Accountability and Gratitude in Uncertain Times

As we wrap up the 2026 Short Legislative Session, we look back on the communities we brought together, the late night scramble for testimonies, and the bitter fights we lost along the way. 

But at APANO Action Fund, we’d like to talk about our victories. In the face of an ever-growing Trump administration, we want to focus on what we were able to accomplish for Oregon communities and urge our people to take these wins as hope for the future. 

This short session was a whirlwind, but our major focuses remain our communities’ top priorities: immigration justice, mental health, child and parent care, income equity, and defending democracy. Advocates and champions came together to fight back against an administration that would call our neighbors “illegal”. In just five weeks every single one of APANO Action Fund’s policy slate received testimony - many by community members - showcasing our voice and power in Salem. 

While we celebrate the major wins of the Immigrant Justice Package and funding for Child Care, our reflections remind us that our fight is not over. The changes we fought for in environmental justice didn’t come to light. Youth advocacy remains a neglected topic among politicians – one we refuse to be silent about. Many systems in Oregon’s revenue code still need an overhaul to be truly equitable. These fights may take years to fully win, and even then, accountability must remain a top priority for bills we do pass.

‍But when our communities fight with us, there is nothing we cannot do and no problem we cannot fix.

When it comes to fighting for our communities, we do not negotiate. Our legislative scorecard tracks the voting records of all elected officials in Salem, showing at a quick glance, just how much they prioritize their constituents. However, this is a purely objective tool that doesn’t account for conversations held behind closed doors, champions working to kill bad bills, or legislators who fail to speak out against bad policy. 

Take Senator Janeen Sollman. She has a fairly high total score on our scorecard –she voted right when the time came. But the scorecard doesn’t show you the conversations she had or the bills she sponsored. APANO’s only opposition bill this year, HB 4102, makes it easier for pollution permits to be issued to large corporations, and introduces possible pathways for government corruption from companies with endless pockets. Senator Sollman co-sponsored this bill. Historically, she was a strong environmental justice champion who won awards and honors for her work. But as she’s acquired more power in the Capitol, Sollman has repeatedly blocked good policy that centers the people who elected her. Her campaign transactions are rife with donations from corporate sponsors. Her endorsement list has shifted from environmental justice organizations, to enforcement unions and industry actors. Not only has she forgotten the priorities of her constituents, she has continuously prioritized “the bigger picture” over those who most need her help. 

Last year, as Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education Co-Chair, she repeatedly blocked our efforts to fight for full funding for culturally specific child care. The arguments and logic provided were very similar to those she used in the environmental justice movement: “Is this efficient?” “There are other things to do.” “We need to focus on something else.” 

Senator Sollman is just one example of supposed “champions” working in Salem under the guise of policy they deem right. But good elected officials will always listen to their community first.

A legislative scorecard is a great tool for measuring up our legislators, but it remains a purely objective system – it only looks at the numbers (votes). It doesn’t account for the roles and conversations our elected officials had behind the scenes, or whether they were committee chairs whose influence helped push certain bills to passage. With that in mind, we’d like to recognize some legislators who fought in their own ways to provide protection, accountability, and justice for our friends and neighbours. 

APANO Action Fund would like to thank:

Representative Farrah Chaichi, for your work on the LEVA bill and every late night and early morning spent pushing to build barriers against bad actors.

Representative Willy Chotzen, for your expertise on the Anti-Discrimination on Immigration Status and Recourse Act bills, both of which you chief sponsored, for carrying a fight your community needed a champion for. 

Representative Lesly Muñoz, for the Protect Your Door bill, arguably the strongest of the Immigrant Justice Package, that gives us just a little more power for when ICE comes knocking on our doors. 

Representative Lamar Wise, for your intentions on the Public Contractors bill and providing transparency in a time where information is intentionally being hidden. We also thank you for honoring Hoa Ngyuen’s legacy by passing the Chronic Absenteeism bill which she worked on for years. 

Senator WInsvey Campos, for the Data Brokers and Healthcare Without Fear bills which give us all a bit more peace of mind, similar to how your office always is for your community.  

Senator Neron-Misslin, for your constant and continuous fight to ensure no child goes hungry in their own School (SB 1581) and for the leadership role you stepped into for both childcare and environmental justice. 

There are many more champions, advocates, and organizations without whom we could not have the wins we do. We hope this small recognition reminds our elected officials that this work is never done alone. 

Below you’ll find a breakdown of how APANO Action Fund’s policy slate did this year:

✅ SB 1507 Tax Disconnect

✅ HB 4114 Protect Your Door

✅ HB 4111 Anti-Discrimination on Immigration Status 

✅ HB 4138 LEVA (Law Enforcement Visibility Act) Bill 

❌ SB 1541 Make Polluters Pay (MPP)

❌ SB 1582 Virtual Power Plants 

❌ HB 4125 Revenue Forecast Modernization Act 

❌ HB 4143 Recourse Act 

❌ SB 1581 School Meals for All 

❌ SB 1574 Vote 17 

✅ HB 4057 ODHS Referral for Families on Programs

✅ SB 1546 AI Chatbots 

OPPOSITION BILL: HB 4102 Pollution Permits passed (…)

Even though this bill did pass, it is not something we are celebrating. The passage of this bill, and our champion's failure to stop bad actors, adds to the larger effort of private corporations getting exceptions they don’t deserve. 

We also understand that this singular bill did bring down many legislators’ scores. However, a legislative scorecard is an objective tool that ONLY looks at voting history and doesn’t speak for the levels of support or non-support a vote might carry. 

Funding the ERDC Budget Shortfall

We were able to work with the Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) to secure a partial $67 million for ERDC. While we are relieved that we got this funding, we still need to work to find a long-term solution to sustain ERDC beyond the current caseload. With thousands of families on the waitlist, and DELC’s new ability to restrict TANF families from immediate access to ERDC, there is more work to be done.

As APANO Action Fund moves into our election season and work, we urge you to remember this scorecard in the polls. Accountability is not just a word to be thrown around when it’s convenient; this is a constant fight that organizations like ours will always go to bat for. 

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To learn more, please see the following links:

1. Download our 2026 Policy One Pager
2. Download the 2026 Scorecard (NOTE: this is a booklet print, to be folded and stapled. The page order may look different in this format.)
3. Download the 2025 Scorecard
4. Donate to APANO Action Fund