COVID-19 Updates 7/21/2020

Rep. Sollman

Friends and Neighbors,

Legislative Updates

Ways and Means Subcommittess Meeting This Week

This week the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittees will meet to discuss and hear testimony on the budget rebalance for Oregon's state agencies. Follow along with the discussion by clicking the committee links below. Watch the hearings live, see the agenda and look at submitted committee materials. If you would like to submit testimony to any of the committees by email, follow the links below.

 Wednesday, July 22

Thursday, July 23

Friday, July 24

Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force Reform

In late June, the Oregon legislature met in Special Session and passed a series of bills having to do with police accountability. Those bills can be found here: 

  • HB 4201: Establishes Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force Reform. 
  • HB 4203: Provides that peace officer may not use force that impedes normal breathing or circulation of blood of another person by applying pressure on throat or neck, unless peace officer may use deadly physical force.
  • HB 4205: Requires police officer or reserve officer to intervene to prevent or stop another officer engaged in certain misconduct, unless intervening officer cannot intervene safely. 
  • HB 4207: Directs Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to establish public statewide online database of suspensions and revocations of certifications of police officers. 
  • HB 4208: Prohibits law enforcement agencies from using tear gas for purposes of crowd control except in circumstances constituting riot. 
  • SB 1604: Restricts arbitration award from ordering disciplinary action that differs from disciplinary action imposed by law enforcement agency if arbitrator makes finding that misconduct occurred consistent with agency's finding of misconduct, and disciplinary action imposed by agency is consistent with provisions of discipline guide or discipline matrix adopted by agency as result of collective bargaining and incorporated into agency's disciplinary policies.

HB 4201, established the Joint Committee on Transparent Policing and Use of Force Reform and they have since met six times over this last month. Some of the highlights on issues they have worked on are listed below along with links to each committee hearing that you can playback and watch anytime. Join me as I follow along with this important conversation and see all that still needs to be done to further the work.

  • 7/8/2020: Policing and Public Health Outcomes, Distinguishing Constitutional Freedoms from Violence, Officer-Involved Deadly Use of Force Cases in the Courtroom
  • 7/9/2020: Models for Modern Policing, Economics of Policing: Part 1, Examining Law Enforcement Training in Oregon, Whistleblower Protections Under State and Federal Law
  • 7/10/2020: The Impact of Militarized Policing on the Public, Examining the Use of Force Continuum
  • 7/15/2020: Policing on Tribal Lands, Behind the Badge, Economics of Policing: Part 2 Risk Management, Use of Force Standards
  • 7/16/2020: Statistical Transparency of Policing (STOP) Data Update, Balancing First Amendment Rights with Law Enforcement Officer Duties and Obligations, Invited Feedback on HB 4208 - Relating to the use of tear gas by law enforcement
  • 7/17/2020: Understanding the Impact of Systemic Racism on Policing, Invited Feedback on HB 4208 (2020): The Law Enforcement Perspective- Relating to the use of tear gas by law enforcement, Legislation Feedback on HB 4208 (2020) - Open Public Testimony

Education Updates

School Reopening

As we approach the fall, I think it’s important to understand how our school districts will be making the decision on what “back-to-school” will look like. On June 10th The Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education jointly released guidance on the upcoming academic year. The “Ready Schools, Safe Learners” document was updated June 30th and the plan is to update it again today July 21st. An additional update is planned for August 11.  

Each school, in cooperation with their district, will create an Operational Blueprint for School Reentry. Schools are not part of the phasing program being used to reopen counties. However, by creating each plan at the school level, educators can customize the student experience based on the prevalence of COVID-19 in their community. Most schools are discussing the utilization of a comprehensive distance learning plan. The plan would be supplemented with in classroom availability as safety allows. 

School administrators in House District 30 have been receiving additional guidance from the Governor’s office, the Healthy Schools Reopening Council and the Washington County Department of Health and Human Services. School districts have also been listening to the voices of their community partners - including teachers, classified staff, parents and students.  A decision on the nature of “Day 1” is expected in the coming weeks.  

Once a school district finalizes their reopening plan, they must then submit it to the Oregon Department of Education for approval by August 15th. As the pandemic is ongoing and ever-changing, the ultimate decision on keeping schools open is made by the Governor as she determines the best course forward, relying on science and advice from public health officials.

  • The Banks School District met on July 16th to discuss reopening. Watch the meeting here.
  • The Beaverton School District met on July 20th to discuss reopening. Watch the meeting here.
  • The Hillsboro School District will meet on July 23rd to discuss reopening. Watch here.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Updates

Please see the following update from the Oregon Employment Department on the new online form for PUA claims.

