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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you for being safe and thoughtful this holiday weekend. July is going to be such a critical month for determining our path forward through this crisis. The precautions and the common sense safety measures we follow now, will help our businesses stay open, and make it easier for our students to return to in-person schooling in the fall. Oregon is doing better than many other states, but our daily new cases are still on the rise, and many parts of the state are seeing alarming increases in cases. It can be frustrating to wear masks, and to have to consider the risk and benefits of outings, but it is incumbent on all of us to do our part to contain this deadly and devastating virus.
While work on COVID-19 related issues continues, we are also pressing forward on other important conversations and policy areas. One of those important conversations is the need to re-imagine the future of public safety in our community. The legislature and many localities have begun this work by instituting new police reform policies, but there is much more left to do, and we need voices from around Washington County engaged in this creative work to improve the equity and efficacy of our Public Safety System. I hope you will join me, Nafisa Fai, Sheriff Garrett, and Janie Schutz for a Community Conversation on this topic. The event will take place on Zoom this Saturday, July 11th at 10am. Register here to receive the call-in details. Participants will be limited to the first 100 registrants.
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Healthy Schools Reopening Council: Governor Kate Brown’s Healthy Schools Reopening Council convened for its first remote meeting today. The council is charged with advising the Governor and the Oregon Department of Education as school districts develop their plans for a safe return to school for Oregon’s students under the Ready Schools, Safe Learners K-12 schools reopening process. Districts will develop plans for in-person instruction, remote instruction, or a combination of the two. In order to ensure all community voices are represented, the council includes state and local officials, public health experts, public members from a diverse range of backgrounds, and members from the education community, including representatives of students, parents, support staff, school administrators, school board members, teachers, counselors, and school nurses. The full membership of the Healthy Schools Reopening Council is available here. Read the Governor’s Press Release on the Healthy Schools Reopening Council here.
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Healthy Early Learners Council: Governor Brown announced yesterday that she will be convening a Healthy Early Learners Council to advise her and the Early Learning Division (ELD) on guidance for the reopening and ongoing operation of early learning and child care programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The work of this Council will align with the work of the Early Learning System strategic plan, Raise Up Oregon, the Governor’s Early Learning Council, and the Joint Task Force on Access to Quality Affordable Child Care. The early childhood education sector, including early learning and child care programs, faces unique challenges in the midst of COVID-19, given the limited ability for children and staff to maintain physical distancing, the potential child development implications of staff wearing face coverings in this environment, and the increased cleaning protocols that programs must implement without professional support. The Council, which will meet over the next several months, will be charged with:
- Aligning reopening guidance for children birth through age 8 – including child care, preschool/pre-kindergarten, and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education programs – grounded in equity and the science of child development;
- Informing revised guidance issued by the Early Learning Division and the Oregon Health Authority to support early childhood program operations with health and safety in mind;
- Advising on policies to support providers’ and children’s developmental, physical, and mental health needs, including addressing challenging behaviors when returning to care and preventing increases in suspension and expulsion, particularly for young children of color; and
- Recommendations for the health and well-being of young children and their families during COVID-19, in collaboration with the Early Learning Council.
- The Council will include elected officials, child care providers, early learning providers, public health experts, and parents, with a focus on ensuring that a wide and diverse range of community voices are represented. A full roster of members will be available prior to the Council’s first meeting in July.
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DMV Reopening update: Since June 1st, DMV has received about 123,000 appointment requests. EVERYONE who requested an appointment has received a call back. About 800 requests are in pending status (initial call-back has been made but no appointment set), and about 91,000 appointments have been scheduled. Starting yesterday, a host of online services are available at DMV2U, enabling Oregonians to handle more of their DMV business from home. Now customers can:
- Schedule a DMV appointment
- Replace a lost, mutilated or stolen license/ID card
- Upload a commercial driver medical examiner certificate
- Order a driving record
- Pay a reinstatement fee
- Begin a driver license or identification card application for an initial issuance
- See all the services DMV offers online at www.oregondmv.com/dmv2u.
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Law Enforcement Grace Period: A law enforcement grace period on expired licenses and vehicle registration is in effect at least through Oct. 1. The grace period is intended to allow Oregon residents to continue driving while waiting for an appointment or allow some people to delay visiting the DMV while it works through the backlog due to COVID-19 restrictions. Law enforcement can verify the status of a driver or vehicle electronically during a traffic stop.
