Oregon Republican Party 2021 Platform
As Amended October 2nd, 2021. (oregon.gop)
We, the Republican Party of Oregon stand for our Country as one nation under God, our Creator, for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We believe each generation should teach, proclaim, promote and defend the essential civic Virtues of our founding. As free people, all Oregonians have the opportunity, through hard work and perseverance, to build a more prosperous future for themselves, their families, and their communities, without the excessive burden of government.
We welcome and encourage all like-minded citizens to support our party and work with us to elect ethical and accountable candidates who align with our ideals.
Our platform outlines our guiding principles, which define the role and scope of our Constitutional Republic, the protection of individual rights, and the responsibilities we have to ourselves and our Country. We are committed to securing these ideals for future generations.
Law and Criminal Justice
The U.S. Constitution and the Oregon Constitution are the highest laws of the land, and all other laws must be consistent with them. Laws for the punishment of crime shall be founded on these principles: protection of society, Preservation of the rights of crime victims, accountability for one’s actions, and criminal rehabilitation
2.1 Providing public safety is a fundamental responsibility of State and Local Government.
2.2 Criminal sentencing should be proportional to the crime, with mandatory minimum sentencing and including the use of the death penalty.
2.3 All judges and justices should interpret our laws as originally intended including exercising judicial restraint.
2.4 We support an individual’s right to due process in actions of administrative agencies, civil, and criminal courts.
2.5 We believe in the right of individual to be secure in their property and personal effects from unlawful surveillance, search, or seizure. We oppose legal system overreach such as civil asset forfeiture, indefinite confiscation of evidence, and eminent domain seizures where property is transferred to a third party.
2.6 We support Oregon law enforcement officers and promote community policing.
2.7 We support the local sheriffs as being the highest law enforcement authority within each county.
2.8 Law enforcement decisions must be free from political interference.
2.9 Public officials, including district attorneys, have a duty to equally enforce the law and safeguard individual constitutional rights.
2.10 We reject the use of hate speech laws to criminalize free speech.
Economy
The Oregon Republican Party believes that free market capitalism, private property rights, low taxation, minimal regulation, and limited government intervention are the foundations of a vibrant and prosperous economy.
3.1 In order for a free economy to exist, government should recognize the supremacy of individuals and corporations to enter into contracts with one another, free from harmful interference up to the point of counter-productive monopolies. Government should not intrude in private transactions including rental agreements, bank foreclosures, including reporting of bank transactions.
3.2 The supply and demand for goods, services, and labor costs shall be determined by the free market. Government must not create, own, operate, subsidize or assume control of any private business, nor be party to any enterprise which can be operated privately. Government-provided services or policies should not create undue burdens on the free market or business and industry, including the adoption of public health emergencies and related measures. Government shall not cause unwarranted interference on free enterprise or create unfair treatment between some businesses versus others (i.e. Large corporations versus small business). We do not support bailouts; businesses should be allowed to succeed or fail.
3.3 We believe in the right to work. Employees should be free to choose whether or not to join a union as a condition of employment. Employers should be allowed to hire the best-qualified employees. Government should not continue to pay excessive unemployment benefits to the extent of disincentivizing workers from seeking employment.
3.4 Private property rights (including, but not limited to, water, timber, mineral, land sales, and development rights) are the wellspring of economic prosperity. Private property owners should be fairly compensated for any regulations or policies that diminish property values or reduce the revenue from use of the property. Federal environmental issue should not overrule Oregon economic survival and prosperity.
3.5 We believe a vibrant, long-term and sustainable economy will flourish when the Federal Reserve is not allowed to weaken sound money and interfere with free market financial returns. We support only the cautious development and thoughtful research of decentralized finance. We advocate for an annual audit of the Federal Reserve system by the General Accounting Office (GAO).
3.6 Oregon governments need to aggressively manage their spending and reduce all forms of debt, including the Public Employee Retirement System’s (PERS) unfunded liability, in order for a prosperous economy to exist. The unfair system of excessive government salaries and benefits (total compensation) must match private business.
3.7 Adequate supply of affordable homes, defined as homes that do not require more than 25–30% of the net discretionary income of residents in the local area, is desirable for a healthy economy. We support reviewing, repealing, and reforming overly restrictive land use laws and plans, development and building codes and excessive SDCs (Systems Development Charges) to allow and develop broader based options.
