
2.2 We believe all courts should exercise judicial restraint, not activism, when interpreting our Constitutions and statutes.
2.3 We support Oregonians’ right to privacy, specifically including personal possessions and electronic records, from mass surveillance, search or seizure unless authorized by a specific warrant based on probable cause.
2.4 Oregon residents shall be given the full justice of the civil court system, including equal discovery rights and a fair hearing before an administrative agency can revoke rights, institute fines or invoke other penalties.
2.5 We support the analysis of addictive and social conditions that contribute to violent crimes so that solutions can be implemented.
2.6 We oppose the implementation of any legal system that is inconsistent with the Constitutions of Oregon and the United States.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
Economy
The Oregon Republican Party believes private property rights, free market capitalism, sound monetary policy and low taxation are the foundations of a stable economy.
3.1 Individuals shall have title, control, use and right to transfer private property. Private property owners should be fairly compensated for any regulations that diminish property values.
3.2 The supply and demand for goods, services and labor shall be determined solely by the free market. To that end, government must not create, own, operate, subsidize or assume control of any private business, nor be party to, any enterprise which could be operated privately. Employees should be free to choose whether or not to join a union as a condition of employment.
3.3 A vibrant free market economy flourishes under low taxation and minimal government intervention. Oregon’s excessive tax burden on individuals and businesses should be reduced to improve our economic viability.
3.4 Private property rights (including water/ mineral rights and sales/ development rights) are the wellspring of economic prosperity. It is in the interests of all to maximize private property rights. We support repealing many of Oregon’s overly restrictive land use laws.
3.5 A vibrant economy cannot flourish when the Federal Reserve is allowed to destroy sound money, subsidize gigantic, corrupt financial institutions and rob savers of free market financial returns.
Education
The Oregon Republican Party believes that all children deserve access to a quality education. From birth, parents and legal guardians have the primary right and responsibility to educate their children in the manner they choose. Teaching the founding principles of our Constitutional Republic is an essential of education.
4.1 Children are best prepared to be productive citizens when education emphasizes basic and marketable skills, including, but not limited to, reading, written and verbal communication, science, mathematics, civics, U.S. history and world history.
4.2 Educational choice and competition are the most effective mechanisms for improving the quality of education. Educational funds should support the parents’ choice of educational options.
4.3 All students should be brought to English fluency as quickly as possible for success in life.
4.4 While recognizing the need for rigorous standards, we oppose excessive testing and Common Core.
4.5 We believe parents and legal guardians, teachers and community members, through their locally elected school boards, should exercise more influence over state legislation concerning curriculum, standardized testing and the allocation and distribution of state education funds, rather than employee unions, corporate interest and the federal government.
4.6 We oppose mandatory participation in universal public pre-school and birth-to-five early learning programs.
4.7 We believe that sex education is primarily the responsibility of parents, so sex education must include parental permission and be optional.
4.8 We oppose any law that requires mandatory vaccinations as a prerequisite for children to attend their public schools if it conflicts with the personal beliefs of their parents.
4.9 We support using competition, technology and market forces to provide quality higher education.
Natural Resources and Environmental Stewardship
The ORP believes that our natural resources, managed responsibly, are vital to our state’s environment, economy and prosperity. We believe that under our Constitution, our government exists by the consent of the governed, and we support the free market system in conjunction with minimal regulation to preserve the long-term beauty of Oregon. The only function of government is to protect the unalienable God-given rights of life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. We believe every individual is to be a good steward of the natural resources that God has provided to us and our future generations.
5.1 Oregon Republican Party supports multiple uses of our public lands and waters with minimal government interference. This includes, but is not limited to, agriculture, logging, mining, tourism, power generation, recreation and commercial fishing.
5.2 Oregon Republican Party supports and encourages the transfer of federal public lands to local control, excluding sovereign nations, as provided for in the Constitution of the United States of America, Article 1, Section 8 and the Oregon Act of Admission, Feb 14, 1859 (Enabling Act). Not referring to public lands as government lands.
