COVID-19 Updates 6/5/2020

Rep. Sollman

Friends and Neighbors,

Phase 1 Guidances

Washington County is currently in Phase 1 and is open for business, while following the health and safety guidelines. This is an exciting time, but also a time where safety is important in order to control a further outbreak. It is important to say, that if you notice that a company is not following required guidelines, please let’s have a little grace. Please have a conversation with the owner or manager and share any information they may not have. You may file a OSHA complaint, but a conversation could easily and quickly fix the situation. Call around and ask providers or restaurants what their process is for safety of customers and their staff. If businesses learn that this is a priority for customers, they will do their part to earn your trust and business. We want businesses to be successful and we want the community to be safe. We all play a role. Thank you.

Restaurants and bars must:

  • Ensure tables are spaced at least six (6) feet apart so that at least six (6) feet between parties is maintained, including when customers approach or leave tables
  • Require all employees to wear cloth face or disposable coverings (provided by the employer)
  • End all on-site consumption of food and drinks by 10pm

View all Phase 1 Restaurant and Bar Guidelines

Personal care services (all salons, barber shops, massage, etc.) must:

  • Make appointments with pre-appointment health check list of 4 questions
  • Maintain a customer log (for contact tracing)
  • Maintain 6 feet physical distancing between clients
  • Have clients wait in their car or outside to be contacted when the provider is ready for the appointment
  • Remove all magazines, newspapers, snacks and beverages from waiting areas
  • Require face coverings by employees and clients

View all Phase 1 Personal Care Services Guidelines

Gyms/ fitness must:

  • Limit maximum number of customers accordingly
  • Enforce physical distancing & sanitation

View all Phase 1 Gym and Fitness Guidelines

Local gatherings must:

  • Limit local gatherings to 25 with no traveling

To find more information on Phase 1 requirements, visit here.

National Gun Violence Awareness Day #WearOrange

Today, I #WearOrange in honor of all those whose lives have been taken or forever changed by senseless and preventable gun violence. #WearOrange is a time when Americans honor victims and survivors of gun violence and spread awareness about this crisis that takes more than 100 lives and wounds hundreds more every day. Show your support by sharing your #WearOrange pic today and joining a virtual event June 5-7th.

#WearOrange

On January 21, 2013, Hadiya Pendleton, a high school student from the south side of Chicago, marched in President Obama’s second inaugural parade. One week later, Hadiya was shot and killed on a playground in Chicago. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s childhood friends decided to commemorate her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others.

In June 2015, Hadiya’s birth month, a broad-based coalition asked people nationwide to join in what Hadiya’s friends started for the 1st National Gun Violence Awareness Day. In the years since, participation in Wear Orange has increased tenfold.

Gun violence doesn’t stop because of coronavirus, and neither does the movement to stop it. Just as gun violence disproportionately impacts Black and brown communities, so too does coronavirus. There is not a public health crisis in the United States that is not made worse by systemic racism and inequalities. This year, we will wear orange from home to keep our families and others safe. Together, we will honor the more than 100 Americans shot and killed every day and the hundreds more wounded. 

#WearOrange#WearOrange

Small Business Updates

House District 30 Small Business Survey

I recognize the challenges of sorting through all of the information available to businesses as they plan to enter Phase 1 of reopening. My office hopes to gather stories of triumph, hardship and perseverance. I would also like to provide assistance to help our community to safely get back to work, play and more. If you are a small business owner in House District 30, I would love to hear from you. 

Small Businesses Invited to Apply for Protective Equipment Grants

* The City of Hillsboro website will accept applications starting on Friday, June 5, at 9 am

Many small businesses need help and support to safely reopen and continue operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning on Friday, June 5, Hillsboro businesses can apply for a new Protective Equipment Grant program offered by the City of Hillsboro, in conjunction with community partners.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) — such as masks, face coverings, and gloves — can be difficult for small businesses to acquire. Many small business owners cannot afford to wait extended periods of time for the delivery of these essential items during the Phase 1 reopening.

The City of Hillsboro has procured PPE with the specific intent of assisting local businesses to more safely resume customer interactions and operations.

How to Apply for a Protective Equipment Grant

  • Visit Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/COVID19Business on June 5, 2020, starting at 9 am.
  •  Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Grant applications will be available in English and Spanish.
  • City of Hillsboro staff are available by phone at 503-681-6100, in English and Spanish, to assist business owners who need help or have questions about the application process.
  • The application window will remain open until further notice and while supplies are available.

For further details, visit here.

Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act Passes Senate

The U.S. Senate passed the House version of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) legislation Wednesday night, tripling the time allotted for small businesses and other PPP loan recipients to spend the funds and still qualify for forgiveness of the loans. The Senate approval sends the House bill, called the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act, to the President, who is expected to sign it.