3.8 Whereas excessive taxation, assessments and government fees leads to unemployment and poverty, lower personal income and business revenues and reduced growth, we believe that Oregon tax and fee policy should be limited and benefit Oregonians directly. We do not support taxes that serve as publicity for issues deemed national or international.
Education
The Oregon Republican Party believes that all children deserve an excellent quality and unbiased education. Parents and legal guardians have the primary right and responsibility to educate their children in the manner they choose. We must improve our education system in partnership with parents/guardians so that our children have the opportunity and tools to be successful in life and responsible citizens of our nation.
4.1 Teaching the basic principles of our constitutional republic using accurate, unbiased history from an originalist perspective is an essential foundation of education.
4.2 We support daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and educational activities that promote patriotism for the United States of America and respect for its flag in our schools.
4.3 All students shall be brought to English proficiency prior to graduation.
4.4 We support educational choice, free of government interference. We believe competition is the most effective mechanism for improving schools. Funding shall support all parental options and shall be a top legislative priority.
4.5 We support local school boards setting rigorous standards for education policy, curriculum, and testing. Local jurisdictions shall be allowed to opt out of State mandates.
4.6 Schools must provide information and opportunities to support technical, trade, and military careers. Critical thinking skills need to be developed.
4.7 We support using competition, technology, market forces, and partnerships with faith-based groups and private industries to provide quality education.
4.8 It is the role of parents or legal guardians to direct topics of education concerning human sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, ethics, morals, and values. Government, private, or public agencies shall obtain written permission before discussing sex and/or gender-related subjects with minor-age children. Children and their families shall not be penalized for their choice.
4.9 Parents or legal guardians are the final authority in deciding what is best for their children; they must receive full disclosure and give written permission before any covered activities, healthcare services, outside referrals, content, or materials are distributed to all students. No person shall be forced to undergo any healthcare services as a condition of school enrollment or attendance.
4.10 No person shall be forced to share a restroom, locker-room, shower or any other traditionally gender segregated space with a person of the opposite biological sex. Attempts shall be made to provide appropriate facilities for all individuals. Biological males shall not be allowed to compete as females in non-coed sports.
4.11 We support complete transparency of all curriculum and this should be made available on the school district website so as to enable parents and families to be fully involved in their children’s education. Full curriculum, including vocabulary, lesson plans, lesson activities, reading lists, and recommended resources must be available for parents to review online and make hard copies available upon request.
4.12 Each Oregon educational facility should encourage trained district personnel to be armed in order to protect themselves and their students from violence.
4.13 We believe social justice theory is discriminatory in all forms and should be condemned in all educational settings. We do not support segregation, discrimination, or racism in any form. All students must learn to respect each other and be given an environment which is harmonious for all students to work together peacefully. We believe all people are created equally before God and therefore support equality instead of equity.
Natural Resources and Environmental Stewardship
Oregon’s natural resources, when managed responsibly, are vital to our state’s environment, economy, and prosperity. We believe that our government exists by the consent of the governed and support the free market system with minimal regulation. We believe that individual property owners and local citizens are the best stewards of our natural resources.
5.1 We support 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, hunting and fishing.
5.2 We support and encourage the transfer of federally administered lands to local control, as provided for in the Act of Congress Admitting Oregon into the Union of 1859 (Enabling Act).
5.3 We strongly support and encourage the use of the coordination process, as defined by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, by local governments to ensure federal projects are consistent with local plans, economy, culture, and history.
5.4 The American Antiquities Act of 1906 was adopted to protect antiquities and should not be used as a tactic by public officials to take private lands or restrict the use of public lands. 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. We oppose any land management agency denying access to, or use of, publicly owned lands by temporary administrative restrictions such as “in support of pending legislation.”
5.5 We support the State’s primacy over the Federal Government in relation to state waters, and the Navigable Water Protection Rule, 33 CFR Part 328.
5.6 Water rights are real property rights and we support the constitutional protection of surface and groundwater rights. We support the right to collect rainwater on private property.
5.7 All hydropower in Oregon is renewable energy. We oppose the breaching of dams and encourage expanded water storage capacity, including groundwater recharge, to provide adequate water resources and flood control.