5.3 We strongly support and encourage the Coordination process, as defined by the Federal Land Management and Policy Act, by local governments to insure federal projects are consistent with local plans, economy, culture and history.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
5.4 We oppose the withdrawal, use, or taking of public lands to create wilderness, monument or any other restrictive categories without approval from Congress and approval of the people of Oregon.
5.5 We support the State’s primacy over the Federal government in relation to state waters.
5.6 We recognize the critical importance of water for agriculture by supporting the Constitutional protection of established surface and groundwater.
5.7 We support water rights being established as real property.
5.8 We oppose the breaching of dams.
5.9 We encourage expanded water storage. New or enhanced reservoirs should be sufficient to provide sound water management, hydroelectric power and environmental policy based on verifiable science, and we support counting all hydropower in Oregon’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard.
5.10 We support and promote the security of individual property rights. ORP believes the ownership of private property is the cornerstone of personal freedom.
5.11 We oppose any taking of private property and unreasonable setbacks for any reason without compensation established by due process in a court of law. We support the constitutional protection of private property rights, including the rights of prospectors and small-scale miners.
5.12 We oppose any international environmental treaties or organizations that plan environmental, social engineering and/ or global political control.
5.13 We believe that citizens of Oregon have the right to protect themselves, their pets and livestock from predators, whether they are on the endangered species list or not, without federal or state interference.
5.14 Unless there is valid, peer-reviewed scientific data and consent of state and local government, we oppose introduction, reintroduction or protection of any fish, wildlife or plant species in Oregon.
5.15 We oppose abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act, in particular, as applied to our natural resources.
5.16 We support and recognize the Oregon and California Railroad Grant Act of 1937 as being vital to Oregon’s economy and schools and oppose any further set-asides that remove public land from sustained-yield timber production.
5.17 We acknowledge a distinctive difference between public domain and public land as it relates to natural resource use and individual private property rights.
5.18 We support removing the authority of Regional government or service districts over local cities and counties.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
Family
The Oregon Republican Party believes that the traditional family is ordained by God our Creator and is the foundation of our society. A traditional family is formed through the marriage of one man and one woman. This is environment is optimal for raising children into responsible, self-sufficient, productive citizens.
6.1 We believe that government intervention into matters regarding the family must be kept to an absolute minimum and be subject to due process.
6.2 Every person has a fundamental right to life that begins at conception and endures to the natural conclusion of life. We strongly oppose both abortion and assisted suicide. We oppose any government funding of abortion.
6.3 Marriage is between one man and one woman.
6.4 We believe that where a court of law determines parents to be unfit to raise children, state and local governments have the responsibility to intervene. In those cases, the grandparents or other immediate family members shall be given first consideration.
6.5 We oppose sexual exploitation, human trafficking, pornography and prostitution because they are degrading and exploitative.
6.6 We believe it is the role of the parent or legal guardian to direct topics of education in sexual matters, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, ethics and moral values. Governmental or public agencies shall obtain parental permission before discussing sex-related subjects with minor age children. Parents or guardians are the final authority in deciding what is best for their children and have the right to full disclosure of all services, content and materials disseminated to their children.
Foreign Policy
The Oregon Republican Party believes that foreign relations and foreign policy decisions must be based upon the security interests and well-being of the United States, its sovereignty and its citizens, while adhering to the U.S. Constitution.
7.1 The position of the United States in world affairs is based upon our freedoms, moral standing, economic prosperity, effective diplomacy, free trade and a strong military.
7.2 We support the expenditures of Foreign Aid that are solely in the vital national security interest of the United States.
7.3 We support the promotion of American principles such as individual liberty and human rights. It should be the policy of the United States to oppose genocide, abortion and religious and political persecution.
7.4 It is the position of the United States in world affairs to respect the sovereignty of all nations and to reject nation building. Peaceful free nations should not be deprived of the right to defend their continued existence and independence. We stand with and support Israel’s and Taiwan’s sovereign right to exist.
