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Greetings:
This week many organizations and public entities responded to community calls for action by reaffirming their commitment to racial equity and social justice. Most recently, Mayor Ted Wheeler announced that the Portland Police Bureau’s entire school resource officer unit would be disbanded and removed effective immediately from Portland Public Schools, David Douglas School District, and Parkrose School District. This is a restorative step in building trust and relationships within school communities. By continuing to invest in direct student support programs and culturally specific partnerships, schools across Oregon are taking a student and community-led approach to positively impact school climate.
Emergency Board Update This afternoon, the Legislative Emergency Board convened to allocate $322 million in federal funding from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). These funds will provide critical funding for a wide variety of individuals and businesses (see below for some details), and you can watch a replay of the meeting and review the full list of agenda items here. Among the additional investments made today are:
- $75 million to support rental assistance, affordable housing and mortgage payment assistance.
- $10 million in additional support to the Oregon Worker Relief Fund which support Oregonians who are not otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance like farmworkers.
- $18.5 million to support individuals having difficulty paying their utility and internet bills.
- $4 million to support survivors of domestic violence.
- $25 million to enhance behavioral health services for Oregonians impacted by COVID-19, with a focus on communities of color, Oregon’s federally recognized tribes, and vulnerable populations.
- $30 million in childcare support
- $20 million to expand access to broadband and help Oregonians adapt to working and learning remotely
- $10 million to help small businesses purchase the personal protective equipment they need to reopen
26 Counties Approved for Phase 2 Opening Governor Kate Brown has outlined a phased approach to reopening Oregon’s communities and economy in an effort to allow individual counties to begin reopening if they have met specific health and safety criteria. New guidance has been issued for 26 counties that have been approved to enter Phase 2 of the reopening framework. The Final Phase II recorded presentation of the slides can be accessed here. Multnomah County commissioners today submitted a Phase 1 reopening plan today with a start date of June 12 which is still subject to approval by the state. Given an increase in cases and other indicators, Oregon's chief health officer Dean Sidelinger noted that both the state and county are looking at moving forward cautiously. When restrictions are lifted information will be posted on the Multnomah County Reopening Dashboard.
Oregon Health Authority Update The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) reports up-to-date information regarding testing statistics that can be found on their website. You can review the daily update and weekly report that details Oregon’s public health capacity to respond to COVID-19. You can also find more information about the health impact of COVID-19 in communities across the state. Here are recent updates included in OHA’s reports:
- New information in the weekly report includes information about active workplace outbreaks. In order to protect privacy, OHA is only reporting workplace outbreaks with 5 or more cases and only for workplaces where there are at least 30 employees.
- Information is now available about the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations by hospital per week in the weekly report.
Oregon Extends Emergency Order For Health Insurance Companies The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services extended its emergency order for health insurance companies through July 3, 2020. The order is in effect through July 3 and will be extended in 30-day increments during the course of the COVID-19 outbreak. The order requires health insurance companies to do the following for their customers during the COVID-19 outbreak:
- Provide at least a 60-day grace period to pay any past-due premiums
- Pay claims for any covered services during the first 30 days of the grace period
- Extend all deadlines for reporting claims and other communications, and provide members with communication options that meet physical distancing standards
SBA Disaster Loans Deferment All SBA disaster loans, including homes and businesses, will receive a deferment through December 31, 2020.
- This is being automatically applied and requires no further action on your part.
- Interest still accrues during a deferment.
- If you have a Pre-Authorized Debit (PAD) in place you must cancel the PAD to prevent it from drafting during the deferment period and set it back up after the deferment period.
If you have additional questions or require further assistance, please call the Disaster Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 or, for the deaf and hard-of-hearing 1-800-877-8339 (Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm Eastern Time) or email: disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
USDA Coronavirus Food Assistance Program Impact in Oregon The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities that aims to give them the ability to absorb sales losses and increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about this program or to review the full report, click here.
Upcoming Community Event Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) provided African Americans the opportunity to obtain higher education at a time when virtually no other colleges would. Today, HBCU’s hold rich traditions and outstanding academic programs. Please join me and Rep. Janelle Bynum on June 16 at 5 pm, for HBCU Connections, an event highlighting and promoting awareness of Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Please click here to register in advance.
Please reach out to my office if you have any additional questions, or if there’s anything you think I could help with.
Sincerely,
 Representative Barbara Smith Warner
House District 45
email: Rep.BarbaraSmithWarner@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1445
address: 900 Court St NE, H-295, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/smithwarner
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