5.8 We support and promote the security of individual property rights and oppose the taking of private property or the interfering of legally binding contracts without just compensation.
5.9 We respect the right of private landowners to take reasonable steps necessary to protect their property and we support adjusting the laws to respect those rights. This includes, but is not limited to, the protection of animals from predators, regardless of the predators’ protection status.
5.10 We support the constitutional protection of private property rights, including the rights of prospectors and small-scale miners.
5.11 We oppose international environmental treaties or agreements with organizations using environmental issues for social engineering and/or global control.
5.12 We oppose carbon and climate legislation or regulation that has a negative impact on Oregon’s economy.
5.13 We oppose reintroduction or protection of any fish, wildlife, or plant species in Oregon unless there is valid, peer-reviewed scientific data and the consent of state and local government.
5.14 We oppose the use of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA), to recover any attorney fees by advocacy groups that oppose natural resources utilizations supported in this section.
5.15 We support and recognize the Oregon and California Revested Lands Sustained Yield Management Act of 1937 (popularly known as the O&C Act) as being vital to Oregon’s economy and schools and oppose set-asides that remove public land from sustained- yield timber production. We support the efforts of the Association of O & C Counties.
5.16 We believe Oregon can have both clean air and a healthy community with fair and reasonable air quality regulations. We do not support regulations that cause undue burdens to Oregon citizens and businesses.
5.17 We support removing the authority of state and regional government or service districts over local cities and counties.
5.18 We support the delisting of species protected by the State or Federal Government at the earliest opportunity, based on the complete and timely implementation of the recovery plans or if there is a low probability of recovery.
5.19 The lack of active healthy forest management has devastated Oregon communities. We understand that the best carbon sequestration mechanism on the planet is our forests. Sustainable forest management sequesters carbon through wood products for generations, drives replanting for increased carbon sequestration benefits, while mitigating catastrophic wildfire that releases stored carbon as well as cancer causing agents that are harmful to the health, life and safety of Oregonians and wildlife. We further understand that post fire harvest stops the release of stored carbon on the burnt landscape, sequesters the stored carbon through wood products for generations and drives replanting carbon sequestrating trees across the landscape that otherwise would not exist for centuries.
5.20 We recognize geothermal, cogeneration and nuclear energy as market based, efficient, alternative energy sources and support their development with proper safe storage of spent fuel.
Family
The Oregon Republican Party believes that the traditional family, formed through the marriage of one man and one woman, is ordained by God our Creator and is the foundation of our society. This environment is optimal for raising children to be responsible, self‐sufficient, productive citizens.
6.1 Marriage is between one man and one woman.
6.2 There are only two sexes, male and female, based on a person’s biological sex at conception. We oppose unassigned gender identity at birth. We encourage the natural expression of those genders, masculine and feminine. We affirm that both are valuable in the raising of children.
6.3 Every person has a fundamental right to life that begins at conception and endures to the natural conclusion of life. We strongly oppose abortion, infanticide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, including any government funding of these deadly practices.
6.4 We advocate for adoption and life-affirming pregnancy resources.
6.5 We advocate for a parent or guardian’s choice in their children’s health, well-being, and security.
6.6 Government intervention involving the family must be kept to an absolute minimum and be subject to due process.
6.7 We support measures that will protect the integrity of the family from matters that contribute to its breakdown. We oppose substance abuse. We oppose all forms of sexual exploitation, including gender reassignment, human trafficking, pornography, and prostitution.
6.8 We value senior citizens and recognize that their life experiences, institutional knowledge, wisdom, and continuing contributions to society are invaluable.
Foreign Policy
The Oregon Republican Party believes that foreign policy decisions must adhere to the United States Constitution, based upon the security, vital long-term national interests, sovereignty, and well-being of its citizens. We support the policy of America First, Peace Through Strength.
7.1 The highest priority of US foreign policy is to forge alliances with nations that promote our constitutional values.
7.2 We support of American values such as individual liberty and human rights. We oppose genocide, abortion, organ harvesting and religious and political persecution.
7.3 We believe in the sovereignty of all nations and reject nation building. Peaceful, free nations should not be deprived of the right to defend their continued existence and independence.