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Commercial Driver’s license testing: Social distancing requirements make it difficult to fully utilize testing equipment so ODOT is re-thinking the floor plans of most offices to allow more testing devices to be used, or putting up plastic/plexiglass barriers between testing devices, and exploring the feasibility of written and off-site testing. For folks struggling to get in right now (and have already completed the schooling part) please reach out to my office. For folks who are still in school, but know roughly when you’ll be done and ready to take the test: go online and grab the appointment you think you’ll need. (So for example if I know my course ends August 14 and I’ll need to take my test shortly thereafter, go online and schedule out for the week of Aug 17). There will be a way to reschedule or cancel.
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Online Scheduling: If a service can be accomplished by mail or online, DMV is requiring customers to use those avenues at this time. Find information and instructions for how to complete common transactions like titling and registering a vehicle in Oregon at www.OregonDMV.com. DMV does not charge any service fees for online forms or use of their online services. Please make sure you are on the official Oregon DMV webpage.
 Watch this video to see how to use the new appointment scheduler.
 This video outlines what to expect for customer and employee safety when you visit a DMV office. You should be prepared to wear a face covering/mask at all DMV offices.
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Washington County Small Business Loans: Applications Open Tomorrow at 8 am! Small business economic assistance grants will be $3,000 each. The application period will open at 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 8. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Friday, July 10, or until 10,000 applications are received, whichever comes first. Links to the applications will be available on the County’s Business Recovery website: co.washington.or.us/bizrecovery
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Wauna Credit Union will now be offering loans to non-citizens in Washington County. Immigrants in our community have long faced barriers to lending, often forcing folks to resort to predatory lenders in order to support their homes, businesses and other necessities. Wauna credit has bilingual staff to assist potential applicants. You can learn more in this article from the Forest Grove News Times, and on the Wauna Credit Union Website.
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Phone and Internet Assistance: Whether for personal relationships, work, safety, or continuing to pursue benefits, connectivity is essential. The Oregon Telephone Assistance Program, also known as Oregon Lifeline, will temporarily discount telephone or high-speed internet service for low-income households. Visit www.lifeline.oregon.gov or call the PUC at 1-800-848-4442, M-F 9 am to 4 pm, for more information, including eligibility requirements.
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Health Insurance: The State has extended its emergency order for health insurance companies through Aug. 2, 2020, The order requires health insurance companies to 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.
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Oregon Zoo Reopening! After nearly four months closed, the Oregon Zoo will reopen this weekend! Zoo members will get first access to the property during a preview scheduled July 9-11. The general public can start visiting Sunday, July 12. The Zoo has worked with the state and public health officials to maintain safety for staff and visitors. 800 visitors will be allowed into the park per day, tickets must be purchased in advance, for specified 2 hour windows (about 150 visitors per window). Once inside the park, there will be one-way paths through the zoo, and all visitors 6 years old and above will be required to wear masks. You can learn more in this helpful article from the Willamette Week.
- Confirmed Cases: 2,932,596 (up 46,329 from yesterday)
- Deaths: 130,133 (up 322 from yesterday)
- These national numbers come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can view their national and state by state data here.
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Oregon Status Report: Oregon now has 10,605 total cases (confirmed and presumptive) of COVID-19. Today we have 218 new confirmed and presumptive cases. Tragically we have had a total of 220 Oregonians die from COVID-19. Washington County still has one of the highest case counts at 1,645 confirmed cases, with 27 new cases today. You can review on-going updates from OHA by clicking on the table below.
- The Oregon Health Authority recently provided a Public Health Indicators Dashboard to enable communities across Oregon to monitor COVID-19 in the state.The dashboard, which will be updated weekly on Thursdays, provides a transparent report that presents complex epidemiological data in an interactive, easy-to-understand way on a state and county level.
Table showing Oregon case, testing and demographic data, link to more information
This chart shows the number of new cases per day since March and the 7 day average of new cases. Unfirtunately we have been seeing an uptrend in the number of new cases per day since June.
