COVID-19 Updates 5/12/2020

Rep. Sollman

Friends and Neighbors,

There is a lot of information packed into this newsletter. We are working to keep you informed, inspired by other’s actions, and most importantly, for you to know that you are not going through this alone. These are stressful and trying times, but it is temporary. I hope that you are working to take care of yourself, so that you can be better at helping others around you. We will get through this together.

Governor Updates

Western States Pact Urges Federal Support for States and Cities Responding to COVID-19 Pandemic

Yesterday, in a letter to Congressional leadership, governors and legislative leaders from five Western states requested $1 trillion in direct and flexible relief to states and local governments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to avoid deep cuts to services like public health, public safety, public education and help people get back to work.

The letter can be read here

Governor Kate Brown Statement on the State Budget

Governor Kate Brown issued the following statement yesterday on the state budget and upcoming May revenue forecast:

“One of the many challenging results of the COVID-19 pandemic is the dramatic impact on our economy. With many Oregon businesses restricted or shut down, travel suspended and jobs lost, we expect the revenue that we receive to fund state services will also be significantly reduced,” said Governor Brown.

“We anticipate a significant budget impact in the state revenue forecast coming on May 20, which will lead to some really difficult decisions. Our early discussions indicated this impact could be a reduction of $3 billion for the current budget period. We are exploring all available options to weather this recession, and I have directed state agencies to prepare prioritized reduction plans equaling a 17 percent reduction for the upcoming fiscal year as a planning exercise to explore all options. We haven’t made any final decisions, and the agency plans serve as important information gathering at this point. We know a potential cut of this magnitude would be extremely drastic.

“Whether the state will need to implement this level of cuts will be dependent on several factors, most importantly the need for additional federal funding to support state services, including our K-12 public school system. I will continue to work with Oregon’s congressional delegation in calling for more federal support. I will also work closely with Legislative leadership on the best ways to balance the budget. I am committed to doing so in a thoughtful, collaborative manner that explores all tools available.

“While these are uncertain times, one thing is clear: state employees are working many long hours to keep Oregonians safe and secure during this pandemic. In this time of crisis, Oregonians rely on state services more than ever, and cutting critical state services will be a last resort.”

Washington County Updates

Chair Harrington

Washington County Commission Chair Kathryn Harrington has released the following statement (see below) on where Washington County is at in regards to Governor Kate Brown's plan for Reopening Oregon. 

Additionally, the Washington County Board of Commissioners will be discussing this plan at today's board meeting in the 1:00 hour. Here is a link to the agenda. See ways to watch live, including YouTube and Zoom options, here.

"Washington County is working hard in collaboration with our neighboring counties to meet Governor Brown’s criteria for reopening sometime in early- to mid-June, but that will be based on meeting the Governor’s criteria, including ensuring that the region’s COVID-19 cases are decreasing by that point. Ultimately our reopening plan must also receive approval by the State of Oregon.

It is important to remember that the Portland metro region, including Washington, Clackamas and Multnomah counties, has a bigger population and more cases of COVID-19 than other counties in rural parts of Oregon.  Because the Governor’s criteria for reopening is harder to meet in our county, we will be opening later than other counties.

The Governor outlined several criteria or prerequisites for counties to reopen, so here is where we are in meeting them:

Contact tracing: 
Washington County is on track to having the staff needed to meet the Governor’s contact tracing guidelines by early- to mid-June.

Isolation and quarantine: 
Thanks to outstanding work among community-based organizations and the activation of a respite shelter in a former hotel, Washington County currently has the capacity to meet the isolation and quarantine prerequisite for new cases. 

Testing:  
Under the Governor’s criteria, our six-county region must be able to do 30 tests per 10,000 people. We understand that the region has the capacity to meet this standard now. 

Declining hospitalizations:
Washington County has had declining COVID-19 hospital admissions over the last 14 days, so we are meeting this prerequisite currently. 

Personal protective equipment (PPE) and health care capacity: 
Washington County currently has sufficient personal protective equipment for our first responders. We also have sufficient hospital capacity for a surge if cases increase once we reopen. 

Businesses:
Governor Brown is also allowing certain businesses to reopen as of May 15 if these businesses follow specific protocols, including:

  • Stand-alone furniture stores, boutiques, art galleries and jewelry stores, so long as they can follow distancing, face covering and safety protocols. 
  • Childcare, summer schools and youth camps, so long as they can meet specific criteria set out by the state. 