7.4 We support the sovereign right of all nations to peacefully exist.
7.5 We recognize that violent, radical, international terrorist organizations and individuals have, by their actions, declared war on America. We support using all constitutional means available and necessary to combat and end this threat. The United States will 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 US Constitution is the supreme law of the land; therefore, the United States shall defend its sovereignty and borders and is solely responsible for its national defense, free from any and all foreign interference.
7.7 We support the continued development of advanced military weapon systems to protect our nation and to maintain the technical and military superiority of the United States.
7.8 We affirm that the President of the United States requires Congressional authorization for any act of war and Senate approval for any treaty.
7.9 We support the principle of being prepared to defend from and respond to unconventional attacks. In order to protect our national sovereignty, security and economic interests, we support developing multiple supply chains prioritizing domestic production.
7.10 We oppose the obstruction of freedom of navigation by any man-made object in international waters.
7.11 We oppose globalism.
7.12 The United States must counter the influence of hostile Middle East powers, specifically Iran, by working to forge new alliances between the formerly hostile Arab nations and Israel, such as the recent Abrahamic Accords.
Health Care
Families and individuals have the sole responsibility and right to make their own healthcare decisions. A free market system of health insurance and health care delivery is the surest way to provide high-quality, affordable, physical and mental 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 freedom.
8.1 We support the fundamental and inalienable right of an individual, family, or group to seek out and pursue the health care services of their choosing, with fully informed consent and without government interference or retribution.
8.2 We support the elimination of insurance-guided or government interference, barriers, incentives, or mandates that limit an individual’s health coverage options, such as insurance, sharing networks, and self-insured.
8.3 We support the full repeal of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and oppose any efforts to implement similar provisions at the state level.
8.4 We support the culture of life from conception to death. We oppose abortion and physician assisted suicide. We support pregnancy resource centers, support for mother and child, and adoption. We support the sanctity of life from conception to natural death. In addition, the abortion industry has ignored, covered up, and denied the health care risks that abortion causes. We promote pursuing full disclosure of all known risks and complications. We oppose organ harvesting and the eugenic practices of the abortion industry.
8.5 We support access to robust mental health services using a public/private partnership model which supports local county, communities, faith-based/nonprofit agencies and private sector to offer a full range of mental health, substance abuse treatment, crisis, and suicide prevention services in all the counties in our state. We support early intervention and prevention of mental health problems in all age groups. We support full transparency and accountability in monitoring state-spending and disproportionately larger resources in the state psychiatric hospital system.
8.6 We believe in the right of every individual to medical freedom. We strongly oppose any vaccine or medical mandate. Any medical treatment should always be left to the individual or parent/guardian for those under the age of 18 years old and based on informed consent in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration and the Nuremburg Code. No part of life or involvement in society should be restricted based on one’s medical decisions. We support medical practices where healthcare providers are not coerced into following mandates that they cannot ethically support in order to stay employed.
8.7 We support a tort limit to the malpractice litigation.
Immigration
The Oregon Republican Party recognizes and values the many contributions of legal immigrants. We encourage legal immigration and assimilation, including the adoption of English as the official language. We recognize that securing our national borders is essential to ensuring the sovereignty and safety of our state. All publicly-funded entities shall comply with federal immigration laws and cooperate with their enforcement. We oppose and abhor current or future policies or practices of any governmental administration that encourages or allows the unfettered flood of unvetted immigrants into our nation.
Individual Liberty and Limited Government
The Oregon Republican Party agrees 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. No government shall infringe upon our individual rights and freedoms such as bodily autonomy from conception to natural death, medical freedom, and private property. Nor shall government infringe upon the security of our private communications, transactions, or movements. 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 and subject to rescission under Article 5.
We advocate limiting the scope and jurisdiction of the Federal Government, addressing abuses in the commerce and general welfare clauses, and term limits on all unelected and elected federal and state officials.
We support placing a limit on the number of bills that are submitted in the Oregon Legislature during each legislative session in order that state legislators have the time to give due and proper consideration to each of them. We further believe that bills in the legislature should be simple, succinct, and single subject, as per Oregon Constitution Article 4, Section 21. Oregon Republicans will support any and all efforts to end the abuse of the emergency clause that deliberately shuts out voter participation in the legislative process.
Rules, Regulations and Executive Orders
The Oregon Republican Party believes rules, regulations and executive orders are subordinate to and must support the laws passed by the legislative bodies, not an addition to laws. They shall not impose undue burden or loss of freedoms to individuals, families, or commerce.