The Oregon Employment Department has launched a new online form for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) initial claims and weekly certifications. The new online PUA claim form offers big improvements:

  • Speeding up weekly benefit processing. Reducing application errors and automating the application upload process will help us get claims processed faster and PUA benefits out to more Oregonians faster. 
  • Preventing uploading blank PDFs. Many of the PDF forms came to us blank. The chance that someone would accidentally upload a blank PDF form is also gone when using the online form.
  • Preventing incomplete claims. Important information, like the COVID-19 reason that makes an applicant eligible for PUA, is required, but has often been missing or left blank on the PDF forms. The online PUA application or weekly certification will give a warning notifying customers that the information is required. This change will help us process claims faster and reduce delays in Oregonians receiving benefits due to missing information. 

People who have filed weekly claims via PDF and who have not yet received payment are encouraged to re-file their weekly certifications through this new online claim form. People can continue submitting their initial application and weekly certifications by PDF upload, mail, fax or phone if they wish. These will take longer to process than the online claim form.

In addition to the new form, our new informational site, unemployment.oregon.gov has answers to frequently asked PUA questions. This is another step in our ongoing commitment to provide Oregonians who need to have their claims processed with a better customer service experience by using automated and faster ways to process claims.

Community Outreach

2020 Census-Its Not Too Late

The 2020 Census is happening now. You can respond online, by phone, or by mail.

Stay in the Know:

  • Census Takers Will Be Following Up: Census takers will follow up in person with homes that have not responded to the 2020 Census. All census takers will wear masks and follow safety protocols.
  • Language Support: You can answer the form online in 13 languages, including Spanish. Guides are available in 59 languages.
  • You Can Still Respond: April 1 is a reference date, not a deadline to respond. When you respond online, by phone, or by mail, count everyone living in your home as of April 1.
2020 Census

AARP Upcoming Webinars

AARP has several upcoming webinars on the topics of fraud, the economy and age-friendly housing. See details below for more information and to register to join.

WATCH DOG WEDNESDAYS

Join AARP Oregon for Watch Dog Wednesday, every other Wednesday at 10:00am. This bi-weekly series connects you with experts that can help you learn how to take steps to avoid scams.

  • July 29,  We’ll be talking with Tori Garcia, analyst with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. Home Improvement scams hit Oregonians during the warm summer months. Scammers are banking that homeowners won’t catch on until it’s too late.
  • Aug. 12, Our guest is OR Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, who will be talking about government imposter scams. These scammers hit communities at every opportunity from tax day to disasters. Learn how you can fight back.

No registration is required. Join the livestream via your phone, tablet or computer on the AARP Oregon Facebook page, www.facebook.com/AARPOregon  If you can’t join us at 10 a.m., the video still will be available after the event.  

ORECON’S ECONOMY IN A COVID-19 WORLD

Listen to key economic Oregon thought leaders John Tapogna with ECONorthwest and Rukaiyah Adams with Meyer Memorial Trust as they share their understanding and forecasts for Oregon’s economic future August 11 at 10:30 a.m. Oregon and the nation are in the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Forecasters anticipate a long, uneven recovery that will begin in earnest only after the virus is eliminated. The year has brought unprecedented change and so many questions. Get key insights during this important free webinar.

TOWARDS MORE AGE-FRIENDLY HOUSING

Nearly 80% of Americans age forty-five and older want to live in their own home and community as they age. Age-friendly communities have affordable, accessible and appropriate housing and supportive community features to help us thrive at every age. Join us for the next Age-Friendly Oregon Webinar on July 30th to learn about current trends and housing demand, policy solutions, and promising practices for more age-friendly housing in our communities.

  • Thurs., July 30, 2020 I 10:00 am - 11:15 am
  • Register today for this livestream event: https://bit.ly/agefriendlyhousing73020
  • Panelists:
    • Bill Cunningham, City Planner, City of Portland
    • Shannon Guzman, Senior Strategic Policy Advisor, AARP Public Policy Institute
    • Shannon Singleton, Housing Policy Advisor to Oregon Governor Kate Brown
    • Moderator: J. Daniel Steffey

Additional Resources

 House District 30 Links

Federal Delegation Links

Education Links

Utilities Assistance

Food and Housing Assistance

Walk-N-Talk

Orenco Woods

Thank you Dirk Knudsen for joining me last week for my first #WalkNTalk in beautiful Orenco Woods Nature Park. Want to throw on your sneakers and join me for a meeting on the move? Send my office an email: rep.janeensollman@oregonlegislature.gov or call 503-986-1430 to set it up. I would be happy to meet with you in district to talk about issues that concern you or ideas that you wish to share. Let’s get outside and Walk-n-Talk.  

Be good to yourself and 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