Other businesses in Washington County will have to wait until we get approval from the Governor for Phase I to begin. When these businesses reopen, they will need to meet state guidelines for safety which include customers and workers wearing face coverings if they cannot guarantee the six-feet distance requirements among people. This face-coverings requirement will be mandatory in pharmacies, grocery stores, salons, public transit and ride-share businesses. Using face coverings is strongly recommended in other businesses as well. 

Based on this guidance from the Governor’s Office, Washington County has been working on a reopening plan that will be reviewed by our County Board of Commissioners at our Work Session on Tuesday, May 12. The public is welcome to listen to the meeting through our live YouTube stream, but public testimony is not part of this particular meeting.

Finally, it is important to remember that we will not go back to “normal living” until there is a safe, effective vaccine that is available throughout our community. People should still keep six feet of physical distance, wash their hands frequently and wear face coverings while in public. These actions, together with restrictions on visits to long-term-care facilities, will still be especially important for protecting the historically underserved and high-risk populations who are more likely to have serious complications or even die as a result of COVID-19. 

I know this is a challenging time for everyone. I also know that this disease is having a disproportionate effect on those who are currently marginalized and historically underserved. We all need to do everything we can to reduce the spread of this virus by following the safety measures set out by Governor Brown. Doing so will save lives and help our county avoid having to go back to closure, repeating the economic impact on our community that we’ve just gone through. 

Thank you for all that you are doing to keep our community healthy and safe."

Kathryn Harrington
Chair, Washington County Board of Commissioners

*Follow along with each County in Oregon as their plans to reopen are submitted on Governor Brown's COVID-19 Resource Page.

Education Updates

Graduation Ceremonies

Graduation

 

Hillsboro School District: Drive-up graduations to take place at the Hillsboro StadiumThe schedule is below and will allow for each student to exit their vehicle, one at a time, to walk across the stage and receive their diploma. Video will be taken and edited together to be released later in June for all to experience a virtual commemorative graduation. See all details and other events that will be occurring as part of the graduation festivities here.

  • June 1 - Hillsboro High School
  • June 2 - Liberty High School
  • June 3 - Century High School
  • June 4 - Glencoe High School
  • June 5 - Make-up time will be provided in the late afternoon/early evening for all schools
  • June 6 - Hillsboro Online Academy, Miller Education Center/GED/5th year seniors, Community Transition Program, and additional make-up time.

The week of June 1, our high schools will be assigned days and times at which they will invite their graduates to the Hillsboro Stadium. 

Beaverton School District: Will adjust to hold graduation ceremonies later in the summer with the goal of having them be in-person. See updated schedule and further details here.

  • Goal:  An in-person graduation ceremony. Schools will allot a small number of tickets due to social distancing requirements. If Governor Brown relaxes social distancing requirements, individual schools may make adjustments to the number of tickets they allot based upon social distancing guidelines and stadium capacity. The graduation event will be live-streamed and available to those who cannot attend in person. We appreciate the students and families who have communicated their overwhelming preference for an in-person ceremony. It is important to our entire school community and we want to celebrate the Class of 2020!  With an in-person ceremony being our goal, we will make decisions around our graduation ceremonies based on the guidelines and directives from the Governor of Oregon.
  • If Necessary:  A smaller scale ceremony that will only include the graduates. The graduation event will be live-streamed. 
  • If Required:  A virtual graduation ceremony, including recorded speeches, video slideshow of every graduate, and turning of tassels.

As we move closer to our graduation ceremonies, we will assess the many factors that will go into guiding our decision around the kind of ceremony we can hold. On or about Friday, July 10th, we will decide on which kind of ceremony we will conduct. It is our hope that this timeline will allow time for families to adjust plans, as needed.

Higher Education Updates

Statewide Messages to Current and Future Students:

Joint Mess​age of Assurance to Current and Future Students, from Oregon's Colleges and Universities. A joint message from associations representing 40 public and private non-profit colleges in Oregon: the Oregon Community College Association; the Oregon Council of Presidents; and the Oregon Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities. April 27, 2020.

Student Perspective 

Helena, aged 10, a young constituent in House District 30 has shared with me a piece about how her education and daily life has changed during COVID-19. 

Mailbox

Being a kid during the pandemic is challenging. School is now done online which means a lot of change in regular schedules. The only time you actually get to see your friends is on google hangouts meets. Your social life is somewhat more important as a kid than an adult. It is also much harder to get the motivation to do your schoolwork, because online schoolwork is like homework. Homework feels like a chore. As a kid, you’re also the majority of the people who use playgrounds. Therefore you are the majority of the people who really, really miss going to the playground and hanging out with your friends.

It’s hard to stay connected, and keep from becoming bored in these times where staying in the house and not seeing your friends is the usual. But somehow I (and many other kids) manage. I’ve been finding very interesting and fun things to watch on the internet (like science videos, music websites, and games). Also, I would like to encourage the idea of kid mailboxes. If you have an extra cardboard box, you can turn it into a mailbox by decorating it, and cutting a slot near the top, and a flap near the bottom. That way, people can put a letter in the slot, and you can open the flap and receive it. This is a fun way for kids to stay connected by putting notes in each other's mailboxes. Also, making the mailbox out of a cardboard box is a fun craft for your kid to enjoy (though they might need some help cutting the slot, and flap). This is my mailbox that me and my neighbor use to send letters to each other. We wipe down the letter with a clorox wipe (or put it in the dryer for a few minutes) to kill germs and bacteria.

Education Links

Small Business Updates

PPP Loans

Oregon families and businesses are feeling the impact of COVID-19. As part of the CARES Act, the federal government created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to enable small businesses to continue paying employees for 8 weeks.  Despite the headlines regarding glitches and huge demand, as of May 8 about $125 million in funding remains available.  The PPP is administered by the Small Business Association (SBA).  If you have a small business in need of assistance please reach out to your financial institution, or the SBA to find a local lender who can help you apply. Here is a list of lenders accepting PPP loans in Oregon.

Enhanced Innovation Grant Program

The Oregon Innovation Council (a public-private partnership) has announced a re-launch of their Phase-0 funding project.  Now named the Enhanced Innovation Grant Program, the award will go to companies who are either:

  • Advancing an innovation based solution/resolution to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
  • Companies who have received funding and made progress toward commercialization.

Grant applications are due by midnight Wednesday May 20, 2020. Visit here for more information.

Safety Updates

Domestic Violence Resources

Occurring today at noon: Virtual Town Hall Discussion on Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Resources during COVID-19. RSVP here.

Town Hall

 

Watch this message, provided in Spanish, from the Hillsboro Police Department for resources available to victims of domestic violence and abuse during COVID-19. Watch and share the video or the text below with your friends and neighbors. 

La violencia en la casa nunca es aceptable, especialmente entre parejas o contra los niños. Si usted o alguien que conoce está sufriendo abusos en la casa, por favor, reporte cualquier incidente de abuso doméstico o abuso infantil a nosotros inmediatamente.

Siempre tenomos recursos disponibles para ayudar.

Con las escuelas ceradas, no tenemos el distrito escolar para ayudarnos a detector abuso en la casa. Necesitamos su ayuda para ser nuestros ojos y oídos para cuidar a sus amigos y vecinos.

Si necesita servicios relacionados con la violencia doméstica, incluyendo consejería y órdenes de restricción, el Centro de Justicia Familiar del Condado de Washington está abierto. Su número es 503-430-8300.

Puede encontrar información y recursos relacionados con el abuso infantile en CARES NW en su sitio web, www.caresnw.org.

Juntos podemos hacer de la ciudad de Hillsboro un lugar seguro para todos.

Additional Resources

 District Links

Federal Delegation Links

Utilities Assistance

Food and Housing Assistance

  • Governor Brown’s Executive Order 20-11: places a temporary moratorium on residential evictions for nonpayment in light of the public health emergency caused by the spread of coronavirus in Oregon. The order is effective for 90 days.
  • Governor Brown's Executive Order 20-13 strengthens Governor Brown's previous ban on residential evictions, and prohibits landlords from charging tenants late fees for nonpayment of rent during the moratorium. 
  • Community Action.org
  • Oregon Food Bank
  • Meals on Wheels
Flowers

 

I hope you were able to enjoy the sunshine of the weekend. I hope you celebrated your mom, celebrated being a mom or celebrated the many moms out there that are giving their all to serve us on the frontlines during this time. Thank you to the health care workers, teachers, first responders, grocery store workers, and all our essential working moms. You are appreciated, respected and valued for all you do.

Onward and Upward,

Janeen

Capitol Phone: 503-986-1430
Capitol Address: 900 Court St. NE, H-487, Salem, Oregon 97301
Email: Rep.JaneenSollman@oregonlegislature.gov
Website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/sollman