Dear Friends,
I continue to be inspired by the hard work and dedication of the people of Washington County and Oregon. While we are doing our part by maintaining our physical distance from others, we are also doing our best to provide much needed social and emotional support to our loved ones and community members. Other members of our community are unable to practice social distancing, like our essential health care workers, first responders, and everyone keeping our essential services and industries going (like grocery stores, gas stations and delivery services). These folks are heroes; they make it possible for us to keep going despite the current uncertainty and tumult. Thank you for everything you are doing, whether it is providing support from afar, or working on the front lines of this epidemic. We will get through this together.
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- Oregon now has 606 test-confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 168 confirmed cases in Washington County. Click on the graphic below for more up-to-date information from Oregon Health Authority.
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- The Federal Government has approved Oregon’s major disaster declaration. The declaration, retroactive to January 20, 2020, allows for reimbursements of emergency actions taken by state, territorial, tribal, and local government entities, as well as certain non-profit organizations. It is a critical step towards securing the funds and resources Oregon needs to respond effectively to this crisis.
- The Office of State Fire Marshal is suspending regulations over self-service gas stations in Oregon. This does not require gas stations to allow self-service refueling, but it allows for smaller gas stations to continue to operate when their employees are self-quarantining. Please remember to practice social distancing, even at gas stations. Stations must still designate an employee to prepare, implement, and enforce social distancing policies, and require an attendant to be on duty to supervise, offer assistance to those who do not know how to pump gas, and sanitize the fuel nozzles and other equipment.
- Forest Grove School District has created an interactive map to find your nearest food distribution center. Press on the picture below to be redirected to google maps.
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Bus Stop Delivery Meal Locations
- Visitation Church: 11:30am
- Forest Gale Drive & Highway 8: 10am
- Thatcher City Park: 10am
- Talisman City Park: 10:45am
- Hawthorne St. & 26th Ave: 10:45am
- FGSD District Office: 11:30am
- Bard Park: 10am
- Fir Rd. & 19th Ave: 10:45am
- Karen’s Korner Apartments: 10am
- Garden Manor Apartments: 11:30am
- Cornelius Elementary School: 10:45am
- S 20th Ave & Dogwood St.:10am
- Dilley Elementary School: 10am
- Lake Stop Store: 10:45am
- Glenwood Store: 11:30am
- Oak Grove Academy Gales Creek: 10:45am
Continuing Walk‐Up Meal Sites (10am—12pm)
- Harvey Clarke Elementary School
- Joseph Gale Elementary School
- Rose Grove Park
- Echo Shaw Elementary School
- Senator Merkley has launched a new economic relief website specifically designed to provide guidance to small business owners, 501(c)(3)s, and self-employed Oregonians. Read more here. Senator Merkley has also provided FAQ’s broken down by subject to explain the Federal CARES Act Legislation:
The Federal “Corona 3” Stimulus Package includes two important expansions to unemployment benefits:
- Everyone eligible for unemployment will receive a 13 week extension of benefits
- Unemployment benefits will be increased by $600 per week
These expansions apply to anyone furloughed or laid off because of the Coronavirus. They also apply to people who are already getting benefits or were already eligible for them, and need an extension due to a Coronavirus-related lack of job opportunities. More rulemaking and updates will be coming soon.
If you are applying for unemployment now, you may experience difficulty getting through over the phone. The State has quickly ramped up training and transitioned more Unemployment Department employees into case management, but they are still experiencing a bottleneck. This is due to the high volume of calls overwhelming the phone system. They are working to resolve the problem, but for now the best advice is to keep calling, and call at different times during the day.
The Governor’s Office partnered with Wieden & Kennedy (the folks that brought us “Just Do It”) to launch a public information campaign to help Oregonians understand the importance of social distancing. Click here to download and share the graphics and videos, and press the still below to watch one of the ads.
Employers and Employees
The following list of resources is from Oregon’s Secretary of State’s Office. The fastest way to get in touch with the SOS team is by emailing business.sos@oregon.gov, using the “Need Help?” button found on most state agency websites or visiting www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness.
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
Yours Truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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