11.1 We support rules and regulations that promote confidence in and align with the U.S. free-market economy while protecting free enterprise and personal freedom.
11.2 We believe rules, regulations and executive orders shall be succinct and objective, not punitive, arbitrary or subjective.
11.3 We firmly believe all rules, regulations, and executive orders must follow and strictly adhere to the U.S. Constitution and not violate any principles or language that represent those principles contained within it.
11.4 Rules, regulations, and executive orders shall not be used to lockdown the entire state nor usurp individual and business owners’ liberties. All rules, regulations, and executive orders shall not impede or force compliance of individuals or business owners, and must be applied the equally.
Self-Protection
All people have the unalienable right to defend themselves, others, their home, and property without fear of criminal or civil reprisal.
12.2 All law-abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms in a manner of their choosing without government infringement.
12.3 We oppose gun free zones and red flag laws.
12.4 We support state reciprocity of all government-issued concealed carry licenses.
12.5 The government shall not limit, obstruct, or interfere with the manufacture, distribution, or purchase of ammunition or magazine capacity.
12.6 We strongly support the constitutional carry of firearms.
Election Integrity
To ensure accountability and transparency in our elections we agree on the following key principles to protect America’s election systems: voter ID laws for both in-person and mail-in voting, clean voter rolls, and common-sense election administration safeguards.
13.1 To protect the value of each Oregon vote, every voter must prove United States citizenship, Oregon residency, and legal minimum voting age of 18.
13.2 Citizenship shall be the basis for apportionment of representation within Oregon.
13.3 Voter registration shall be based on the individual’s choice and action to register.
13.4 All election processes and operations shall be transparent, accessible, and observable to the public.
13.5 We support all measures to ensure timely delivery of ballots to all Oregon military personnel and Oregon citizens living internationally.
13.6 Penalties for election law violations must be consistent, severe, and strictly enforced.
13.7 Primary elections shall be bound to party membership.
13.8 We oppose ranked-choice voting.
13.9 The citizens’ right to initiative, referendum, and recall shall not be infringed.
13.10 In accordance with the United States Constitution, to preserve and protect the Electoral College, we oppose the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
13.11 We support maintaining current and accurate voter rolls administered at the county level.
13.12 All phases of Ballot Processing, tabulation, and counting shall remain autonomous and local within the respective counties.
13.13 We oppose same day voter registration from the ballot mailing date through the day of election.
13.14 To increase voter confidence, we support random forensic audits and forensic canvassing at the county level.
13.15 We oppose centralized state control of our elections.
13.16 We oppose accepting ballots after 8:00 PM on Election Day, including postmarked by day.
13.17 Any “X” in lieu of a signature on a ballot envelope shall be verified by a signature and date by an adult citizen.
Veterans and Military Personnel
The Oregon Republican Party supports a strong military which is the means to maintain our nation, State and counties freedom. We support Veterans, Gold Star Families, the Reserve Component (National Guard/Reserves), disabled veterans, military families and honor them for their sacrifices. We honor all who have served. We share the same devotion to Veterans, their families, and to the uniformed services who are currently serving our country.
14.1 We support a robust, full strength, and modern military. We support the most up to date, state of the art equipment, and training for our servicemembers both active duty and Guard/Reserve component.
14.2 We support our veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and any other health injury as a result of their military service by having access to community, Veterans Administration (VA,) mental health and or faith-based resources (Community Care Act) for suicide prevention, domestic violence, and the opportunity to recover. A well-timed diagnosis and treatment are vital to healing.
14.3 We support a state mandated Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) in each county by diverting veterans from incarceration through specialty courts, help expediting their VA disability claims, employment search via Oregon Employment Department, community job search programs, and providing community-based treatment, including the mobile Veteran peer mentoring and crisis support teams.
14.5 We support working with the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA), the Employer Support program for Guard Reserve (ESGR) to create a smooth transition from active duty to civilian life by matching military skill sets with employment. We support the Montgomery GI/Post 911 GI education bills, and apprenticeship programs to assist the veterans in their future careers.
14.6 We support our military members, spouses, children, and other covered persons as they pursue education, adequate housing, and family support services.
