A debate broke out in the Oregon House on Wednesday, and it might have changed some lawmakers’ minds.

It dealt with setting “cultural competency” standards at Oregon’s public universities and community colleges. House Bill 2864, sponsored by 12 Democrats in the House and Senate, defines cultural competency as “an understanding of how institutions and individuals can respond respectfully and effectively to people from all cultures, economic statuses, language backgrounds, races, ethnic backgrounds, disabilities, religions, genders, gender identifications, sexual orientations, veteran statuses and other characteristics in a manner that recognizes, affirms and values the worth, and preserves the dignity, of individuals, families and communities.”

Supporters — and opponents — told stories of discrimination, alienation and intentional or inadvertent bigotry. What it was like to be the only person of color in a college classroom. What it was like for a white Christian man to be singled out as the enemy.

Passions were inflamed by a letter to House members from a coalition of groups supporting racial equity. The letter urged representatives to vote yes and warned that their votes would be included in the coalition’s legislative scorecard on racial equity. To House Republican Leader Mike McLane, that came across as a threat that legislators would be labeled “racist” for voting no.

But Rep. Diego Hernandez, D-Portland, delivered both strong support for the bill and an affirmation that his fellow House members are not racist.

A moving speech came from freshman Rep. R ich Vial, R-Scholls, who spoke emotionally about why he supported the bill and hoped it would promote racial inclusion instead of political correctness.

The measure passed 45-15, drawing support from more Republicans than expected.

• Lessons from the debate: If you’re a legislator, don’t read your floor speech. Hardly any of your colleagues listen when you do. When you speak extemporaneously, people perk up.

If you’re an interest group, don’t come across as threatening opponents. Threats make people mad enough to vote against you.

The Legislature can have civil debates. Kudos to House Speaker Tina Kotek, who treats each speaker respectfully. (She made sure beforehand that everyone knew the proper legislative etiquette for asking questions during debates.)

• You don’t know what you don’t know: Geography was not listed within the definition of cultural competency. However, one complaint of rural legislators is that urban lawmakers do not understand life in rural Oregon but assume they do.

One exception is Speaker Kotek’s work with Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, to spur economic development in Eastern Oregon. Kotek, a liberal Democrat from Portland, visited the region to see its economic challenges firsthand.

Meanwhile, I hear that some urban legislators have never visited Central Oregon, let alone other reaches of the state. Likewise, some rural Republicans on the Legislature’s budget committee didn’t bother to attend the state budget hearing in Portland a few weeks ago.

• Getting to know you: I’ve thought of doing a poll of legislators: Have you visited all 36 Oregon counties? How about all 60 House districts? If not, which ones have you missed?

The question — “How well do you know your state? – goes beyond the Legislature. I wonder whether there are Oregonians who have traveled to all 50 U.S. states but not all 36 Oregon counties.

• Neither Kitzhaber or Kulongoski: There’s a fine line between meddling in the Legislature’s business and being aloof. People inside and outside the Capitol have criticized Gov. Kate Brown – a former legislator – for not being involved in this year’s session. When I asked Speaker Kotek, she said Brown was less involved than Gov. John Kitzhaber was during his tenure, but more than Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

• Unheeded advice: The Legislature’s marijuana regulation committee has debated how best to oversee the sales of recreational and medical marijuana. This week the committee talked of creating a regulatory committee for medical marijuana within the Oregon Health Authority. Legislators and advocates expressed frustration that the agency has advisory committees on marijuana but seemingly ignores their recommendations.

• A small windstorm or a typhoon? Each legislative session follows its own cycle, but there’s usually a blow-up before the final budget decisions are reached. Legislators describe the current mood of uncertainty as “the calm before the storm.”

Dick Hughes, who has visited all 60 House districts in Oregon, has been covering the state’s political scene since 1976. Contact him at TheHughesisms@Gmail.com or follow him at Facebook.com/Hughesisms.