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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you had a good weekend. Some highlights from our weekend were: a Zoom seder with friends to celebrate Passover; enjoying several uplifting online Easter services; and laughing a lot to the Saturday Night Live at Home skits.
Some good news: The Institute for Disease Modeling released updated projections over the weekend that estimate that the social gathering/physical distancing measures implemented in Oregon have prevented approximately 18,000 coronavirus cases and 500 hospitalizations. The analysis indicates statewide efforts in Oregon have reduced transmission by 55-75 percent. Nice work, everyone!
Of course, we are by no means out of the woods yet. Dr. Dean Sidelinger, our State Health Officer and Epidemiologist, has said he expects the Stay Home, Save Lives order to be in place at least through mid-May. We are nearing 1,600 cases statewide, and based on modeling, we will continue to see diagnosed cases rise in the near future. Testing capacity is still limited, so we need to increase that capacity as much as possible to have even better data.
I know it’s frustrating not to know at this point when life will return to some kind of normal. Please know that your efforts to stay home as much as possible and strictly practice social distancing are making this process move more quickly. Keep up the great work, and let’s continue to be an example for the rest of the country.
- Governor Brown announced that the Oregon Food Bank and its statewide network of food banks will receive $8 million in funding to help Oregonians in need of emergency food assistance due to the coronavirus pandemic. Under the federal emergency declaration, about 75% of that funding is expected to come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is an important development, and I thank the Governor for coordinating this much-needed funding. Food insecurity is on the rise and local food banks have been stepping up. Last week, I was quoted here in an article by Willamette Week, which noted the Oregon Food Bank could start running short on supplies in two weeks. I’m glad the state has been able to meet that need. As a reminder, more information on how to volunteer and donate is available here.
- Today, the three West Coast governors – Governor Brown, Washington Governor Jay Inslee and California Governor Gavin Newsom – announced the formation of a Western States Pact to coordinate the reopening of the states’ economies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. All three states have implemented their own version of the Stay Home, Save Lives directive. More information on their pact is available here. Coordinating this approach makes sense. State governments leading the way, especially on the West Coast, is the subject of a story in The New York Times that published today.
- On unemployment benefits – the Oregon Employment Department has corrected the technical issue that occurred over the weekend, where some applicants who had been approved for unemployment claims were told they needed to re-file each week to continue receiving benefits. The Oregonian has more details here. I’m sorry if you were impacted by this. The department continues to hire more staff to process the historic level of claims being filed.
- The Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) announced it will begin conducting “spot checks” at businesses operating around the state in order to ensure they are complying with public health regulations during the pandemic. More information on how to file a complaint is available here.
- The Governor’s office confirmed that the state is expecting a big shipment of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gowns, gloves and masks, to arrive by the end of the week. This is PPE purchased by Oregon.
- The Oregon Health Authority announced 57 new diagnosed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 1,584. One more individual has unfortunately passed away, meaning there have now been 53 deaths from coronavirus in Oregon.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said over the weekend that it has started direct depositing money for individual Americans as part of the $2 trillion federal CARES Act. Any adult in the United States who is earning up to $75,000 in adjusted gross income and has a valid Social Security number will receive a $1,200 payment. The amount of the payment declines for individuals making more than that, and parents will receive $500 payments for each eligible child.
This does not mean that everyone who will get a relief payment has received their money yet. The Treasury said paper checks will begin to be issued later in the month. Also, lower-income individuals are supposed to get their payments first.
The IRS has more information here, including for non-filers. Also, be on the lookout for scams! Remember, the IRS will never call, text, email or contact anyone on social media about their personal identification or bank account information. If you get contacted in this way, please ignore it for your own security.
Governor Brown has issued a couple different executive orders relating to residential and commercial eviction moratoriums over the past month. I know there is a lot for everyone to keep track of, so below is a helpful guide to understand your rights as long as those orders are in place.
I want to acknowledge Terren Gurule and Miguel O’Loughlin, two students at Roosevelt High School, who have set up a free grocery home delivery service for seniors during the coronavirus pandemic. The Oregonian has a story on their work and more information on the service here.
This is a wonderful example of students who have had their lives completely disrupted by this virus still doing all they can to support their fellow Oregonians. We are all struggling with the wide-ranging impact of this virus. Thank you, Terren and Miguel, for inspiring us!
To read past newsletters, you can go to this link. For up to date information, please check this link to the Oregon Health Authority where regular updates are posted: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ERD/Pages/News-Releases.aspx
Please email me at Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov if you have specific concerns that have not been addressed by the OHA. Our office will do all we can to help and protect all Oregonians.
Thank you for reading! We will get through this together.
Best,
Tina Kotek
State Representative
House District 44
Speaker of the House
email: Rep.TinaKotek@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1200
address: 900 Court St NE, H-269, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/kotek
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