A comparison of screening results for the US, Oregon and each county, created by Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Clinic
 My office has been working to help constituents that have been waiting to hear from the Employment Department on their Unemployment Insurance and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims. Most Oregonians have had their claims processed, but others have been waiting 12-14 weeks with no resolution and this is unacceptable. It is best to connect to your legislator directly to have them contact the Employment Department on your behalf. Use this link to find your legislator. If you live in my district, HD 29, please send us the following information to help us move your claim to the Employment Department more effectively and efficiently.
- Name
- Phone Number
- Email Address
- Mailing Address
- Customer ID#/ or Confirmation #/ or last 4 of SSN
- Initial Filing Date
- Last Contact with Employment Department
- Type of Claim (Regular UI, PUA, Adjudication, Restart)
New Unemployment FAQs:
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Forestry: In the Special Session in June, the Legislature was finally able to pass a landmark deal reached between thirteen conservation and fishing organizations and thirteen forest industry companies. This memorandum of understanding includes:
- Improved stream buffers on salmon and steelhead streams in the Rogue-Siskiyou region.
- New 50 foot buffers against aerial spray of pesticide near tens of thousands of miles of small streams.
- Much larger buffers against aerial spray of pesticide near homes, schools, and drinking water intakes.
- A first-in-the-nation system to allow people living near forest land to sign up for 24 hour electronic notices before aerial spray of pesticide occurs, along with increased transparency.
- Funding to begin mediation between representatives of the parties to bring a fuller package of rules to increase protections for threatened and endangered aquatic species. Topics will include stream buffers, steep slopes, and roads.
- Creates an important bridge for further discussions to be had and reforms to be proposed between the forestry and conservation communities. I encourage all stakeholders and everyone interested to remain engaged in those talks.
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The Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force Reform, created in the Special Session will meet Wednesday through Friday. You can watch and follow along here.
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Employers and Employees
- Unemployment options http://www.oregon.gov/employ, including the Work Share program at oregonworkshare.com
- See FAQs, and subscribe to updates at https://govstatus.egov.com/ORUnemployment_COVID19
- File a Claim online at https://secure.emp.state.or.us/ocs4/index.cfm?u=F20200324A152211B60880938.0174&lang=E
- Independent Contractor, Gig Worker, & Self Employed Workers can use the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Application at https://govstatus.egov.com/ui-benefits/CARES
- Email the department with questions: OED_COVID19_Info@oregon.gov, you should hear back within about a week, please do not email multiple times with the same question, and please include as much information as possible in your first email. Sending multiple emails asking about the status of your claim will only cause further backlog, and make it harder for OED staff to respond to you and others.
- If you have received a claim denial, or need to appeal an Employment Department decision, use this email: OED_UI_HEARINGSREQ@oregon.gov
- With the extreme increase in people seeking unemployment, the phone lines are busy and it has been difficult to get through. Please preserve phone line capacity by using the email and online tools whenever possible, many of our neighbors do not have internet access but have not been able to get through on the phone due to bottlenecks. You will not lose your place in line by filing online or using email instead of the phone.
- The Oregon Labor and Industries Technical Assistance for Employers page at https://www.oregon.gov/BOLI/TA/pages/index.aspx has information about employer obligations and responsibilities.
- Business Oregon has a robust list of financial resources including non-bank lenders at https://www.oregon4biz.com/Coronavirus-Information/
- The US Small Business Administration offers disaster assistance in the form of SBA loans to designated states. Information about these loans is available at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information/Index
- The latest COVID-19/Coronavirus information on resources for workers and business owners is available at https://www.oregon.gov/gov/Pages/coronavirus2020.aspx
- Oregon Secretary of State’s business resources can be found at www.oregon.gov/smallbusiness or you can email questions to business.sos@oregon.gov.
Education Links
Local Government
Utilities Assistance
Food and Housing Assistance
View Past Updates, Share and Subscribe:
If there was COVID-related information in a past newsletter that you want to go back to, but find you’ve deleted it, you can always go to my legislative website (http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain), click on “News and Information,” and you’ll find them all there. You can also share this site with your friends and loved ones, so they can view past newsletters, and subscribe to future updates.
I was lucky to spend the Fourth of July with my dear friend Nona in her beautiful back yard! Just the two of us with lots of physically distanced fun!
Yours truly,
 Representative Susan McLain
House District 29
email: Rep.SusanMcLain@oregonlegislature.gov I phone: 503-986-1429
address: 900 Court St NE, H-376, Salem, OR 97301
website: http://www.oregonlegislature.gov/mclain
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