Coronavirus Update: Masks, Special Session, and Rent and Energy Assistance

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House Speaker Tina Kotek

Coronavirus Update: Masks, Special Session, and Rent and Energy Assistance

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I’m sorry we missed getting out a newsletter yesterday to start off the week. My team is busy preparing for tomorrow’s special session, and my stalwart communications director had to leave town on a family emergency. So, if we don’t get one out every day this week, you know why.

We have lots of updates today, so please read on!


Masks Required Indoors in 7 Counties

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, June 24, face coverings are required for indoor public spaces for residents and businesses in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Polk, Hood River, and Lincoln counties. Children under 12 years of age, as well as people with a disability or a medical condition that prevent them from wearing a face covering, are not required to wear one.

The Governor announced this new requirement last week. Yesterday, more specific guidelines were published. You can find those here.

I know this will be inconvenient and hot (with the warmer weather). But, please remember this will help keep others safe and reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Thank you for continuing to do your part!


Wear a Mask to Protect Yourself and Others

Legislators to Meet in Special Session

The Governor has called a special session for legislators to consider pandemic-related law changes and a package of police reforms. The session starts tomorrow morning in Salem. It’s an opportunity for legislators to come together and solve problems for the entire state. This is a complicated endeavor in a pandemic, but we’ll get it done.

We will be operating with strict public health protocols to keep everyone as safe as possible. The Capitol itself remains closed, so only legislators, essential staff, and the press will be allowed in the building. We will limit the number of people on the House floor, require face coverings, and restrict activities and movement that can spread infection. Committee discussions and floor votes will be viewable online here, and information on meetings and bills can be found here.

The COVID response policies include: extending the eviction moratorium for residential and commercial tenants; protecting homeowners from foreclosure; increasing support to expand access to broadband internet services; protecting drivers from fines while they wait to update DMV documents; and other concepts identified by the Joint Coronavirus Response committee that the Senate President and I appointed in March.

In response to the murder of George Floyd and the historic public outcry for police accountability, legislators are taking up a number of proposals: public transparency of police discipline records; requiring officers to report and intervene when they observe bad behavior by other officers; independent investigation of the use of force; protecting the freedom of speech and assembly from weapons of war; outlawing the use of choke holds; and prohibiting an arbitrator from lessening a disciplinary action against an officer. For more information, read more here.


Rent and Energy Assistance Coming!

Earlier this month, the Legislative Emergency Board authorized the use of $70 million in CARES Act federal funds to help Oregonians pay their rent and energy bills if they are experiencing financial difficulties because of the pandemic:

  • $55 million more is available for emergency rental assistance through the COVID Rent Relief Program that was established a month ago with state dollars. Eligible tenants must have had their ability to pay rent impacted by the pandemic and live at or below 80% of the Area Media Income (AMI) of the county in which they live.
  • $15 million is also available to help people pay their energy bills.

Community organizations in most parts of the state will start making this help available this week. Multnomah, Clackamas, and Lane county residents will have access to this help starting June 30.

To find out how to access these resources in your area visit 211info.org or call 2-1-1.


The Latest News

  • Today, the Oregon Health Authority announced (OHA) counties now have 500 trained people around the state to do COVID-19 investigations and contact tracing. This is in addition to the just under 100 staff at OHA who are ready to assist counties with outbreaks, bringing the current statewide total of contact tracers to around 600. This is up from 359 from the previous survey in April. Additionally, OHA is providing funding to community-based organizations to do pandemic response work in communities of color and other specifically impacted communities. To read more, go here.
  • The state has reached an agreement with several health insurance companies to continue providing expanded telehealth options through at least the end of the year. This is a continuation of a policy from March where health insurance plans were required to provide coverage for telehealth services at the same rate as an in-person visit. The Oregon Health Plan continues to offer pay parity and other allowances for many telehealth services. This agreement does not apply to companies with self-insured plans, so people are encouraged to check with their employer about coverage options. To read more, go here.
  • The Oregon Health Authority reported 191 new confirmed cases of coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 7,018. There are 7,274 new and presumptive cases. No new deaths were reported today, meaning 192 Oregonians have now died of the coronavirus. Public health officials note that even though workplace and outbreak testing has influenced the overall positivity rate, the number of cases is still up. More public activity because of reopening is a factor. To read more about today’s numbers, go here.

June 23_OHA Information

June 23_Hospital Capacity

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

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