Following is a summary of the legislation’s main points compiled by the AICPA: 

  • Current PPP borrowers can choose to extend the eight-week period to 24 weeks, or they can keep the original eight-week period. New PPP borrowers will have a 24-week covered period, but the covered period can’t extend beyond Dec. 31, 2020. This flexibility is designed to make it easier for more borrowers to reach full, or almost full, forgiveness.
  • Under the language in the House bill, the payroll expenditure requirement drops to 60% from 75% but is now a cliff, meaning that borrowers must spend at least 60% on payroll or none of the loan will be forgiven. 
  • Borrowers can use the 24-week period to restore their workforce levels and wages to the pre-pandemic levels required for full forgiveness. This must be done by Dec. 31, a change from the previous deadline of June 30.
  • The legislation includes two new exceptions allowing borrowers to achieve full PPP loan forgiveness even if they don’t fully restore their workforce. Previous guidance already allowed borrowers to exclude from those calculations employees who turned down good faith offers to be rehired at the same hours and wages as before the pandemic. The new bill allows borrowers to adjust because they could not find qualified employees or were unable to restore business operations to Feb. 15, 2020, levels due to COVID-19 related operating restrictions.
  • New borrowers now have five years to repay the loan instead of two. Existing PPP loans can be extended up to 5 years if the lender and borrower agree. The interest rate remains at 1%.
  • The bill allows businesses that took a PPP loan to also delay payment of their payroll taxes, which was prohibited under the CARES Act.

Read the full article here.

Education Updates

Higher Ed CC

RSVP here.

DMV Updates

When the DMV announced their reopening, by appointment only, beginning June 3rd, the amount of calls received overloaded the phone lines. They were quickly able to readjust and offer an alternative way to make an appointment online. You can now request a visit using an online form.

Request an appointment using the online form for the following in-person services:

  • Apply for an original, renewal or replacement driver license or ID card, including a non-commercial or commercial license, or an instruction permit
  • Take a driver knowledge test
  • Reinstate driving privileges, with issuance of a card
  • Apply for a new disabled parking placard
  • Apply for a farm endorsement
  • Complete a VIN inspection - required for vehicles with an out-of-state title, assembled or replica vehicles being for the first time, or totaled vehicles that have been repaired (reconstructed)

Community Outreach

EV

Forth’s Level-2 Electric Vehicle Charger Giveaway

Who is Forth?
Forth is a national nonprofit and trade organization based out of Portland, OR. We advocate for electric, shared, and smart mobility through four primary areas: Industry Development,
Consumer Engagement, Demonstration and Pilot Projects, and Policy Advocacy. Check us out online at forthmobility.org!

What is this Project?
Forth received a bunch of level-2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and was instructed to
give them to organizations that are willing to install them as workplace charging stations by the end of summer 2020. Forth is not authorized to pay for the cost of installation or related
equipment (pedestals).

Find more information here.

The PUC Wants to Hear From Oregonians about their Telecommunications Service

The Oregon Public Utility Commission (PUC) has launched a survey to learn what Oregon residents think of available telecommunications services. Residential telephone and cellular service customers are encouraged to take this survey to provide input about the quality of service received and whether there is access to appropriate telecommunications services for individuals and communities to thrive.

To take the survey, visit: https://arcg.is/1CHbz.

The survey is intended to provide a voice to Oregon residents using telephone and cell services. The results will help inform a report that is due to the Oregon State Legislature as part of our investigation required by House Bill 3065, which passed in the 2019 Legislative session. This bill directed the PUC to establish a public process to investigate the continuing relevance of the “carrier of last resort” or COLR obligation on the state’s telecommunications providers given the recent changes in technology and policy in the industry. The COLR obligation requires telephone companies to provide access to telephone service in their designated service territory without discrimination.

For additional information on the COLR investigation, visit: https://www.oregon.gov/puc/utilities/Pages/Telecom-Carrier-of-Last-Resort.aspx.

Additional Resources

 House District 30 Links

Federal Delegation Links

Education 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

Oregon Legislative POC Caucus Calls for Action This Year on Police Accountability

The Oregon Legislative People of Color (POC) Caucus jointly announced on Tuesday that they will ask their colleagues in the Oregon Legislature to take at least three
specific actions this year to improve police accountability in response to the murder of
George Floyd and the subsequent public protests and outrage in response to his death. 

First, in an upcoming special session, the POC Caucus is requesting that a bill from the last
two sessions regarding law enforcement disciplinary actions that go to arbitration be
included in any proposed policy bills the legislature considers. The concept has been
approved twice unanimously by the Senate, as Senate Bill 383 (2019) and Senate Bill 1567
(2020). The new law would prohibit an arbitrator from lessening disciplinary action
against a law enforcement officer if the arbitrator and the law enforcement agency
determine that the officer has committed misconduct.

Second, also in an upcoming special session, the POC Caucus is requesting the
consideration of a new legislative concept that would authorize and require the Attorney
General to investigate and prosecute, if the evidence dictates, any death or serious physical
injury resulting from the use of force by a law enforcement officer. The POC Caucus
believes that independent investigations are necessary for all cases where law enforcement
kills or seriously injures civilians, and that the Oregon Department of Justice is the
appropriate agency to be assigned this task.

Third, the POC Caucus is requesting that the House Interim Committee on Judiciary
immediately convene a bipartisan work group to recommend changes to the state’s laws
regarding use of physical force or deadly physical force in making an arrest or in
preventing an escape (ORS 161.235 and 161.239). This work will lead to a bill for the
2021 legislative session. The Caucus believes Oregon’s standard for use of force needs to
be strengthened.

Read the full press release here.

I fully support the calls to action of my colleagues in the POC Caucus and will support their proposals in an upcoming special session.

Pride

June is Pride Month and is designated so to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBTQ+ people have had in the world. Due to the pandemic, many of those events have been cancelled, including the Hillsboro Pride event, which I attended last year and absolutely loved. To my core, I believe that love is love and we all could use more of it in this world, especially right now. I watched a beautiful documentary on NetFlix called, A Secret Love. I highly recommend this wonderful love story. “I think Love is Love and it’s the most important thing”. ❤

Be good to yourself. Be good to each other.

Onward & 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