7.5 We recognize that violent, radical Islamic Jihadists and other groups have declared war on America. We believe that the U.S. Government needs to be clear about which nations and groups are at war with the United States. We believe that a criminal justice approach to combatting terrorist acts of war is ineffective. The United States must not tolerate terrorist actions or nations that enable terrorism. This in no way legitimizes depriving U.S. citizens of their Constitutional rights.
7.6 The United States shall defend its sovereignty and is solely responsible for its national defense, free from foreign interference. We oppose programs such as the United Nations Agenda 21 policy (and related initiatives) to cede jurisdiction, to relinquish any control over the United States, its citizens, military, territories or resources or to give taxing authority in violation of the U.S. Constitution to any world body such as the United Nations, the World Court, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization. We oppose United Nation efforts to subvert our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
7.7 To ensure the technical and military superiority of the United States, we support the continued development of advanced military weapon systems. We encourage the development of EMP (nuclear weapon’s electromagnetic pulse) defensive and missile defense systems to protect our national infrastructure.
7.8 We affirm that the President of the United States must adhere to the Constitutional separation of powers by seeking and receiving Congressional authorization for any act of war and seeking and receiving Senate approval for any treaty.
7.9 We support national initiatives to profoundly improve cyber security at all levels. We believe foreign-initiated cyber-attacks should be countered with appropriate active responses.
7.10 We believe that deployed American soldiers should not be prosecuted for violating Status of Forces Agreements by intervening in human rights violations.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
Government Spending
We believe in limited, accountable, efficient and transparent government, at all levels, which performs its core Constitutional functions with the highest ethical standard. It is vital that all levels of government operate within a balanced budget and eliminate all wasteful spending. We oppose unfunded mandates from any level of government.
Health Care
Families and individuals have the sole responsibility and right to make their own health care decisions. A free market system of health insurance and health care delivery is the surest way to provide high-quality affordable health care that preserves individual freedom and privacy. We advocate the protection of the physician-patient relationship, the promotion of competition and the provision of individual choice.
The Republican Party supports:
9.1 The elimination of government barriers, incentives or mandates that limit an individual’s health insurance and health care options or increases the costs for individuals, families, groups and employers.
9.2 The removal of barriers in Oregon law to the marketing of health care and insurance solutions.
9.3 The fundamental and inalienable right of an individual to seek out and pursue the health insurance and health care services of their choosing, with full informed consent.
9.4 We are committed to aggressively pursuing tort reform legislation to help avoid the practice of defensive medicine, to keep healthcare costs low and improve healthcare quality.
9.5 The repeal of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and opposes any efforts to implement similar provisions at the state level.
Immigration
The Oregon Republican Party recognizes that securing our national borders is essential to ensure the sovereignty and safety of our state.
10.1 All state and local government agencies and elected officials shall work together to enforce immigration laws, starting with our workforce. Employment eligibility is imperative, and violations by employers must be enforced without exception.
10.2 Amnesty or the designation of any city, county or jurisdiction in Oregon as a sanctuary for illegal foreigners shall not be allowed.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
10.3 English shall be the official language of Oregon, and all government business conducted therein.
10.4 We believe that all voting is a treasured privilege and a right that is reserved exclusively to U.S. citizens.
10.5 Taxpayer-funded public services, privileges and entitlements shall not be provided to illegal foreigners, with the exception of life-saving emergency medical services.
Individual Liberty and Limited Government
We agree with our nation’s Founders that our unalienable rights are endowed by our Creator and that government without the consent of the governed is tyranny. We expect local, state and federal government to protect our individual rights, freedoms and private property. We affirm that the powers of the federal government are limited to those enumerated in the U.S. Constitution and restricted by the 9th and 10th amendments. We reject the idea that government is entitled to monitor and record our every communication and transaction.
