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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1973)
House flooded with legislation but the dike’s about to break SALEM (Special) — One daj soon — probably Saturday — the floodgates will be forced oper and backed-up legislation will gush into the House and over tc the Senate. Until then, however, the House chambers are abnormally quiet every morning except Tuesdays and Fridays since House Speaker Richard Eymann (D-Springfield) initiated a new system of holding committee meetings all day. The new system was instigated as a way to handle the record number of bills which have beer introduced this session — about 2,300 — more than 400 more than last session — which have been held up in the House committees that haven’t had the time to consider the avalanche of legislation. Before this week, committees met for about two hours two or three times a week. Under the new system, two House com mittees meet all days which sounds like a good idea to everyone not here in the capital Lobbyists and interested citizens complained about their schedules being disrupted. Secretaries turn unbelievably sour after handling the barrage of complaints from the lobbyists and citizens. r And legislators drag through the building muttering that the new system — with the increase in work load it brings — is going to lull them. Saturday the first of at least three all day House sessions is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Almost 80 bills already appear on the Saturday docket causing the weary legislators to groan at the mere mention of “the weekend.” House Sergeant-of-Arms Bill Wooten is also concerned about the new system — he is the person that must round up all of the legislators on Saturday, no matter where they are according to House rules. Several of the bills of concern to students have been slowed down in the House including: — Two bills (SB 27 and HB 3167) which lower the age of majority from 21 to 18 years. TTie bills are currently in the Joint Committee on Alcohol and Drugs awaiting a first hearing tonight. — A bill (HB 2970) directing the State Board of Higher Education to establish uniform guidelines which include student input in evaluating and promoting professors. The bill is awaiting a work session in the House Education Committee. — A bill (SB 307) which decriminalizes marijuana by removing it from the list of narcotic and dangerous drugs in Oregon Revised Statutes. The measure is in the Joint Com mittee on Alcohol and Drugs. One hearing has been held on the bill and another one may be scheduled. — Two bills directing the State Board of Higher Education to establish guidelines in hiring and admissions which eliminate discrimination. The bills are in the House Education Committee awaiting a work-session. Two bills, however, have been sent to the House and Senate floor after committees adopted them with “do pass’" recom mendations. A bill (HB 2147) which directs the Governor to appoint two students to the State Board of Higher Education passed the House Education Committee Sunday and should be voted on in the House next week. And SB 159, the comprehensive revision of landlord-tenant laws, passed the Senate Committee on Local Government and Urban Affairs last week and should also be voted on in the Senate next week Iranian student cleared of charges Deportation is a problem which is facing many of the politically outspoken foreign students in America today. The case of Babak Zahraie, an Iranian student who faced deportation for crossing the Canadian border without a passport, became a central example of UJS. and Iranian governmental attempts to silence foreign student political activity when it became known that a main reason for the charges made against him was his out spoken views in defense of Iranian political prisoners and against American involvement in Vietnam. Recently announced in a release from the Committee to Defend Babak Zahraie was a statement by Zahraie to a Seattle news conference that “the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) dropped all charges against me and granted my application for permanent resident status in the United States.’’ I See tf^e . Students of fine beer concentrate on Blitz-Weinhard, the mellow,flavorful beer (per fected at the West’s Oldest Brewery. Blitz-Weinhard Company, Portland, Oregon. One year ago Zahraie was informed of the charges And since then has been traveling across the country with the support of the Committee to Defend Babak Zahraie, attempting to bring the American public the truth about his case. In a speech made on Feb. 28, 1973 at the University, Zahraie commented, “Im migration has stepped up its attack against politically out spoken foreign students, especially Arab students. Right now there are 200 Arab students awaiting deportation, nine Vietnamese, and 41 Iranian students. One thing is for certain, the students of the Third World are at the receiving end of these harassments.” Zahraie felt that one of the main issues with the U.S. concern about political activities of Iranians in the U.S. was its connections with the Iranian government economically and militarily. “The Iranian government is a by-product of the CIA. It owes its existence to this country,” said Zahraie. He continued that the U.S. govern ment has just given the Iranians $2 billion in arms, the largest military gift in UJS. history. But, “. . . the Iranian army is not to protect Iran from the Soviets, it is to protect the government from the people,’’ Zahraie emphasized. He felt that the repressive atmosphere in Iran was causing the Iranian students in the United States to fear for their freedom. “My victory represents a tremendous step forward in our campaign to establish full democratic rights for all foreign students,” Zahraie stated in the release. Zahraie feels that the Defense Committee must con tinue to work to support all foreign students and to “create a political climate where the INS must completely stop its harassments of politically active foreign students.” Positions open Petitions must be picked up in Room 308 EMU for open positions in OSPIRG (two delegates) and IUS (three delegates). Petitions must be filed by 5 p.m. Monday in 306 EMU, together with Voter’s Guide Statement (optional) of up to 150 words. Voting for these positions will take place during the ASUO general election April 23 and 24. Further information about these positions is available in 303 EMU (IUS) and Mill EMU (OSPIRG).
