Thanks to the hard work of thousands of teachers, nurses, homecare workers, students, parents, elected leaders, and business owners, in 2016 the A Better Oregon campaign forever changed the way we talk about revenue in the state. We made clear that it is unacceptable for large, out-of-state corporations to pay the lowest corporate taxes in the country while Oregon families are struggling just to get by.

In so many ways, 2016 was a banner year for the ABO campaign: We built the largest progressive coalition in the history of Oregon politics, uniting 300-plus organizations representing more than 500,000 Oregonians all over the state. We had meaningful conversations with nearly 200,000 Oregon voters about holding corporations accountable to boost our critical services. We stood up and challenged some of the largest, most deep-pocketed corporations in the world to do better by Oregon families.

We didn’t win on the ballot, so that means we’re far from done. It’s now time to turn all the important work we did last year into meaningful investments in 2017: to boost our graduation rates, expand healthcare access, and make in-home care more affordable. Oregon families can’t afford to wait any longer.

As we told you at the end of 2016, we are taking our principles and our vision for A Better Oregon to the capitol next month (more on that here). In the coming months, we look forward to working with any group or individual that agrees it’s to time to invest in Oregon families by asking big corporations to finally pay their fair share. In order to succeed, we will need your help.

If you agree that we can’t afford to rank 50th in corporate taxes any longer, tell your legislator today. With your help, 2017 will be the year we finally turn the tide of disinvestment.

Tell your network: