Dear friends and neighbors,
I hope you are doing well and staying safe. Thank you to all you do support the health and safety of your loved ones, community members and those in vulnerable health. In so many ways, we must look out for one another.
Today, we are collectively reacting to the heartbreaking stories of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor and of Ahmaud Arbery. These are the life stories of individuals who are simply being black in America, lives that were unfairly cut short. This has been the experience of countless others who should still be with us.
In recent years, Oregon has taken a variety of actions to dismantle institutional racism and advance equity. We created a new law to address hate crimes, we’re collecting data on police stops, we passed a law to penalize those who call 911 for frivolous or discriminatory reasons and advanced legislation to hold law enforcement officers who commit misconduct accountable. These are small steps on an unending path toward greater justice where we must constantly work not just to oppose racist acts but to be anti-racist.
As my colleagues in the People of Color (POC) Caucus said in their statement about the protests in Portland: We need all hands on deck for this work. We need our non-POC community members to speak truth to power, to protect us, to stand with us in this fight for justice, in this fight for our lives.
We need more than words. We need action and accountability. I will continue to work toward that end and toward justice.
Sincerely,
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Regional Solutions: Employment and Economic Response to COVID-19
Daily Digest Compilation for Friday, May 29
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department today released a list of state park campgrounds that are scheduled to open with limited services within the coming days. Some services will be curtailed, and most cabin and yurt camping remains closed. Group camping remains closed across the state. Read more.
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that it is setting aside $10 billion of Round 2 funding for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to be lent exclusively by Community Development Financial Institutions. Learn more.
Governor Kate Brown announces $30 Million investment to protect agricultural workers and secure Oregon’s food supply chain: Governor Kate Brown today announced a $30 million investment to secure Oregon's food supply chain and protect essential agricultural workers. The Governor's Office worked with state agencies, farmers, and farmworker advocates to develop a funding proposal to deploy rapid support and resources to Oregon's agricultural producers to meet harvest demands and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Read more.
State issues emergency orders for most common types of insurance: The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ Division of Financial Regulation issued emergency orders for property and casualty, long-term care, and life and disability insurance. The orders mean that the most common insurance policies, such as auto, home, term and whole life, and long-term care have minimum grace periods to pay premiums and protect consumers by mandating how long claims must be paid. Read the news release.
The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis looks at recently released county-level unemployment data caused by COVID-19 and explains why the severity of job losses across the state is not uniform. Read the blog post.
The post-pandemic future: "Fireside Chat" with Sen. Arnie Roblan and Ray Bucheger, FBB Federal Relations, on KXCR 90.7 FM
Remember the “Great Recession” as the newly elected President Obama termed the economic morass he inherited? Congress jumped in to pump up the economy with what we all thought was a massive cash infusion - $800 billion. The most money the Federal government had ever spent so fast.
But that was NOTHING compared to what’s going on now. Already Congress (with bipartisan support) and the President have passed and signed off on four COVID-19 pandemic economic rescue bills - 4 times the “Great Recession’s” $800 billion - $3 to $4 trillion. While the initial 4 COVID stimulus bills had bipartisan support, Senate Republicans are having a hard time swallowing the idea of another $3 trillion.
Join KXCR 90.7 FM, Florence Radio, on Tuesday, June 2nd, at 5:00 p.m. as we chat with State Sen. Arnie Roblan (SD 5) and Ray Bucheger, Partner with FBB Federal Relations about the economic impact on COVID-19, where the media leaves the wrong impression about the COVID-19 Stimulus packages and how the spending will impact our lives for years to come.
FBB Federal Relations is a team with a collective 50 years of Capitol Hill professional experience. Ray has more than fifteen years of experience in Washington, D.C., working in state, county and local governments, public agencies, trade associations, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. Drawing on his diverse experience and extensive contacts at the White House, throughout the Executive Branch, and on Capitol Hill, Ray will guide our listeners through a wide range of COVID 19 related issue areas, including Ports, infrastructure, and maritime transportation.
- What: KXCR 90.7 FM Sen. Roblan's "Fireside Chat" with Ray Bucheger
- When: Tuesday, June 2nd
- Time: 5:00 p.m.
Join us live on Twitter and Instagramor tune into on KXCR ttps://www.twitch.tv/kxcr_streaming or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kxcr90.7/
We look forward to hearing from you so that we can draw on your knowledge and recommendations on ways to we can bridge the gap to ensure we emerge successfully in a post-pandemic Oregon.
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Legislative Committee Week
This week we are entering a series of Senate Committee Meetings. Typically, these are known as “Legislative Days” and the Capitol is buzzing with legislators, staff, agency officials, advocates and members of the public. Given our public health emergency, these meetings will be held remotely. In order to ensure public engagement, these meetings will take place one at a time with a viewing station out front of the Capitol building. Each meeting will be streamed live and available on the Oregon Legislative Information System (OLIS) page for future viewing.
The schedule for this week is below. When the meeting begins a small camera icon will appear next to the meeting date on the far right. When you click the meeting date you will be taken to the agenda, and using the tabs above the agenda you can view meeting materials and presentation. You can also visit OLIS and look under “Meetings Today” to see which committees are meeting.
On each committee page you scroll down to the staff drop down. There will be a link to an email to submit testimony if you would like to weigh in on an agenda items and share your views with members of the committee.
Monday June 1st:
Tuesday June 2nd:
Wednesday June 3rd:
Thursday June 4th:
Friday June 5th:
Friday June 10th
I encourage including needfood.oregon.gov in your food resources and a plug for applying for rental relief: https://www.myoregon.gov/2020/05/16/state-parks-are-open-heres-how-to-safely-visit/
Additional News, Resources and Updates:
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