Background
HB 3768, crafted by Andisheh President Shireen Farrahi and Oregon State Representative Farrah Chaichi, would establish March 21st as Oregon’s official “Nowruz Day” each year, which would increase state awareness of this beloved springtime tradition that originated in ancient Persia and has since spread to neighboring countries and then to communities around the world. The purpose of this bill is strictly to promote public knowledge of Nowruz; there will be no financial cost to the state of Oregon.
The bill has already been approved by the House of Representatives and will now be considered by a Senate committee in a public hearing on Wednesday, May 21, 1pm. This is where YOU come in. Written public testimony is now being accepted through Friday, May 23, 1pm, and this is a tremendous opportunity for the Iranian community to testify in support and raise its profile to a whole new level in Oregon. Can you help?
Instructions to submit written testimony
General information about the bill is here, where you can see how it’s moving through the legislative process. At the top of the page, you’ll see the links to register to testify and to submit testimony. When you submit your testimony, you can either upload a PDF document or just write in the text box provided.
• Possible talking points could include: what this bill means for you personally, how important celebrating Nowruz in Oregon is for your family, how exciting it is that this bill will be raising public awareness of this tradition, economic benefits, etc.
• Do not post any information in your testimony that you do not want accessible to the public, such as your address, phone number, or health history.
• Also, if you are not able to submit your testimony during this window, you may email your testimony directly to your legislator.
Thank you for your help! Together we can make state history with HB 3768 … and do try to watch the live public hearing at 1pm on May 21st!