14.7 We support our Veterans and support seamless transition of medical care. We expect the Veterans Administration (VA) to provide timely, high quality medical care from the VA Healthcare system and private healthcare providers (Community Cares Act). Publicly funded healthcare systems should provide In-Network healthcare to veterans. Punctual adjudication of service-connected disability claims, within six months of separation for all service members, either from the time of application or completion of medical disability evaluation in order to ensure uninterrupted access to health care. Timely disposition of disability and other services helps transition care to civilian life, ensures health, safety, recovery, and rehabilitation for our service members as well as their families.
14.8 We encourage the State of Oregon, all Counties, local agencies, municipalities, and businesses to hire Veterans as well as, tax relief for employers that hire veterans.
14.9 We support Federal (HUD), State, local Veteran housing programs, county Veterans Villages to keep veterans off the streets and assisting them in their recovery.
14.10 We support Jr. Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and ROTC programs in order to promote positive image of the role of our military on High School and College campuses.
Government Integrity
Limited, responsible, and transparent government at all levels is essential.
15.1 Government must perform its core constitutional functions in accordance with the highest ethical and legal standards.
15.2 Government shall not issue special privileges or funding by select category of persons, which are not available to all citizens.
15.3 The people of Oregon and their elected representatives must be fully empowered to examine, investigate, act to expose, and end public corruption, secrecy, and abuse of the public trust.
15.4 When corruption has been identified, it must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
15.5 All government records are public property produced at taxpayer expense. Requested records should be produced swiftly and at reasonable or no cost.
15.6 Government’s decisions and actions must be independent, impartial, free of collusion, and publicly disclosed immediately.
15.7 Initiatives or referenda decided by the people should not be overturned or obstructed by the legislature.
15.8 The Judicial branch must refrain from activism and government overreach. Judicial opinions should be informed by originalism and textualism.
15.9 All levels of government should operate within a zero-based budget.
15.10 Department audits should be independent, occur on a regular schedule, publicly available, and acted upon to remedy errors and omissions.
Religious Liberty
Freedom of religion and the rights of conscience are unalienable rights ordained by God, our Creator and are the foundation of our society which no Government can limit or remove. Thus, every person and/or individual in the capacity of a business shall be protected by law from any government-imposed sanctions or reprisals if they conscientiously object to participating in actions that conflict with their sincerely held moral or religious beliefs. The protections include expressing beliefs, acting upon, or refraining from acting against those beliefs. Laws, consistent with the U.S. Constitution, shall accommodate and protect these rights.
Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation
The Oregon Republican Party believes that it is an essential role of limited government to provide for public safety through effective preparedness and reduction of disaster impact, both natural and man-made, on the civilian population, infrastructure, private property, and the economy; and to maximize the speed of recovery, prioritizing citizens first and environmental considerations second, and with special attention to the needs of vulnerable populations. In all disaster preparedness and response, we believe in local control with autonomy to call upon other local, state, or federal agencies.
17.1 We urge that all necessary actions be taken at all levels of government to harden and actively protect our energy and communications infrastructure from all threats and that urgent steps be taken to guarantee energy security and communications to mitigate any outages and strengthen recovery.
17.2 We urge the maintenance and quick restoration of vital logistical, transit, and emergency service systems essential to the movement of vital supplies and services.
17.3 We support preventive measures and expect severe criminal penalties with aggressive prosecution of any perpetrator of any attack on our state’s infrastructure, businesses, and/or citizens.
17.4 We expect access to drinkable water by hardening our water purification infrastructure against all threats, to include emergency backup water and purification supplies for distribution.
17.5 We expect an effective early warning system to be maintained at all times, and for adequate, coordinated plans to ensure backup voice and data communications with options that can serve until services can be restored.
17.6 We urge the establishment of local emergency planning committees in each county to support all hazard mitigation, emergency operations, and continuity of government plans to cope with all disasters.
17.7 We demand sustainable forest management and open forest designation that includes active management, prescribed fires, and initial attack to mitigate catastrophic wildfires. We call for an end to “let it burn” policies and support the allocation of sufficient resources to successfully fight multiple wildfires simultaneously.
17.8 We urge aggressive public information campaigns to train and educate citizens on the need for personal responsibility and self-reliance in the event of a disaster.
17.9 We do not consider a disaster or declared emergency to be the grounds for suspending individual rights.