Senior Citizens
12.1 We support and value senior citizens and their unalienable rights; among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
12.2 Their life experiences, institutional knowledge, wisdom and continuing contribution to society are invaluable.
12.3 Social Security Income received by senior citizens should be free from all forms of taxation.
Regulation
The Oregon Republican Party affirms the importance of necessary and locally appropriate regulations that promote confidence in our economy among individuals, families, entrepreneurs and businesses. We support those regulations that protect public safety, free enterprise and personal freedoms. We support the simplification of Oregon regulations.
Self-Protection
It is an unalienable right of all people to use any reasonable and necessary force to defend their homes, protect themselves, others and their property without fear of criminal or civil reprisal. All law-abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms in a manner of their choosing without government interference.
Oregon Republican Party 2015 Platform as amended October 24th 2015
Election Integrity
The Oregon Republican Party believes that to protect the value of each constitutionally qualified Oregon vote, each voter must prove their United States citizenship, Oregon residency, and legal voting age of 18. We support all measures to ensure timely delivery of ballots to all military personnel and to Oregon citizens living internationally. Election operations shall be transparent. Penalties for election law violations must be severe and consistently enforced.
Voter registration should be based on an actual individual choice to register. In support of the United States Constitution, we oppose the National Popular Vote Movement, in order to maintain the Electoral College as it stands.
Veterans and Military Personnel
We support our veterans receiving the benefits, honors and services they have earned. The reform of the Veterans Administration should be a national priority. We encourage Oregon businesses to hire veterans. We support the development of community-based programs to assist veterans transitioning into civilian life. We support protecting second amendment rights of veterans. We support a strong military, which is the backbone of our country’s freedom. We support the best available training and equipment for our military personnel. We support veterans and military families and recognize their sacrifices.
Government Transparency, Accountability, and Honesty
Government must conduct all business in an honest, fully transparent, and accountable manner. The people of Oregon do not yield their sovereignty to the agencies that serve them and do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people of Oregon and its elected representatives must be fully empowered to examine, investigate and act to expose and end public corruption, collusion, secrecy and abuse of the public trust.
17.1 We support empowering our elected legislators and public officials to compel sworn testimony under penalty of perjury on the public record from all Oregon government agencies’ personnel and leadership.
17.2 We believe that Oregon’s elected legislators should be able to impeach and remove from office by supermajority Oregon’s Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Labor Commissioner and any Political Appointees to State Agencies requiring State Senate approval for malfeasance, corruption or violations of the public trust.
17.3 We believe that satisfying public records requests is a core function of State Government and must be executed within a short timeframe, at minimal cost, for any and all purposes, except for limited exemptions in cases that may endanger public safety. Compliance performance must be measured and reported publicly using modern customer service tools and techniques. Failure to comply must be court enforceable and be subject to potential criminal or civil liability.
17.4 We support requiring statewide and local taxing entities regularly compiling and publicly posting in detail their current debt, assets and future obligations on their official websites.
17.5 Government must provide whistleblowers a fair and impartial court-supervised process that guarantees protection from employment retaliation and civil and criminal liability, except in cases of gross abuse.
17.6 Government accountability must not be limited to self-investigation and audit, but instead be regular, independent, non-partisan, free of collusion or cronyism and publicly available for scrutiny, input and potential action.
17.7 We support strengthening legislative and public oversight of administrative rules and the rulemaking process to ensure they conform to the legislative intent and the Oregon Constitution, including regular review and sun setting.
17.8 We support ending the abuse of the Emergency Clause in bills passed by a simple majority vote of the State Legislature for the purpose of thwarting the people’s right to ballot referral, rushing implementation and curtailing public scrutiny for legislation that does not represent an actual emergency.
17.9 We believe that all proposed legislative bills be prefaced by a Because clause that states what problem the bill is meant to solve or address.
Religious Liberty
Freedom of religion and rights of conscience are unalienable rights that no government can take away, thus every person should be protected by law from government-imposed sanctions or reprisals if they conscientiously object to participating in actions that conflict with their sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. These protections include expressing beliefs, acting upon, or refraining from acting against those beliefs and accommodations should be made to general laws to protect these constitutional rights.